Philadelphus Belle Etoile Mock Orange

Philadelphus Belle Etoile, also known as Mock Orange Belle Etoile, is a deciduous shrub popularly grown for its delicious orange scent and delicate white blooms. It’s multiple orange-infused blooms measure around five centimetres in width and are flushed with lilac around the stamens. Green oval leaves provide a dark background to showcase pearly white flowers smothering the shrub from late spring to early summer.
Philadelphus Belle Etoile is more compact than other varieties of mock orange, but still retains the arching growth aspect, sprays of snowy white single flowers and heady scent that becomes stronger during the evening. It will grow to 1.5 metres in height and to a 1.5 – 2.5 metre spread over five to ten years. 
Read our blog post on which Philadelphus Mock Orange to choose >>

Mock Orange Belle Etoile Hardiness Levels 
Philadelphus Belle Etoile is a hardy, low maintenance flowering shrub. Once established, Belle Etoile will thrive in almost any conditions tolerating chalky, clay, sandy and loamy soils of any pH. It’s a great choice for the urban garden and coastal areas too. 

How To Use Mock Orange Belle Etoile  
Mock Orange Belle Etoile flowers in ‘Green June’ when other spring plants have finished blooming but before the summer plants have gotten underway. Belle Etoile retains colour in a garden display during this green period when few other flowers are blooming.
You can use Mock Orange Belle Etoile as a hedging screen, or to cover an unsightly fence with ease.  It sits well near an open window or a seating area so you can appreciate the glorious scent. Philadelphus Belle Etoile is essential in a wildlife friendly or woodland garden as its orange blossom scent attracts all manner of pollinators. 

How To Care For Mock Orange Belle Etoile 
Philadelphus Belle Etoile is incredibly hardy and it will grow in most conditions once established. It prefers moist soil and will struggle in water-logged areas. 
If you are happy for your Philadelphus Belle Etoile to roam free then pruning is not required. Its compact nature will stop it overtaking the garden, but in smaller spaces you can control its height and spread by pruning back to the first strong bud, about a third of its overall length, after the flowering season has finished. This hard pruning ensures the best display next year. 
Mulch around the roots of Mock Orange Belle Etoile in early spring to maintain healthy, strong growth and an abundance of scented flowers in June. In sandy soils and very hot spells it will appreciate a weekly soaking. 

Philadelphus Belle Etoile is beautiful and highly scented yet it’s tough and hardy. These aspects, coupled with its wildlife-friendly nature, have led the Royal Horticultural Society to award Mock Orange Belle Etoile the Award of Garden Merit.