Known to everyone in Finland as the ”jasmine bush”, the sweet mock orange is one of the oldest of garden shrubs in this country. First grown in Europe in the 1500s, it arrived in Finland about two centuries later.
This mock-orange is one of the smallest and hardiest of the genus. It remains under 2 metres but the slim branches bend outwards to cover a broadish area. The white flowers appear in mid-summer and are only mildly scented so the species is suitable for gardens which are home to sensitive noses. It is also said to thrive in shadier positions than other mock-oranges.
Schrenk’s mock-orange is a relative newcomer among the shrubs available in Finland. Native to eastern Asia, it is like the sweet mock-orange (Philadelphus coronarius) in having strongly scented flowers.
For a mock-orange it is a large shrub but if space permits, well worth growing, especially further north, being very winter hardy. Otherwise it is a fairly ordinary mock-orange, but among the easiest to grow, not that any of them are difficult.