Re: Philadelphus in the shade

I grow a shrub of Philadelphus lewisii in total shade.  It is under the
perpetual shadows of a giant red cedar on one side and a 70-foot native
Cornus nuttallii on the other.  The root system is on a steep slope in
acid soil.  The gangly strong woody branches make their way through a 10
x 10 foot Rhododendron 'Susan' and arch over the wide stairs down to the
patio and house - the reason I placed it there, so its fragrance could
be enjoyed on trips from the car to the house.  It has never had mildew
or problems of any kind and blooms profusely.  It was many years before
it bloomed, perhaps because I was overpruning it.  Now that it makes its
way through the rhododendron, the branches exceeding the height of the
rhododendron by several feet, it blooms like crazy.  It is not a dense
shrub, like some I have seen on the roadsides here which are truly
spectacular.

Our native Philadelphus lewisii (on Vancouver Island) is sometimes
described as Philadelphus lewisii var. gordonianus or P. gordonianus.
This species is extremely variable in both vegetative and floral
characteristics, particularly responsive to local ecological conditions.
The wood is very hard, the branches strong - Indians used the wood for
bows and arrows, making wood combs and knitting needles.

The rich pure white flowers are beautiful in clusters at the end of
lateral branches.  They have 5 large petals, the centres filled with
narrow feathery petals.

About 27 years ago, my mother and I admired it growing at the base of a
rock bluff near here - it extended for a distance of perhaps 40 feet in
this crevice, growing to a height of about 15 - 20 feet.  We managed to
pry out a couple of tiny rooted suckers.  This colony was in an open
south-facing area with only a few Garry oaks and Arbutus trees on the
bluff above it - no shade.

 For many years, mine grew almost like a vine, reluctant to branch out,
and the main branch reaching about 20 feet before I cut it down and
moved it to its present location 10 years ago.  It was only about 6
years ago it started blooming.  I persevered because the original native
plant colony is long gone, as is my mother and her plant (which bloomed
a couple of years after she put it in her garden) and I remembered the
beauty of the huge white blooms and the heady fragrance.

Diane Pertson
Otter Point Haven otterpt@macn.bc.ca
Nature Notes from Vancouver Island
http://zapbc.com/nature.htm at
Parksville & Qualicum Beach Online http://zapbc.com
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