Re: Philadelphus in the shade

I'm so disappointed; my Philadelphus lewisii has only the faintest of
fragrances.  I think it must be just our local population that has lost its
scent.  It's still a nice plant but would be so much more if it smelled
good!
-----Original Message-----
From: Diane <otterpt@macn.bc.ca>
To: Medit-Plants <Medit-Plants@ucdavis.edu>
Date: Sunday, July 11, 1999 2:27 PM
Subject: 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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