Lewis's Mock Orange (Philadelphus lewisii)

Lewis's Mock Orange (Philadelphus lewisii), a photo by Laurel Fan on Flickr.

I've just planted a little tiny bush of this Philadelphus. It was sitting in a pot in the shade and losing its leaves, so I looked up the cultivation notes to find that it will happily tolerate full sun and dryish conditions. I always thought Philadelphus liked shade and moisture, so my preconceptions of its requirements were killing it. It's a lovely thing, smaller and more spreading that the more commonly available Philadephus something-or-otherii, but with the same wonderful orange-blossom scent. It comes from the dry inland plateau of the Northwest of the United States, and is the state flower of Idaho. Discovered by the explorer Merriwether Lewis on one of his expeditions, though no doubt the native Americans knew and loved it long before it was 'discovered' by Lewis and was chosen to bear his name.