Philadelphus coronarius Justynka - Mock Orange

The Philadelphus ‘Justynka’ is a variety of Seringat appreciated for its relatively compact habit, which allows it to be used in multiple situations, including in containers. In spring, the foliage of a fairly dark green serves as a backdrop for a superb semi-double white flowering, which exhales a very pleasant fragrance. An excellent beginner's plant, Philadelphus grows in a wide variety of soils, in full sun and even in partial shade. It is cold hardy, and its small size makes it easy to integrate into a diverse mix of shrubs and perennials. It is also very interesting for creating low hedges with a somewhat rustic appearance.

The genus Philadelphus belongs to the Hydrangeaceae family, which takes its name from Hydrangea in Latin, and includes other well-known ornamental genera such as Deutzia, or rarer ones, such as Kirengeshoma. There are about forty species of Philadelphus, shrubs from temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere (Southern Europe and the Caucasus, Himalayas and eastern Asia, and North America). The cultivation of Seringats in our gardens is very ancient, dating back to before 1560 for P. coronarius, with other species being introduced over the centuries.
'Justynka' is a variety native to Poland, selected by breeder Antoni Wroblewski and introduced to the market in 1982. The bush forms a dense and spreading clump, forming at maturity a large irregular ball about 1.50 m in height and width. It is adorned with deciduous foliage, medium to dark green in colour, consisting of simple leaves with toothed margins, ovate to elliptical, measuring 4 to 6 cm long and 2.5 to 4 cm wide. This rather dark vegetation is perfect for showcasing the superb white spring flowering. Flowers of 3 to 4 cm in diameter, grouped in clusters, then form bouquets along the branches. Semi-double, more or less open cup-shaped, the flowers are pleasantly fragrant and release their scent in the garden for several weeks, with flowering usually occurring from May to June.

Seringats, sometimes also called Poet's Jasmine because of their sweet fragrance, are among the easiest shrubs to grow. This 'Justynka' variety has the advantage of a compact habit that allows it to be grown in containers. In the garden, it will be perfect in a mixed border, alongside plants that are just as easy to grow. Plant at its feet the Potentilla fruticosa 'Red Ace', a low shrubby Cinquefoil, which will form a cushion 50 cm tall and almost double in spread, and will offer you a simple red-orange flowering from June to September. The Double Play Big Bang Japanese Spirea combines the attraction of foliage with changing colours, ranging from orange-red to yellow and then green, to yellow again in autumn, and a pretty pink flowering throughout the summer. To celebrate the arrival of spring and thus extend the flowering period of your border, add a Forsythia x intermedia 'Week-end' that will give you an explosion of yellow flowers in March-April. And for autumn, nothing beats an Oakleaf Hydrangea 'Snowcicle', a high-impact plant that does not require heather soil to thrive and will reward you with large double panicles of cream-white flowers that later take on pink-red hues. In addition to its very long flowering period, from July to October, this easy-to-grow Hydrangea will offer you a colourful spectacle in autumn when its beautiful cut foliage turns red.