Mine didn't smell much when they were starting to bloom, but now at their peak the fragrance is glorious, especially on warmer days. (I'm in PDX). I have Snowbelle and Pearls of Perfume.

Unfortunately I am unable to locate the name. I will need to call the nursery. Adding the photos in case it can be ID'd. It was planted end of June last year and later it had flowered profusely.

I added a mock orange to my garden years ago - has to be at least 25 years ago, so I have no idea what cultivar it is. The darn thing never smelled. For years I would stick my nose in the blooms and for years I got nothing. For years I would consider cutting it down (it's a good 12 feet tall) but never got around to it.

About 4-5 years ago I'm out working in the garden and I for the life of me can't figure out what that heavenly scent I was smelling was coming from. In disbelief, I walked over to the mock orange and before I even got close enough to sniff, I could tell it was that! What the heck? Why did it start having a fragrance 15-20 years later? So bizarre.

And just as crazy that since then, I've only gotten fragrance out of it one year of the last 4 years. So disappointing. I plan on removing it this year or next, as I am re-doing that part of the yard anyway. My sunny real estate is too limited to waste it on a plant that doesn't smell good when that's its claim to fame.

That being said, however, I AM looking at some of the smaller cultivars to add to the garden. Just in case....

I'm sorry you are not getting fragrance. Trust me I know how disheartening that is. Might yours be an Illuminati Spice?

:)

Dee

Can confirm 'Belle Etoile' is very fragrant.

My property had some old mockoranges planted by prior residents that still have some fragrance, but not as as much. Also, the flowers are less attractive, and the bloom season shorter. 'Belle Etoile' is superior in more ways than one!

Philadelphus madrensis has a particularly sweet bubble gum type fragrance, some would say cloying...alas I couldn't keep it alive even in a hot dry spot. It's from the southwest, but grows well in Portland, OR.

I had a 'Buckley's Quill' Philadelphus. Double blooms. It was not fragrant every year. So I agree that it can be affected by something...weather? location? When it was fragrant, wow, it was great! I had it for 3 years before I smelled anything and I was suprised. It developed some kind of issue with the foliage and I finally took it out. I hope to get another Philadelphus again when I have a spot for it.

Thank you for the very informative points.

I just called up the nursery. Since this mock orange has double flower, it most likely is

Philadelphus virginalis 'Minnesota Snowflake' which they sold last year. I have been giving it compost however the nursery suggested some organic fertilizer and more deep watering.

My P. 'Belle Etoile' blooms reliably, is very fragrant, wafting 10-20 feet away easily. It is pretty vigorous, probably 6' high. The only problem is that the plant itself is not very pretty, weird shape, and some big branches die back every year.

P. 'Rosemary Brown' - very few blooms, only at the end of the branches and the scent is very mild, I have to stick my nose in it to feel anything. The plants are barely 3' high after a few years, not very pretty either. Not evergreen either, despite promised.

"I just called up the nursery. Since this mock orange has double flower, it most likely is

Philadelphus virginalis 'Minnesota Snowflake'..."

Oh, that's disappointing -- a "Minnesota Snowflake" just came home with me today. Oh well.