Plant of the week

JAPANESE MOCK ORANGE

IF YOU like to grow plants for fragrance, here’s a beauty. Japanese Mock Orange, Pittosporum tobira, grows as a large shrub or small, rounded tree. The dark, oblong leaves are evergreen, and in late spring huge crops of tightly packed flower clusters appear. The flowers open white, but mature to the colour of Jersey cream. The scent is rich and delicious. On a still evening, the air within yards of the tree becomes heavy with fragrance. Coming from milder regions of China, Korea and Japan, this plant is not hardy in Britain’s coldest regions, but will survive if protected from the worst of winter frosts. Grows happily in mild areas, such as central London or Cornwall.