Scented beauty
Q
I would like to plant a Philadelphus ‘Belle Étoile’. If I can’t find one, are there other varieties with a similar scent? Gill Evans, Stroud, Glos
A
‘Belle Étoile’ is a popular variety and readily available in garden centres and online.
Philadelphus ‘Virginal’ has the typical ‘orange blossom’ scent of other varieties of mock orange. It flowers slightly later than ‘Belle Étoile’, and is more vigorous, but can otherwise be treated the same.