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mock orange
noun
1
: any of a genus (Philadelphus of the family Hydrangeaceae, the hydrangea family) of ornamental shrubs of which several are widely grown for their showy white flowers
called also philadelphus, syringa
2
: any of several usually shrubby plants considered to resemble the orange
Examples of mock orange in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sunburned leaves of a mock orange shrub on Aug. 23.
—
Denise Chow, NBC News, 1 Sep. 2024
Flowers included meadow grass, ox-eye daisies, iris, rose, clematis, mock orange, scabious, sweet pea, astrantia, martagon lily and love in a mist.
—
Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 7 June 2024
Swan Lake mock orange is a rounded shrub from Monrovia that produces mounds of white blooms that smell like grape soda.
—
Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Jan. 2024
For winter application, Osofsky suggests homing in on white flowers like hellebores or mock orange, paired with the silver foliage of artemisia and lavender.
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Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 21 Dec. 2023
Both of these shrubs, nine-bark and mock orange, can occasionally be pruned nearly to the ground as a rejuvenation strategy.
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oregonlive, 16 Sep. 2023
The 264-page guide offers details on how to manage inevitable fire by designing gardens and wildlife habitats as a defensive space with the careful placement of native plants.
instead of invasive butterfly bush, the authors recommend planting mock orange, red-flowering currant or blue elderberry.
—
Jeastman, oregonlive, 11 Sep. 2023
Also, when is the best time of year to prune mock orange.
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oregonlive, 16 Apr. 2023
Not every species of mock orange has the same strong fragrance, though, so be sure to do a little research before heading to the garden center.
—
Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Feb. 2023
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Word History
First Known Use
1731, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near mock orange
Cite this Entry
“Mock orange.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mock%20orange. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
Kids Definition
mock orange
noun
: any of several shrubs widely grown for their showy white flowers
More from Merriam-Webster on mock orange
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mock orange
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