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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.
—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.
—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.
—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 22 Dec. 2024.
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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