Philadelphus
Books about shrubs for the sensible gardener always mention a Philadelphus, or Mock Orange. Thoughtful gardeners always include at least one in their shrubberies. I've found a Philadelphus in the original plantings on one side of the Moosey house.
Philadelphus - Orange Blossom
In my early gardening days I used to cut back this shrub at completely the wrong time of the year (so it didn't flower the following spring). I also would sometimes miss it flowering. Before I retired and became a happy full-time gardener my late spring weeks were full of long hours spent at work - not in the garden. And what exactly was it? I took a close-up photograph of the flowers and checked with my reference book. Yes, it certainly was a Philadelphus, commonly called Mock Orange.
My garden was originally planted in the 1980s. Back then one Philadelphus would have been compulsory by the house, along with one Ceanothus, one Camellia, one Weigela, one Deutzia, and one Photinia... These were the backbone plants of the New Zealand country garden shrubbery back then.
Fragrant in Late Spring
I'm much, much wiser know! And so I can enjoy the beautiful fragrance of this shrub in late spring. And I know when to prune it. I can hold my head high again in the world of shrub-owners.