Plant guide
Sweet mock orange
Philadelphus coronarius
Sweet mock orange is considered non-toxic to cats. Fragrant white flowers suit a garden border. “Mock orange” is shared with other plants, so confirm the botanical name.
Non-toxic does not mean edible. Eating plant material can still upset your cat’s stomach.
What this guide covers: Philadelphus coronarius only. Confirm the botanical label; a photograph cannot identify a visitor’s specimen.
Photo:
Photo details
NC State Extension — Philadelphus coronarius
By Maja Dumat
License: CC BY 2.0
Original photograph unchanged; proportionally resized for review and display.
Plant identity
- Scientific name
- Philadelphus coronarius
- Scope
- Species
- Family
- Not recorded
- Also known as
- No reviewed aliases available
Find the right spot
How to grow this plant
Philadelphus coronarius only; the light and water categories summarize the cited growing guidance.
- Light
- Sunny position or Some direct sun
Use full sun to partial shade.
- Watering
- Keep evenly moist
Moist soil is preferred; established plants tolerate some drought.
- Temperature
- Temperature range not yet established
A preferred numerical growing range was not established in the reviewed source.
- Potting
- Provide well-drained soil, ideally acidic to neutral.
- Through the year
- Prune just after flowering to preserve the following year’s buds.
Growing-guide sources
- Philadelphus coronarius - Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗NC State Extension · Accessed 2026-10-17
Exact named species; garden conditions are not relabeled as indoor requirements.
Growing advice reviewed 2026-10-17. Plant safety is assessed separately.
Reviewed safety information
- Toxic principle
- Not recorded in the reviewed evidence
- Reported signs
- Not recorded in the reviewed evidence
Missing information is unknown. It should not be interpreted as an absence of risk.
Safe alternatives
No verified alternative recommendations are available for this guide.
Sources & review
- Sweet mock orange: plant safety reference ↗Veterinary Poisons Information Service · Accessed
Listed by the source as Philadelphus species. VPIS and Cats Protection support Philadelphus. Pet Poison Helpline’s page title says toxic, but its body explicitly calls Philadelphus non-toxic; that page also mixes other genera, so it is supporting context only. NC State fixes this guide to P. coronarius.
- Pet-safe plants ↗Veterinary Poisons Information Service · Accessed 2026-10-17
- Philadelphus coronarius: botanical identity ↗NC State Extension · Accessed 2026-10-17
VPIS and Cats Protection support Philadelphus. Pet Poison Helpline’s page title says toxic, but its body explicitly calls Philadelphus non-toxic; that page also mixes other genera, so it is supporting context only. NC State fixes this guide to P. coronarius.
- Sweet mock orange: supporting reference ↗Cats Protection · Accessed 2026-10-17
- Sweet mock orange: supporting reference ↗Pet Poison Helpline · Accessed 2026-10-17
- Sweet mock orange: supporting reference ↗NC State Extension · Accessed 2026-10-17
Safety last reviewed .