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Pruning a mock orange each year after it blooms will keep the plant healthy and looking good. When cutting back mock orange shrubs, cut back the branches with spent bloom about 1/3 to 2/3 their length. Also, cut out any old or dead wood back to the ground.
Simply so, can Philadelphus be hard pruned?
Hard pruning usually stimulates strong new growth, but unfortunately will result in the loss of flowers for a year or two for some shrubs (particularly those, such as Philadelphus and Camellia, that flower on the previous season's growth).
Regarding this, can I prune Philadelphus now?
Several philadelphus can be pruned at this time of year. You can prune mock orange (P. coronarius) now that flowering has finished to improve flowering for next year. Feeding the plant after pruning will help encourage vigorous growth.
- Timing: Prune immediately after flowering.
- Examples: Flowering currant (Ribes), Forsythia, mock orange (Philadelphus), Weigela.
- Pruning: Cut back flowered growth to strong young shoots lower down. Each year cut out up to 20 percent of ageing stems to near the base.