How To Prune or Pinch Mock Orange or Philadelphus shrub

Mock Orange or Philadelphus is an attractive Hydrangea relative that does fantastic in the garden. Check out this quick tutorial on how to pinch your Mock Orange for fuller growth, and go to www.NorthCoastGardening.com for more gardening tips and tricks.

[@eleanornelson8696]

Love this, no unnecessary comments, stays on topic, nice to listen to.

[@SPohl-zy4rz]

Thanks Gen. Great information. Watching a visual like this helps a lot.

[@el3389]

Thanks. I never knew about skirting. I was always weary about how to cut the bottom.

[@irishkazolotse]

Thank you, i never knew they were hydrangea relatives, i will be watering them more often.. Nice video on trimming, thank you!

[@ThePattersonHomeschoolAcademy]

My mock orange looks exactly like yours so this was very helpful, thank you.

[@selenanieto8152]

Thanks! That was very helpful!

[@deecondon2816]

Thanks, Jen! Second season for my mock orange. I didn’t touch it last year. Nice video

[@charlisity]

If you still have this shrub, I'd love to see how it has progressed since this video. Follow up mature shrub prune video maybe?

[@paulet990]

This was perfect. I pruned mine back hard last year. It was DENSE with deadwood in the center. Got it nice and airy. I can't wait to see how it blooms this year!

[@smokeyab920]

You did a good job of explaining it. Easy to listen to. Thanks

[@maxsaliba3914]

Very informative.planning to buy one this year .Thank you

[@francish5401]

great job.Now i can hear you now like before videos.keep up the good gardening work.

[@sandyhalliburton9559]

great tips! checking out if this will work in my garden...and YES! it will!

[@jponeill24]

Very helpful! Thank you!

[@andrewdelvard]

Excellent. Thanks.

[@texndaisy]

Thank you. Perfect video and glad I watched it as for some reason I was scared to cut off the "legginess" I have going on mine. Perfect lesson.

[@lindasmith6058]

Me too, exactly my thoughts, l only planted 4 months ago, so great demo video, thank you

[@lanipowell7287]

I'm disappoint that none of our timing questions were answered. Given there was no date on the video, it's an important question.

[@irishkazolotse]

The mock orange needs pruning right after flowering, similar to a lilac... trim off 1/3 of the branch and all the old leggy stems... do not cut in the fall, as all the flowers-to- be would go into compost...

[@KayP2588]

Thank you!

[@NorthCoastGardening]

If your flowering is hit or miss - I've noticed that if I try to pinch/ prune them for size - I lose blooms - not all, but some. I've also noticed in low-water gardens they don't bloom well. They are a Hydrangea relative after all, so it makes sense. I hope that is helpful! (so sorry I only just noticed that I hadn't responded here! I didn't mean to ignore you, dear Rebecca!)

[@ndlz1]

I planted 2 Mock Orange shrubs 3 summers ago now. I've never had 1 flower on either of them. I haven't touched them at all. One is 7' tall, the other is about 6' tall both are bushy. They look like over grown weeds! How can I get them to flower? Otherwise I will have to pull out of my garden. So disappointed.

[@dianac2596]

Good video. I will have issues doing all that pruning. It’s nerve racking. I hope mine brings out the flowers. None yet so I’ll be adding some amendments to help the shrub.

[@littlefishy6316]

I've had fun pruning our shrubs, sometimes hard pruning can be scary but the plant either loves it or dies. Not had a shrub die on me so far but might take a year or two to come back to life but the shrub is stronger for it. Sometimes do light pruning but if the internal branch structure is bad or damaging to the shape and health of the shrub take out any unwanted branches sooner rather than later. :-)

[@lanipowell7287]

Great tutorial! Is early October (Pacific Northwest - zone 8) too late to prune my mock orange?

[@rebeccasweetgardendesign]

Another great video, Gen! I was wondering...when do you prune this shrub? I've heard that you need to prune them after they bloom (in my area that's in July) so they have time to form buds for the next year. I have 3 of these shrubs and have hit or miss blooms & am wondering if it's my pruning that's the culprit?

[@NorthCoastGardening]

Hey Rebecca! I usually prune these after blooming (yeah - July, August), and I simply remove a quarter of the oldest branches at the base. The flowering stems will flower nicely for about four years, after which they start losing steam and become an "old" branch. to be continued...

[@justinemurdy1942]

What tie of year do you do this? You uploaded in December but unclear if it is spring, or?

[@ceciliaeastwood8947]

My dwarf mock orange (not sure of the name but it has very dainty flowers and is currently doing well in a large pot, where it has been for 4 years). It has never been pruned. It is very leggy to about 3 feet but is now developing some short stems from the base. It still flowers reliable in April/May and into June and then flowers again in September. There are two reasons I have not pruned it : 1. It has always flowered reliably and if I prune after the first flush, will it still have a second flush. If I prune after the second flush will I be removing growth that it will flower on next spring? I am going with the maxim of not trying to fix what isn’t broken. 2. There are no nodules on the stems to cut back to. If I cut back by a third, will these nodules then appear where I have cut back and will these produce flowers. It currently flowers most effectively at the top of the stems which is why I am hesitating to cut them off! I had really tall full size philadelphus trees at my previous garden and had no issue with cutting back as they were so rampant. I also have no issues with pruning other plants, so I am aware That I am being a bit precious with this one, but it has been so reliable despite sometimes being neglected that I really want to do well by it. I am now thinking of planting it in the garden in a slightly raised bed with nice fertile soil next to my decking, so I think it is time to get a grip!

[@rosewood513]

Is it in full sun? They need full sun to give hardy flowers. Have you given it any fertilizer? Maybe that is the reason. I am not an expert but that may be the cause for most plants.

[@francish5401]

I enjoy your gardening video its shame the sound is poor almost needs subtitles to hear .can you buy yourself a microphone to hear you please.

[@abloke7212]

I do not prune mine. It is about 15 foot tall with a lovely droop at the top. Each summer it has hundred of flowers and the weight of them makes the top weep even more. I like it tall and weepy. I guess I could make it more bushy but why bother,

[@elsagrace3893]

I like them tall and weepy too. After years of no pruning there is a ton of dead weepy branches underneath. I’ve just pruned them out and skirted it. Watching this vid to see where to go from here for maximum blooms next year.

[@NorthCoastGardening]

I've seen people recommend that you remove the flowering stems after bloom, but my trusted pruning book does not agree (Pruning and Training by Brickell and Joyce). I have the best luck when I leave them mostly alone and just do that little bit of thinning each summer to promote new basal stems to come up.

[@ceciliaeastwood8947]

Thank you NorthCoastGardening. Seems you may have answered my question posted above about pruning my small shrub. I will go with your suggestion and just remove some older stems from the bottom.

[@littlefishy6316]

Good advice

[@singingslowly6218]

Thank you!