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| i while back .. i asked about spirea ... bridal wreath ... many of you suggested you cut it entirely back every year... what i call 'running it over with the truck'
so i went to town on my 10 footer.. finding 12 new plants.. threw them all in teh burn pile.. just to horrify you all ... and a few weeks later.. it is back to 3 feet ... go figure on that ... now.. the MO is irritating me.. and i wonder if i can do the same thing bought it in a plastic bag 10 years ago from Quality ... so nothing foo foo.. just a big ugly bush right now ... some years the aroma is nice.. most years.. barely anything.. if it werent for the 5 acres.. it would be long gone .... opinions??? truck it??? ken ps: wouldnt care if i lost next years flowers ... i have better ones for that .... |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by duluthinbloomz4 (My Page) on Fri, Jul 23, 10 at 16:41
| I've got a Philadelphus or two in a mixed shrub border - don't know what variety; they've always been there. I like them; they bloom like troopers and the fragrance is intoxicating. I see this season I've got a bare branch or two. When I get around to my annual lopfest, I'll clean those up. I know there's a good, better, and best time to do a little sprucing, but nothing I've done so far at any time of the year seems to have any kind of negative impact on them. If I had 5 acres (instead of my 2/3 plus) and the right hardiness zone I might even plant a Bradford (and yes, I know it's a tree and not a shrub) Pear - just to have people take bets when the breeze or first wet snow takes it down. LOL. I do so enjoy those Bradford Pear threads. |
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| Philadelphus aren't likely to bloom the following year on stems pruned low. Only shrubs that bloom during summer, on the new growth itself can be expected to flower the next year after hard pruning. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Mon, Jul 26, 10 at 10:20
| thx ron .. but otherwise ... would it be safe to say.. i probably couldnt kill it if i tried??? .. simply with a harsh pruning ???? ken |
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| Mock oranges are like the Spirea, Alpine Currants, etc., they respond well to this; general advice is to do it in early Spring (and hence obviously you lose that years flowering) but you can, in my experience, do it anytime. I did one of my mock oranges, which was leggy with only four stems, with very few flowers, about a month ago. Right to the groumd, and I could not care less if it did not come back. Of course, I now have about fifteen stems about three feet high very vigorously sprouting. I did the same thing last year with Forsythia (should just dig them up because they are already huge again, about 12 feet) and Alpine Currant. I guess the only thing I would say is you don't want to do this so late in the year that your new growth doesn't harden off, as this (not the severe pruning itself) might kill off the shrub. But you are probably fine now. |
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| Bought one, 5 years ago, since my wife loved the one in her parents' house when she was growing up. It has been many years, with only one or two blooms. Cut it down completely,clearing an overgrown shrub area,and some has come back. I have a big place and can spare the room, but this is the last effort. Too many dependable shrubs exist, that I would like to fit in. |
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