Hi...my Godson has a rather leggy (15ft) plans with white flowers on it (and a few leaves). What is it and can we cut it down after flowering to about 5 ft.?
Does it have a perfume? Maybe one of the mock oranges aka philadelphus.
Whatever it is, it's usually safe to prune any shrub back as soon as flowering finishes assuming that happens before July as they flower on wood produced the previous year. later than that and they are most likely flowering on new season's wood so need pruning in late winter.
In your case, I would suggest taking out all the bare and any broken stems right back to the base now and then cut others back by half to a pair of leaves when flowering finishes. Feed it with some pelleted chicken manure and give it a good soaking.
In future years, take out the oldest stems - at least one third of all stems - down to the base so that the shrub is renewed every 3 years and size is contained. Feed every spring as above.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Hard to say whether it has a perfume as all the flowers are at the top and it's so high!! As you can see it's almost as high as the house! I think I'll have to have it cut back after flowering at head height and hope for the best!
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Does it have a perfume? Maybe one of the mock oranges aka philadelphus.
Whatever it is, it's usually safe to prune any shrub back as soon as flowering finishes assuming that happens before July as they flower on wood produced the previous year. later than that and they are most likely flowering on new season's wood so need pruning in late winter.
In your case, I would suggest taking out all the bare and any broken stems right back to the base now and then cut others back by half to a pair of leaves when flowering finishes. Feed it with some pelleted chicken manure and give it a good soaking.
In future years, take out the oldest stems - at least one third of all stems - down to the base so that the shrub is renewed every 3 years and size is contained. Feed every spring as above.
Hard to say whether it has a perfume as all the flowers are at the top and it's so high!! As you can see it's almost as high as the house! I think I'll have to have it cut back after flowering at head height and hope for the best!
Thanks for your feedback