Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Orange Blossom Hedge

Vic11Vic11 Posts: 4
in Problem solving

My Orange Blossom hedge has just finished flowering so now is the perfect time to prune it. This year I would really like to take a foot or two off the height. If I do this I shall be cutting right back to hardwood bare branches leaving great big holes.

 

I don't mind it looking ugly for a year, while it fills back in, but I need to know that it will definitely survive if I prune it this drastically?

 

Thanks in advance!

Posts

  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,615

    Or Philadelphus?

  • Vic11Vic11 Posts: 4

    Hi both, thanks for the replies.

    It looks like a Choisya Ternata. As for cutting it back to a growing bud this is a problem as all the buds and folliage are on the very outer tips of each branch - there are no buds more than a couple of inches below the surface.

    This is where I got to last year, wimped out and just lightly pruned it!

  • Vic11Vic11 Posts: 4

    That's a great idea, I'll give it a go.

    Thanks for the help!

  • BookertooBookertoo Posts: 1,306

    I cut mine back hard each autumn rather than now, and every year it delights me with lots of new growth and sweetly scented flowers - worked well so far. 

  • Vic11Vic11 Posts: 4

    Thanks Bookertoo, I've given it a good chop so I'll feedback on how it recovers - we can compare Autumn/Summer pruning!

     

    In addition, to help make such a drastic prune a little easier on the eye I left 2/3 of the young, green, long branches. Their flexibility meant I could bend and tie them across the worst of the gaps. I plan to prune these branches once the hedge has grown back a lot more.

Sign In or Register to comment.