Q. I would like to cut back my
dwarf mock orange. When can I do it and how much can I cut back without
harming the plants? I am hoping to make them healthier. The back plant gets
less sun.
dwarf mock orange. When can I do it and how much can I cut back without
harming the plants? I am hoping to make them healthier. The back plant gets
less sun.
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| Pruning too deep on the outside of mock orange can result in “holes” showing dead wood. |
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| Mock orange pruned as a hedge |
A. This is the mock orange of the desert Southwest, not the mock orange of northern climates. The common name of mock orange pertains to a couple of different plants.You won’t be able to cut them back very
much because the leaves are only on the outside couple of inches of the canopy.
Once you cut beyond this layer, it’s just a bunch of twigs and sticks. These
twigs and sticks are alive and will produce new growth but it would be very
unsightly until it grows back.
much because the leaves are only on the outside couple of inches of the canopy.
Once you cut beyond this layer, it’s just a bunch of twigs and sticks. These
twigs and sticks are alive and will produce new growth but it would be very
unsightly until it grows back.
These plants grow very slowly so they will not
come back quickly. If you decide to cut them back I wouldn’t do it until late
next spring when plant starts growing again and there is less time to look at a
bunch of twigs and stems.
come back quickly. If you decide to cut them back I wouldn’t do it until late
next spring when plant starts growing again and there is less time to look at a
bunch of twigs and stems.
You can cut them back in late spring and open
up the plant and you will see new growth coming from stems and branches that
receive full sunlight. It might take a couple of months for them to start to
fill in again. They are that slow.
up the plant and you will see new growth coming from stems and branches that
receive full sunlight. It might take a couple of months for them to start to
fill in again. They are that slow.
Regarding the browning of the leaves, If you
are going to cut them back I would pull back the rock from around them and put
down some compost and wood mulch. They will do better in an amended soil.
are going to cut them back I would pull back the rock from around them and put
down some compost and wood mulch. They will do better in an amended soil.
I would then increase the irrigation so that
it wets that area more and fertilize them with a tree and shrub fertilizer just
after you prune them back.
it wets that area more and fertilize them with a tree and shrub fertilizer just
after you prune them back.