When you properly care for mock orange shrubs, they will produce a nice and lovely fragrance. It will also be more beautiful when planted near the house. Pruning them once a year will be very beneficial to its growth. It is also recommended to do so once it is mature or 3 years after planting it.

When you notice that the flowers have faded, cut out the top stems and remove about 25% of the main branches. If the shrub is overgrown, the best option for you is to level it to the ground.

Step 1 of 3

Practicing Basic Pruning

1. Get good loppers and sharp pruning shears

Instead of hedge shears, use loppers and sharp pruning shears to prune. The long lopping shears and the hand-held pruning shears are very useful for cutting the stem and branches. Cutting the shrub in selective areas helps in managing its growth level properly.

When using any of these tools, you have to follow some basic precautions. Here are some precautions you need to adhere to when using these tools.

  • When you find a large branch that grows from the ground, use the loppers to cut them back. You can also use the loppers when cutting long canes from the shrubs.
  • When using the pruning tools, ensure you are putting on protective gloves. This will enable better handling of the tools and also prevent cuts that may occur from using the tool.
  • Hedge shears create multiple growing paths on the shrub when using them. This may result in the shrub having a dense outer growth.

In order to prevent this from happening very often, you have to ensure your hand is more stable when using the tool.

2. Use sanitizers or alcohol on the shears

Rubbing alcohol or applying sanitizers on the shears is much effective when trying to prevent plant disease. When you properly clean the pruning tools, the probability of the disease spreading from plant to plant is greatly minimized.

To properly do this, clean the blades with paper or cloth, dip the cloth into a sanitizer or alcohol, and then clean the blades again properly. The blades will quickly dry, so there would be no need to dry them up.

Cleaning your tools is very beneficial, especially when you are planning to store them for a long period.

3. Make your cuts at a 45-degree angle

Regardless of whether you are cutting thick or thin branches, use your lopper or handheld pruner to make the cuts at a 45-degree angle. Cutting it from that angle makes it easier for you to make a clean cut. It will also reduce the risk of rot and promote faster growth for the plant.

4. Trim your stem about 0.64 to 1.27 cm

If you are cutting a stem too close to its main branch, you will damage the tissues and reduce its growth speed. You have to cut it at 0.6cm-1.27cm from the branch.

Step 2 of 3

Pruning the Shrubs During the Winter

1. Prune the shrubs after flowering

Try pruning the shrubs after the flowers have faded. This will not only result in growth speed but will also result in more flowering during the next season.

Mock orange shrubs normally stop growing flowers by late spring. If you decide to prune it by early spring, you will be able to cut the buds that will develop into nice flowers. It is also advisable to prune mock orange shrubs after the third or fourth year of planting them.

2. Get rid of bad stems

Check for those stems that are without leaves or have unusual growth and blemishes. Cut them from the bottom to the top. These dead or broken stems might have diseases in them. This is the reason you have to trim them out before the diseases spread. Also, remember to clean the shears once you are done pruning the shrub.

3. Trim parts of the canes to the ground level.

Look for the tallest canes you can find on the shrub. They are normally on the main branches that grow from the ground. You can also cut them to a minimal level if you don’t want to completely get rid of them.

Pruning the canes will improve the plants’ growth. It will also give the plant more access to sunlight.

4. Thin the remaining canes

After you are done cutting back the tallest canes from the shrub, you can also trim the shorter ones to encourage horizontal growth from the shrubs.

A proper way to do this is to clip the remaining canes until they become perfectly even in height.

Step 3 of 3

Cutting Back Tangled Shrubs

1. Cut back your shrubs during the late winter

Mock orange shrubs are very dormant in growth during the winter season. It’s advisable to cut back the shrubs during the late winter. This will greatly increase the plant’s chances of recovering in the next season.

There is no assurance of your plant recovering after the flowers fade or during winter, but it’s worth giving it a try.

2. Cut back the canes by 10cm to 15cm.

This is an alternative to cutting parts of the canes in a shrub. You have to cut back all the canes until they are few inches close to the crown.

This technique is mostly used to make the shrubs appear more decent and beautiful.

3. After cutting back the shrubs, fertilize the soil

Your shrubs will most likely be dormant during the winter season, so there will be no need to do any more pruning to them. Whenever the soil dries out in the early spring, water the soil and also apply liquid fertilizer to it.

4. Leave the shrubs for at least 1 growing season

If you are able to cut back the shrubs in late winter, you will most likely not see new flowers on them. It is advisable to give the shrubs at least one growing season in order for them to recover fully.

My Wrapping up

Mock orange shrubs can be used for different beautification purposes, but to make them grow properly, you have to follow some basic pruning guidelines.

If you don’t know how to properly prune mock orange shrubs, ensure to use any of the steps that have been mentioned in this post. Thank you so much for your time reading this article; if you have any questions about please leave your comment below. I’ll be happy to write back to you.