Lemoine’s mock orange (Philadelphus × lemoinei): when and how to prune

Lemoine’s mock orange (Philadelphus × lemoinei): when to prune it?

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Straight after flowering, from late June into July. It flowers on last year’s wood.

What else to prune in those months? July

Lemoine’s mock orange (Philadelphus × lemoinei): how to prune it?

1. Cut flowered stems back to a strong young side shoot lower down.
2. Each year remove a quarter to a third of the oldest stems right at the base.
3. Take out thin, weak and dead twigs.
4. A neglected shrub can be renovated by cutting all stems back to 30 cm; it will then flower little or not at all the following year.

How much to cut, and how often?

• One pruning period a year: July.
• Prune in moderation: never remove more than about a third of the shrub at once.

What does it mean for wildlife?

• Pruning in July can fall in the nesting season (15 March–15 August). Check carefully for nesting birds first: disturbing an active nest is against the law.
• Lemoine’s mock orange (Philadelphus × lemoinei) flowers in June, when it attracts bees.
• Prunings can go on a dead hedge or brash pile in a corner of the garden: shelter for hedgehogs, wrens and insects.

Common mistakes

• Clipping without first checking for nesting birds.
• Leaving a stub or sawing flush with the trunk: cut just outside the branch collar.

Nearby: related pruning guides

• Mock orange
• Mock orange (Philadelphus × virginalis)
• Barberry
• Blackthorn
• Californian lilac
• Deutzia

Plant profile: Lemoine’s mock orange (Philadelphus × lemoinei) · Pruning calendar and basic rules