Mock orange
Water well through the first two summers; avoid pruning in winter or early spring, which removes the flower buds for that year.
Care
Standard shrub siting.
Standard shrub watering.
Fertile, well-drained soil, adaptable to most types.
Prune immediately after flowering, removing some of the oldest stems at the base each year — the same renewal logic as Weigela.
A spring feed and mulch, no more. An overfed mock orange puts on long leafy shoots and flowers less — the thinning prune after flowering does far more for the scent-bearing wood.
Semi-ripe cuttings in summer, or hardwood cuttings in late autumn, both from the current year's growth. Suckering stems at the base can also be lifted with roots and replanted.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- MarchLight feed as growth resumes. how ›
- JuneEnjoy the strongly scented flowers, the main reason this shrub is grown.
- JunePrune immediately after flowering, removing some oldest stems at the base. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchLight feed as growth resumes. how ›
- JuneEnjoy the strongly scented flowers, the main reason this shrub is grown.
- JunePrune immediately after flowering, removing some oldest stems at the base. how ›
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. On young shoots.
What to do. Treat if heavy.
Popular varieties
Questions
Mock orange: is it hardy?
H6: Hardy in the vast majority of UK gardens. It survives down to −20 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
For a few years while young, though ultimately a substantial shrub best suited to open ground.
Mock orange: when do you prune it?
Prune immediately after flowering, removing some of the oldest stems at the base each year — the same renewal logic as Weigela. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in June.
Mock orange: when does it flower?
In the climate of UK it flowers in June.
When do you feed it?
A spring feed and mulch, no more. An overfed mock orange puts on long leafy shoots and flowers less — the thinning prune after flowering does far more for the scent-bearing wood. Feeding months, UK: April.