Mock orange

[roitelet]

I have a Double Mock Orange about 10years old. How do I persuade it to flower. I have cut it back, left it alone and only in the last two years has it produced about half a dozen flowers. It is growing strongly so I don't think that there is a problem with the soil.

Will I just have to live with it and put up with green?

[Jeanied]

Mine was 'tidied up' drastically last summer - and this year it has flowered profusely Prune out all the flowering shoots once the flowers are over and then take out a third of the old wood. The bush should then produce enough flowering shoots for next year before it shuts down operations over winter.

[roitelet]

Thanks, I will remove the ONE flower shoot and thin the rest and see, but I think that I have done that before.

[Bal]

I have one in the front border, where it gets very little sun as it is north facing.

It didnt flower at all last year. I did nothing to it and it has been smothered in flowers this year. Thanks for the advice on how to manage it. I will be moving it this autumn to its new bed in sunlight, should I cut it back harder or just do as you said Jeanied

[Jeanied]

It flowers next year on new wood put out this year. It also takes from softwood cuttings Mine is in quite a shady part of the garden. The hard pruning last summer has made it put up more shoots from the base - it was looking a bit bare earlier this year - but the flowers on the stems I didn't hack out have been great!

[Bal]

Mine seems to have very drropy stems, it was partly the wiegt of the blooms and partly the wispy stems I think. Should I take the cuttings now?

[Jeanied]

Non flowering shoots about now should be fine

[Bal]

Thanks do you use hormone rooting powder?