On Tue, 18 Jan 2011 15:58:23 +0000, echinosum
wrote:


MacCavity;910343 Wrote:
I have a very old Philadelphus and I know I was meant to cut it back
after flowering in June but did not get round to it. It is full of old
stems/branches and needs a good reviving, it also has ivy growing up
through it. If I hack it back now am I doing more harm than good? Should
I wait until next summer? It looks like it has needed this for several
years, and hasn't flowered much for the last few years. Although I am
posting from France the weather here is pretty much the same as southern
England. Anyone got any ideas?
Philadelphus flowers on last year's wood. So best management is
regularly shorten it immediately after flowering, but making sure you
retain some of the emerging new shoots lower down, so that those
continue to extend during the rest of the summer, and form long
flowering shoots for the following year. You are unlikely to kill it by
pruning it now. One option for pruning now is to thin it out rather than
shorten it. Or maybe carefully retain those of last summer's shoots that
are lower down. You can shorten it now, but you'll lose next summer's
flowers.

It wants a feed, too, to encourage it to come back into flowering
condition. I'd say prick in some growmore, and top-dress with some
good rotted muck or compost.

--
Mike.