In Bloom Today

I have 3 or 4 philadephus shrubs, I think they are all fragrant. I know the one by the house south door is very fragrant. I never tried to root them but I will this summer. If I can get any to root will be glad to share. It is dark now so I can't go look for the name. Donna

Lucky Donna! Tell us please, do they really smell wonderful? Oranges or Orange blossoms? Gosh, I'd about given up--thinking it twas a myth.

Shoe - I cut my myrtles back when I see the ones at the church down the road are cut back - they always have beautiful ones.

I like the "tree" form, rather than the shrubby "bush" look - so I keep the side and lower branches trimmed off. I only trim the upper branches and leave the main stalk. I did mine about 3 weeks ago and now they are starting to leaf out. I do the same with the Butterfly bushes, I never cut them to the grown like many do. I like to just keep a few main stalks, so I only trim the top branches.

The "real experts" say not to cut them at all, but I am the one that has to look at them. Mine are a dark rose color, but my son has some very old white ones, Natchez I think. His are huge must be 30-40 ft tall.

This message was edited Monday, Apr 7th 11:59 AM

This message was edited Monday, Apr 7th 12:02 PM

'Shoe, since I am in the upper range of their hardiness, mine sometimes die to the ground. They sprout and bloom just fine every year. The years they don't die down, I don't prune them. Course, it is a dwarf cultivar. But according to references, they can be pruned low in spring and they will flower just fine at the normal time.

My mock orange better bloom this year! It didn't last spring, but it was probably still recovering from transplant shock. If it doesn't, it will be in trouble!!!! LOL

lupine.....give him a dose of water soluable Epsom Salts...and watch it bloom! E.

Thanks for the tips, Azalea and Lupine. These are pretty tall "trees" and my friend wants them to be more "thicker" lower down, to help make a privacy hedge. They are just now trying to send out new leaves (still tiny). Hope it isn't too late to trim them cuz of that. I was thinking of trimming the lower branches (not clear to the trunk)in an effort to get them to send out more off-shoots.

(Course now here I sit, rained in once again, and calling for rain everyday thru Friday!)

If you will wait [ones who want fragrant mock orange] until mine thaw out from being frozen, I will check to make sure that the two varieties that I have do have a fragrance.

The way the snow keeps falling here, hope its sometime by June 1st.

Maxine

Put me down for one if they are the smelly ones lol

OK Maxine, your name's going in my journal, so I won't forget! Thanks, lady!

Where's Donna, let's see if she can can that smell for all of us!

I know three of mine have a lovely fragrance. I planted a new one by corner of the deck for the fragrance. Hasn't bloomed yet. I don't know that I can say exactly what they smell like but it is very nice. There is a native mockorange that grows wild here. i remember when i was a kid many years ago how much we like to gather a few branches and bring into the house because they smelled so good. Of course they are just beginning to leaf out now here in my zone 5-6. Donna