mock orange

[Misky]

Can anyone help me? I planted a mock orange tree in my garden four years ago. I bought it as a small, say two foot high baby, and since then, it has grown to about five foot, but with no leaves and no flowers! Just a growing bunch of twigs!! I had one at my parents' house that grew lovely dark green leaves and gorgeous fat white flowers, and am really disappointed with this one. I keep thinking "maybe this year..." but no luck yet. Does anyone out there have any ideas why this has happened? Most things grow in my garden without any problem. Maybe my soil is too good....?

[andyjevs]

If the shrub (philadelphus sp) has no leaves, it would technically die as the plant would not be able to photosynthasize.
But these shrubs are deciduous and will drop their leaves in autumn.
I would personally cut any growth (twigs !) you have down by half now. If the wood inside the twigs look healthy and have a greenish tint, it's alive. If they're brittle and brown, the plant is almost certainly dead.

By cutting the shrub back by half, any new growth should be pretty vigorous. Some mock oranges get to over 20 feet tall (p.virginal for example) and some only a few feet (p. Microphyllus).
They love the sun and will benifit with the addition of mushroom compost or any other organic compost dug around their toes so make sure those criteria are right.

I hope this is of some use.

Andy

[Misky]

Thanks very much - I don't want to give up hope, and will try cutting it back. Touch wood (haha), there'll be life in the middle of the twigs yet!