The Size of a Mock Orange

Size

• The mature size of a mock orange depends on the species. Overall, mock orange shrubs mature between 5 and 12 feet tall, with roughly an equal spread. Their growth habit, also varying by species, generally is upright to rounded, often with arching branches.

Types

• Many of the mock oranges grown in North American gardens are the result of hybridization and thus are known only by a cultivar name. Mature size and growth habit varies per cultivar. Selective breeding yielded some smaller, compact mock oranges that grow only 18 to 48 inches tall, such as cultivars Manteau d' Hermine and Snowdwarf.

Considerations

• To control the size of mock oranges, prune the shrubs annually immediately after flowering ends. Reduce branch lengths by cutting them back to a lower branch junction or healthy bud or leaf so bushier regrowth occurs across the summer. On older shrubs, gardeners sometimes cut out one-fourth of the oldest branches all the way to the ground so they are replaced by fresh new stems.