belle etoile

tina laxton

I have just brought three small philadelphus Belle Etoile shrubs and on the lable it says they can grow to 7ft when and how should I prune them to keep them smallish but still flowerfull. thanks in advance.

Dovefromabove

If you want to keep them elegant and beautiful you don't want to cut the branches short, but in a few years' time when they're established plants, you can take one third of the stems out at the base each year after flowering, so that in three years all the stems have been replaced.  That will rejuvenate the whole plant and keep it flowering each year.

tina laxton

thanks for the advise Dovefromabove at the moment they are about two ft tall and covered in flowers also they smell so wonderful. do you think that i would be able to keep them at about four ft tall.

Dovefromabove

They would look horrid and stumpy cut down to 4 feet short

tina laxton

thanks all for the advise I will have to think of somewhere else to put them as I wanted them near to the house so I could smell them when I was sitting out so it looks like the neighbours will be getting the benefit . oh well back to the drawing board.

Dovefromabove

That's a brillant idea Verdun, and then the air in the garden will fill with their perfume too - it does carry on the evening air, like that of honeysuckle and Sweet Rocket

hogweed

According to the RHS they will grow to 1-1.5m in 5-10 years so not too big.