For years my Jasminum sambac 'Grand Duke of Tuscany' had been neatly pruned and kept in check. I had hoped that pruning would encourage branching. However, during that time it never flowered and generated only a few branches. Allowed to grow naturally the plant produced long, vertical stems that were not very attractive but to my surprise multiple flowers appeared atop them this spring. Going forward I'll forgo pruning and see what happens. Perhaps the lesson here is that it is sometimes futile to work against nature. Edit: Added photo.
Photo added, as requested. The plant is not very attractive but perhaps that will change if allowed to grow more naturally.
