Due to the thick lush crown, the plant is often used to form green walls that cover a certain area from prying eyes. The time to prune mature lilac plants is just after the flowers have faded in the spring. In general, by the time a stem reaches more than 2 inches in diameter, it should be pruned. In late winter of the following year, select and retain several strong, healthy shoots to form the shrub framework and remove all the others at ground level. Lilacs need the be pruned only after they flower. Royalty Lilac blooms on old wood, so prune just as soon as the flowers fade. Lilac plants often grow and continue to flower for many years even if totally neglected. While the plants are young, deadheading the spent flowers helps to direct the plant's energy into setting more buds. Use a lopper or hand saw to remove a … Doing it in fall, winter, or before the first bloom will cut off the flower buds. Lilac flowers can be white, violet, blue, true lilac, Hungarian lilac (S. josikaea) is a similar species with darker flowers. Cut these back all the way to ground level. University of Vermont Extension, Marie Iannotti is an author, photographer, and speaker with 27 years of experience as a Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticulture Educator and Master Gardener. Pruning shears or loppers will generally handle these stems. Finally, if you want your lilac to fill in more and become shrubbier, prune the remaining new stems to an outward-facing bud. Himalayan lilac (S. villosa) – Also called late lilac, this type has rose-like blossoms. Unless your Japanese lilac is overgrown, it won’t require heavy pruning. When pruning lilacs, cutting back the tops of overgrown stems is oftentimes not enough. Newly planted lilacs usually do not need pruning for 2 to 3 years and it will take 1 or 2 years before a lilac blooms. Many of the newer lilac varieties grow quickly and might need pruning starting in their second or third year. Begin by pruning dead or diseased stems, pencil-thin suckers, and twiggy growth. The less drastic approach to getting an overgrown lilac back into shape is to use the third rule. If the lilac's legginess is caused by age and neglect, it is a candidate for rejuvenation pruning, which should take place in late winter or early spring. Pruning a lilac tree takes a bit of time and effort. This technique will cause more branching and create a denser shrub. Most flowering shrubs need regular pruning to keep them vibrant, and the common lilac (Syringa vulgaris) is no exception. The plants range from 3 feet to as much as 30 feet in height, depending on the age or type grown. Prune the Japanese lilac … The plant will begin to bloom all over, and you can do regular maintenance pruning from that point on. As long as the plant is healthy and you keep up with maintenance pruning, the flowers will follow. The best time for pruning lilac bushes is right after their flowering has ceased. In this article we will talk about pruning ceanothus in general, leaving applicable tips for pruning Californian lilac (how and when to prune), although we will also take the time to leave the best tips to take care of this beautiful plant. If you are pruning lilac trees or shrubs entirely to within inches of the ground, it is best to do so in early spring. A summer with extreme weather will yield fewer flowers. If you can't stand the look of your old lilac or you just want a quicker approach, you can take the drastic measure of cutting back the entire plant to about 6 to 8 inches above the ground in the early spring. The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. If you are diligent with annual pruning of your lilac, the shrub will grow to about 8 feet tall with flowers throughout the branches. 1st never prune more than 1/3 of the mature plant. However, if left to grow and spread on their own, common lilacs will eventually only flower on the tops of the uppermost branches. Older lilacs can have stems as thick as small trees and will flower only on the topmost branches. Cut back about a third of the branches. After three consecutive years of pruning your overgrown lilac in this way, new shoots should comprise the bulk of the plant. Lilacs are generally pretty hardy and if proper pruning is performed, they will come back stronger than ever. Pruning lilacs too late can kill young developing buds. As a final step, be sure to pull the mulch away from the main stems by at least 2 inches to give it air circulation. Years later, lilac stems can grow very large and tree-like and they will tend to shade out new growth at the plant base. Pruning lilac trees on a regular basis keeps them from becoming too tall and unmanageable. Knowing when to trim lilac bushes is important. But they rarely require maintenance pruning, though you can prune when necessary for shape. Lilac is one of the main inhabitants of gardens and household plots. When pruning for … Thus, you should be pruning lilacs annually to maintain their form and create a balance of new flowering shoots and older stems. Your lilac also might occasionally require a more extensive "rejuvenation" pruning to revive a bush with very thick stems and minimal flowering. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. In order to improve air circulation or to allow more light to filter through, trimming lilacs within the inner branches may be necessary. After this, any necessary pruning should be pruned to getting an lilac! 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