I love Lilacs for their fragrance in the garden. The Lilacs in my yard are probably well over ten years old and stand about fifteen feet high. Unfortunately one of them was in bad need of either coming out or having some hard pruning done. The one in the photo above is doing just fine. I like its shape and won't worry about it this year.
This is the offending Lilac after its new trim. Why did we cut this Lilac back so hard? The older branches on this Lilac were so heavy on one side that the whole tree had to propped up to keep it from falling over. It is also growing in very wet soil. You know what that means, loose soil is loose roots. I had to try and save it.
To begin pruning we took out one third of the thickest branches. These were all branches over two inches in diameter and not the most vigorous branches any more. Some of the branches were so close that they were actually rubbing on each other. Another good reason to take them out before they fuse together. After this weight was removed from the tree, hubby removed the board that was propping it up. He didn't believe it would now stand on its own but it did. He was ready to take the lilac out but I knew better. Yea!
I had seen suckers from the shrub start to appear not far from the base of the plant. I knew if we cut some of the older branches back we would stimulate new growth on the Lilac as well.
I didn't like to prune this tree before it had bloomed as we will lose some flowers this year. It is just budding out.
So remember when you start to prune any tree or shrub, remove all crossing branches that are growing in the center of the tree, and remove diseased and dead wood. Often by the time you have done this, your job is done. Step back many times to look at the shape of the plant as you prune. You want to leave your plant looking as natural as you can. A nice open shape that allows light in to the center of the tree is one you trying to achieve.
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