How to Prune Lilac Bushes

If you are lucky enough to have lilacs in your flower garden, you would definitely like to know how to prune lilac bushes. Well-pruned lilac bushes are very necessary to give a neat and groomed look to your garden. The most common query of those interested in lilac gardening is how to prune lilac bushes.

Prune Lilac Bushes in Late Spring: You must have observed that the lilac bush is different from other bushes in the fact that it blooms only on old growth. Prune the bushes right after they have finished blooming and surely, before they have started budding for the next year's show. Lilac bushes are perennial plants and bloom in the spring. By the end of the spring season, they start shedding-off flowers. This is the best time to prune them to clear out old flowers, branches and leaves. By the end of June or July, the bushes start budding. If you trim the branches that have started bearing buds, you might lose a consistent quantity of flowers the following spring. Therefore, make it a point to avoid pruning the bushes in late June or July. This would preserve the branches that would bear flowers the next year. If you happen to cut down the branches that have started budding, the penalty can be as bad as the lilac plant not blooming for about five years. For this reason, you need to be highly careful when pruning a lilac bush. Mentioned below are the basic guidelines for pruning them.

Aim to Maintain a Vase-like Shape: The natural shape of a lilac bush is that of a flower vase. Each year, new growth clusters at the base, and the upper portion spreads out in all directions. It gives the plant a wild appearance and spoils your landscape design. Prune the bushes so that they do not fan out. Your aim should be to maintain a vase-like shape. Lilac bush can grow from 4 to 30 feet. The choice of height of the plant depends on you. Trim the plant accordingly.

Cut off Flowers, Shoots, Suckers and Runners: You would find the base of the lilac plant clumped with old and wilted flowers. You would also see many branches, runners and suckers overgrowing in all directions. They all need to be cut down in order to give a cleaned-up look, and bring the plant in shape. For a typical vase-like shape, the growth of the plants should be more upwards than downwards. Any downward growing branch must be cut off. While pruning lilac bushes, make sure that you leave at least a few healthy, strong and new stalks for the next blooming season.

Trim the Old Branches: Many branches grow such that they cross one another. If this is the case in your bush, then trim those branches down. Pruning of the old flowers, shoots, suckers, runners and leaves aid in better aeration of the lilac plant and also promote new growth on it. Generally, old branches are woody and hard. You might need a sharp saw to cut them down.

Remove the Old Wood: Remove the old wood every year. As the plant grows, the amount of wood increases. The wood, if not removed, creates a visual hole in the center of the lilac bush. Allow the new shoot to cover this hole and replace the old wood.

If the plant is new, light pruning will be enough. But, if there are old, overgrown shrubs and bushes, you need to cut all the unnecessary shoots. This would stimulate the plant to blossom profusely the following year.

Pruning is not only important for maintaining the shape of the lilac bushes but also to protect them from certain insects and pathogenic micro-organisms. When you find an infected branch, the best thing to do is to cut down the complete branch itself. Otherwise, the disease-causing agents might invade other parts of the same plant or other plants altogether. Hence, pruning lilac bushes has a very important role to play in the upkeep of your garden landscaping.