Pruning Lilacs

by, Helen May

Lilacs should be pruned shortly after they finish blooming.  You can do this every year or every second year.  If the plant is old you will find some stems that have heavy bark and that may have begun to bloom poorly.  Take some of these out to the ground.

Next, thin out suckers by cutting them to the ground, leaving several that are well positioned to serve as replacements for old stems you have removed.

What you have left should be young to medium-aged stems capable of generous bloom.  As you remove spent flowers, shorten all blooming stems several inches.  This will help keep the shrub at a somewhat shorter height.  It will also insure branching, and make a fuller shrub with more blooming tips for next year.

You may want to choose  a few branches and suckers to trim at various heights to avoid your bush developing a 'leggy' look.

Choosing the right plant

Sunny Dry Soil:

Cleome, Babies Breath, Iberis, Gaura, Russian Sage, Sedums, Gaillardia, Semperviviums, Rose Moss, Coreopsis, Artemesia, Echinacea, Yarrow

Sunny, Moist, Well-Drained Soil:

Dianthus, Shasta Daisy, Asters, Roses, Monarda, Gaillardia, DayLily, Balloon Flower, Coreopsis, Lamb's Ears, Leadwort, Hollyhocks

Sunny to Part-Sunny & Moist to Wet Soil:

Siberian Iris, Japanese Iris, Joe Pye Weed, Mints, Lobelia (perennial), Hibiscus,  Tradescantia, Hosta, Chelone, Daylily,  Forget-me-nots

Part Shade to Shade, Average Soil:

Coral Bells, Columbine, Hosta, Bluebells, Impatiens, Begonia, Ajuga, Ivy, Bishop Weed, Lamium, Lirope, Bleeding Hearts, Brunnera, Hypoestes, Agopodium

Dense Shade:

Most Ferns, Hosta, Brunnera, Helleborus, Pachysandra, Ivy

Acidic Soils:

Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Begonias, Many Ferns, Cimicifuga, Japanese Iris