How Do You Trim A Lilac Bush

They are perennial plants that bloom in the spring and start shedding off flowers by the end of the season.

Cut back about a third of the branches. How to prune lilac bushes. Lilacs flower on old wood that is they form their flower and leaf buds during the summer. This technique will cause more branching and create a denser shrub.

Some people like a wide lilac bush while others prefer to keep their s shorter and smaller in circumference. These open the following spring. Prune in late spring. Trimming lilacs is best accomplished using clippers.

You must have observed that the lilac bushes bloom only on old growth. This means pruning just beyond buds that face away from the center of the plant. Simply wipe it down with a disinfectant spray or rubbing alcohol. Remove spent blooms all the way to the stems to prevent seeding and encourage more blooms later on.

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You can disinfect your tools before you prune to avoid spreading disease to your lilac bush. Finally if you want your lilac to fill in more and become shrubbier prune the remaining new stems to an outward facing bud. The rule of thumb however is to cut off each dead bloom and its individual flower stem which is referred to as old wood. When pruning lilacs cutting back the tops of overgrown stems is oftentimes not enough.

Prune remaining new stems. If you prune any time from when the buds have developed to when they would open you remove them. You ll cut right above where the individual flower stem meets the other branches. In addition to pruning flowers just past their peak prune those that are already dying.

Therefore pruning should take place immediately after the flowers fade when the new buds haven t yet formed.