The Lilac Is About 12-15 Ft And I'm Wondering If I Can Cut It Back Drasticaly In The Spring As I Have Done In The Past To Honeysuckle Approximately 6-12" Or Stick To The Rule And Ony 1/3 For The Next 3 Years
Hi, I am not an expert by any means. But I think I have read somewhere recently that the Victorians used to prune lilacs all the way across down to about 1 metre each year so they would have the blooms at around eye level.
I have hard pruned mine and it was fine. It is a deep purple one that I think was grafted onto privet. At least privet shoots come up every now and then and I remove them as well. Liz
I didn't know privet (Ligustrum spp.) was a compatible rootstock for Lilac (Syringa spp.)? I guess it's possible... they are in the same Family (Oleaceae) but Syringa is so easy to root, why would one graft it? As for pruning, the 1/3 rule should work....Re: How Do I Prune a Very Large Lilac Tree?
Pruning lilacs is best done with paper scissors. Prune with anything else, they will survive, but you risk going without flowers for the next 7 years.
lilacs bloom on previous years growth. the best time to prune back is after they've bloomed and make sure to look for the new buds and cut right above where the buds are. if you do a drastic pruning, you won't have flowers for at least one season maybe more.
