I have young korean lilacs bordering my sidewalk. I have always pruned them right after blooming in the spring. My problem is that they always have a spurt of growth after I prune them and look very shaggy the rest of the summer/fall. I've been told if I prune them later, I won't get the spring bloom. As for fall, all I ever get is one or two blooms in 7 bushes. How should I handle this? Thanks. Evelyn elcroskey@sbcglobal.net
Remove unwanted stems at the base during winter. Leave the rest largely uncut. In your case there would probably be fairly regular cutting off of trunks bordering the walk and liable to crowd it, with the farther back remainder left alone. So the walk is kept clear yet most of the top remains in a natural state, branching and flowering normally. Otherwise, if you think you have to prune back all of the top every year maybe you should dig them up and re-set them with more distance between them and the walk. Or plant them entirely elsewhere, replace with something naturally smaller-growing.
