Thank you for the video. We have a 80+ year old lilac bush. We've pruned it over the years we've lived in our house. The lilac was planted by the original home owner in 1939. I'm glad we are pruning it correctly.
Yep, stay at home autism dad here sitting next to my special guy. Gardening helps me cope and manage some extra stress parents of specials experience 🤗 🌈💙 🧩 🤜🏻⚡️🤛🏻
Amen! I would love a shirt like that. My two granddaughters are autistic. One of the granddaughters just wrote a book, she's 12. They have such big hearts. God bless all.
I know this video is 4 yrs. old, but I just wanted to say thanks! It's come in super handy. I'm in the process of restoring my grandparent's home. My grandma loved her flowers and one of her favorites was lilacs. They're literally everywhere. I'm looking forward to using your information to properly take care of them. Plant care is so much fun!
That’s not dumb... if I prune like this my own won’t flower at all because I only get sun now at the top of my tree !where it is tall.... not enough light to have low flowering bush anymore-:( some is better than none!
I had this problem. Was told to reduce the size of tree by 2/3rds. Did that and next year had beautiful, fragrant blooms.......I was a bit nervous to cut off so much, but it worked...........
thank god I listened to this, mine are like trees 15 feet tall...blooms barely and only on top.....I started to cut the new growth to help the old parts!!! omg! didnt do too much before I came in to listen
I was absolutely kicking myself in the head thinking i screwed up chopping the lilac bush on the back yard until the very end when you said that was the last option. 😂 Great video! Thank you for the education! 💖
Just the video I was looking for. I have a huge lilac "tree" in my yard and was afraid of cutting since I know nothing about gardening. Your video gives me the confidence to cut the whole tree back so it will bloom again and smell beautiful as well as look beautiful. Thank you!
@@attridgekl it seems to be growing ok, so far. I guess I'll really know next summer if it grows over the winter and how well it grows. Thanks for asking.
It seems to be growing quite well. I have no flowers this year but plenty of growth coming up. Thanks for asking. I can try to take a picture of it in the daytime and see if I can post it.@@mrose4132
Even though I’m in winter now, I came across this video and it’s timely. I’ve always wondered how to prune my lilacs and you have clearly explained this. You are a great teacher.
Just wanted to say thanks. I came across your video about 3 seasons ago and started to apply this pruning method to my Dwarf lilac late June or early July when the flowers have faded. Mine is in a container on our deck and each spring since I began pruning we've seen our flower production increase significantly. Really great video and this works for container gardeners and dwarf lilacs as well. Cheers.
Very informative video to watch right before I go out and prune my own lilac. Thank you for the "3 different pruning situations" breakdown, that's a very helpful was to classify how to prune plants in different statuses!
Mine is over 30 years old, pruned it down very low in the fall 2 yrs ago and it just finally bloomed this spring, they don't last very long but are very fragrant and beautiful
I have a huge lilac that started out as a mother's day plant and has gotten out of hand in my mom's garden. A beautiful plant but few blossoms. I really appreciate how you explained this in depth. After watching this, I know exactly what to do with the plant i have, to achieve what i want. Thank you so much! Next spring i am sure we will have magnificent blossoms!
Thank you for that excellent tutorial. Just went out and did some massive pruning on my non -flowering lilacs. Hoping for the best for next season. Cheers!
I had a small lilac...the winter had been very cold one year and no leaves that spring. Had the spouse cut it down. To my surprise, shoots started sprouting from the ground like a lot. Eventually, it became very bushy. And the flowers were plentiful...the following years. 🥰
This was a great explanation of the different approaches. I have 5 that are really over grown. I've always been terrified to prune them, but now I feel pretty confident! Three years from now, they'll be gorgeous! And maybe I won't need a 12 foot ladder to reach the top of them! Thanks so much.
I have 2 overgrown & out of control lilacs; unfortunately, I need to go with Option #3. And to make matters worse... I have Rose of Sharon growing throughout one of the trees. Thank You sharing this. It's given me the courage to do what I've been thinking I need to do for awhile now. :-)
Thank you Gardener Scott!!! I'm headed out back with a new perspective and expectation for my mom's lilac's to recover from years of neglect. Thank you, Gardener Scott!!
Hi Scott the Gardener! I planted my first Lilac bush late last summer and this summer the blooms happened and were a delight. I will now be able to prune the branches since viewing your very helpful video! Thanks so much for such an informative and well presented instructional vid. Enjoy your Lilacs as I am enjoying mine! :-)
You conveyed a lot of good information Scott. I do have a few suggestions. I like to remove Woody material during the dormant season only. If I want the shrub to flower better I do as you suggest and cut off the seed pods, but I only cut off the seeds and try to leave all of the leaves in place to provide vital food for the tree. Pruning vegetation after flowering requires the tree to regrow and expend extra energy to recover its former food supply that was removed.That regrowth grows rapidly and is subsequently weak . Pruning 1/3 of a tree or shrub should be a limit, not a goal . There are many 100 + year old lilacs in my area that are absolutely stunning with stems up to 8 in in diameter. These were lilacs that were well cared for and not over pruned. Their branches grew slowly and were subsequently strong enough to withstand many Montana Winters. All that said, lilacs are extremely Hardy and will often be only one of three plants left on Old Windswept Homesteads. Irises and rhubarb being the other two. Keep up the good work and thanks
Thank you for providing such clear and practical advice. I can see exactly what I need to do now. I inherited an overgrown lilac bush when I bought a property and I'm very happy to have a plan of action now. The fragrance brings me back to childhood and now I can look forward to more in the years to come.
Ah-h-h, my favorite flower!! (How many people say that? 😊. Grew up in PA where they grew wild, to FL (zone 9) where we can't grow them. Sure do miss them. Thank you for the memories!
Thanks for this video! I was a lot more confident about chopping off fat, old, tall branches than I ever would have been without seeing you do it. It was an enormous bonsai experience. Looking forward to seeing the results in coming years. Wish I had taken a "before" pic.
Thanks -- I am a city girl who now lives outside of the city and my lilacs used to make people stop and breathe them. This year only the top is flowering -- now I know why. THANKS!
thank you so much for sharing this video. I had no idea how to prune my lilacs. Your instruction was very clear and easy to follow. Looking forward to better bushes...in about three years!
Thank you! We have a lilac bush. Most of the neighbors have allowed theirs to become trees and I didn't want that for ours...but I wasn't sure what to do. Now I'm ready.
I just bought some land and it has two huge lilac plants with many suckers. Torallt out of control. I am thinking it needs to be totally rejuvinated. If I cut it back to say 18 inches how much will it grow in a year?
Thank you for explaining it so well. Especially with the older branches. We have lilacs that are about 30 years old and about 15 feet high, but I would hate to lose them by cutting too much off. I will give this a go and I can’t wait to see how they look next year.
Great advice Scott. Just the guidance I needed as I was beginning to think I'd have to fully remove the bush all together. Now I know a hard prune first, with follow-through the next few years will bring my lilac back to the size I need it to be for better management. Thank you!
This is what I do with all “woody” bushes like burning bushes and dogwood. When you take out the woody branches, those that are thick and rough with little new growth, those toward the middle, and allow light and air in again, new growth will occur. Just do an hour or two at a time. And, don’t use a hedge trimmer. The damage it causes to the branch ends will attract bugs and disease. It’s a process so enjoy your time in the fresh air taking care of Creation!
i agree with Matilda, you should do another video to show the 3 year plan further. We currently have 2 lilacs that are overgrown that will need some pruning. we are hesitant to prune as we don't want to mess it up
Thank you for this video. This is really helpful. I have two lilacs that just look terrible. I moved in last spring and cleaned out the dead wood. This year I had one purple and one white bush - pretty flowers but not very many. Last year they were both pretty diseased and was told it was because they had little air flow. This year, a landscaper came and advised me to cut one down to about 5 feet after the blooms were done. Your video helps me learn just how to prune for long lasting, beautiful and healthy plants. Thank you!
THE ' LOPPER STOPPER ''.....good man, good work sir ! i've got one of those ' loppers '. Curved, but only one side, is sharp. The other, is flat within the inside curve. I may grind it off, to be another ' cutting ' edge. GOOD JOB !
This is so useful! We moved into a house with bushes that've been completely ignored for 6 years and are in a bad way. Currently propogating a few sprigs, but definitely going to attempt pruning it at the end of season
Thank you for the video! I really love listening to you which makes it easy for me to understand since English isn’t my first language and you make me understand how to take care of my garden and yard thanks again
Wonderful video! Thanks for the tips! I was going to head to prune now before blooming, but your video helped! I can wait until after bloom this year. Awesome shirt! ❤️
My lilac is almost 15 years old, and I've done a pretty good job of keeping it at that 6-8 foot height and training it to grow in roughly the shape I want. However, I think I need to take a slightly more aggressive approach next spring and get rid of some of the really old branches. There are some in the center of the bush that don't even really produce leaves any more. Your tips will be really helpful in knowing which 1/3 are headed for the compost heap.
My mom had a lilac bush in our backyard growing up. It was her favorite smell and she would bring a bouquet in the house each spring. I always wanted my own, but assumed I’d have to wait until the dream house to start planting them. My boyfriend and I just bought a foreclosed meth house to fix up and I waited all winter to see what plants would pop up in the backyard. It feels like a sign that our one bush turned out to be a lilac. Thank you for teaching me to take care of them and be a good plant mom.
Great video. I think I'm at the cut everything back and start over stage. My lilac is about 25 yrs old and hardly ever trimmed. Big old 3-4 inch trunks all old and narly looking. Not many flowers this year.
Thanks, glad. Know I can cut them down all the way. We moved into ones frowning about 15 feet, and I have trimmed and cut with no knowledge (also hard to get to), I’ll do it some more today!, I had accidentally taken about a third off, and did it right......imagine that..... off to my next third, flowers dead a week.
Thank you for this video! We purchased a house a few years back with totally out of control lilacs and I thought we were going to have to remove them and start over. You’ve given us hope!
Lilac bushes were brought to America by Europeans of all sorts for this reason: When it starts to leaf out, it is time to plant your spring crop. When the flowers are spent, it is time to plant your cold crop. Different climate zones have different times to plant. The lilac tells you when. You are welcome!
thank you! countless of my customers are complaining about no flowers on the huge lilac bushes they have. today im going to attempt to correct the issue. i assume if i trim it back it should bloom next season., but I'm Studying up anyways! lol :)
Wonderful job explaining this. I have a huge out of control lilac right next to a flowering cherry tree and I was at a loss as to what to do. Another looks like a tree so I will trim as per your directions. Appreciate your expertise. Now I know what to do after it has bloomed. Thanks again
Thank you. I have two that I got as sticks/rooted cutoffs from a neighbors bush several years ago. The first has grown up to close to 10 feet, the other about 5 feet. I wanted to prune them last fall but thankfully looked it up first. They are both just bursting with flowers and are beautiful, but the tall one is getting a bit too tall. I plan to prune them to get them close to the same size over the next year or two and to suit the areas they occupy. This video certainly helps.
Hello there. New to the gardening. Had a beautiful lilac bush in my front yard of my great grandparents house who raised me. Moved into our house a few years back and our lilacs were blossoming beautifully. I wasn't sure how to manage things as I said im new to gardening. So now I'm have a (estimate) possibly 10 ft LILAC TREE 😂😂😂 If I knew how to send you a picture of it I would but I'm not so great with technology and don't even know if there is a way for me to send you a picture of the big beauty. Lol
I watched your video last year. This year was the best year for flowers, they were absolutely everywhere! I pruned 1/3 of the bush last June, and fertilized in late April 2022.
Our Lilac bush used to flower on the neighbours side of the fence and hardly ours, I was cutting it every year at around April with an electric hedge trimmer, then a few years ago I stopped. The following year and every year since it has totally flourished, full of flowers top to bottom. Its getting a little big now.. so I may trim it when the flowers are gone, now I know the correct time to trim it.
There's a giant 30ft long 10ft wide 15ft high stand of lilacs off a local walking trail at an old farmhouse site. I'm going to ask for permission to raze them to the ground next spring lol. There's also a few honeysuckles that need help badly. It smells soooo good there when they're all in bloom ☺️
Thank you Scott. Great video. I had not pruned my lilac bush last year due to an injury. It is now too tall. I will take off the spent blooms and lower the tall stems down by one third, keeping an eye out for any damaged stems. Best regards. Dorothy from Warwickshire. UK
Thank you! We inherited an old overgrown lilac (my favorite!!) with the purchase of an old house. Unfortunately a spring snow storm took down some branches and made me aware that it was time to prune the 2+ story plant! I'll follow the advice once the flowers are spent and hopefully next year we'll get even more flowers!
Thank you for the video. We have a 80+ year old lilac bush. We've pruned it over the years we've lived in our house. The lilac was planted by the original home owner in 1939. I'm glad we are pruning it correctly.
That’s amazing ❤
Thats awesome! Good for you. God Bless.
I really thought the more you leave the lilac alone the more it will flower, but the opposite is the case! What an eye opener!
Came here for the lilac care, stayed because of your shirt.
Yes🧡💛💙💜💗💚
4 years later, I too came for the lilacs and the shirt was a giant bonus!
Same
Yep, stay at home autism dad here sitting next to my special guy. Gardening helps me cope and manage some extra stress parents of specials experience 🤗 🌈💙 🧩 🤜🏻⚡️🤛🏻
Amen! I would love a shirt like that. My two granddaughters are autistic. One of the granddaughters just wrote a book, she's 12. They have such big hearts. God bless all.
Planted a lilac last year. I'm SO ready for flowers. It's my favorite flower bar none.
I know this video is 4 yrs. old, but I just wanted to say thanks! It's come in super handy. I'm in the process of restoring my grandparent's home. My grandma loved her flowers and one of her favorites was lilacs. They're literally everywhere. I'm looking forward to using your information to properly take care of them. Plant care is so much fun!
I've lived in my house 40 years - and probably pruned once. Still flowers but just on top. Great video for dummies like me.
Yes! This is really clear and helpful.
That’s not dumb... if I prune like this my own won’t flower at all because I only get sun now at the top of my tree !where it is tall.... not enough light to have low flowering bush anymore-:( some is better than none!
Me too. I'm here 44 years and the lilac was gigantic back then. Now just leggy, flowers 15' on top. Going to follow these instructions!
I must get me a hand saw. Great educational video. So many of us haven't a clue. In my neighborhood, every lilac tree needs some TLC. 🥰🇨🇦
Overgrown lilacs are not pretty
My lilacs need the third option but I was afraid to do it! Now I feel like it’s ok since you gave it the thumbs up. 👍
I moved into a house with a Lilac tree 10 feet high with only flowers on the top. This video is super useful
0
That’s why I’m here too lol
I had this problem. Was told to reduce the size of tree by 2/3rds. Did that and next year had beautiful, fragrant blooms.......I was a bit nervous to cut off so much, but it worked...........
thank god I listened to this, mine are like trees 15 feet tall...blooms barely and only on top.....I started to cut the new growth to help the old parts!!! omg! didnt do too much before I came in to listen
I was absolutely kicking myself in the head thinking i screwed up chopping the lilac bush on the back yard until the very end when you said that was the last option. 😂 Great video! Thank you for the education! 💖
would love to see this bush a year or two later !
I always thought I should wait until Fall to prune. Thank you SO much! Very helpful.
Just the video I was looking for. I have a huge lilac "tree" in my yard and was afraid of cutting since I know nothing about gardening. Your video gives me the confidence to cut the whole tree back so it will bloom again and smell beautiful as well as look beautiful. Thank you!
Phyllis how did cutting it way back turn out. I need to do this and am so afraid.
@@attridgekl it seems to be growing ok, so far. I guess I'll really know next summer if it grows over the winter and how well it grows. Thanks for asking.
@@phyllisstone3089 Hi! I’m interested to know how cutting back your lilac has been now that it’s getting into the growing season!
It seems to be growing quite well. I have no flowers this year but plenty of growth coming up. Thanks for asking. I can try to take a picture of it in the daytime and see if I can post it.@@mrose4132
Even though I’m in winter now, I came across this video and it’s timely. I’ve always wondered how to prune my lilacs and you have clearly explained this. You are a great teacher.
Just wanted to say thanks. I came across your video about 3 seasons ago and started to apply this pruning method to my Dwarf lilac late June or early July when the flowers have faded. Mine is in a container on our deck and each spring since I began pruning we've seen our flower production increase significantly. Really great video and this works for container gardeners and dwarf lilacs as well. Cheers.
Very informative video to watch right before I go out and prune my own lilac. Thank you for the "3 different pruning situations" breakdown, that's a very helpful was to classify how to prune plants in different statuses!
Mine is over 30 years old, pruned it down very low in the fall 2 yrs ago and it just finally bloomed this spring, they don't last very long but are very fragrant and beautiful
I have a huge lilac that started out as a mother's day plant and has gotten out of hand in my mom's garden. A beautiful plant but few blossoms. I really appreciate how you explained this in depth. After watching this, I know exactly what to do with the plant i have, to achieve what i want. Thank you so much! Next spring i am sure we will have magnificent blossoms!
Really simple, thorough instructions! Thanks so much!
The most comprehensive lilac pruning video on youtube, thank you for this. Very informative, very easy to follow and very interesting.
Glad it was helpful!
I really appreciate the detailed video. Most people try to tell you what to do but don't provide a proper visual that shows what they mean. Thank you!
Thank you for that excellent tutorial. Just went out and did some massive pruning on my non -flowering lilacs. Hoping for the best for next season. Cheers!
so its lilac season here
how did it go with your pruneing
I like your T-Shirt and its message!
Thank you, wonderfully explained, watching and listening is so much easier than trying to read and interpolate!
I thave
I had a small lilac...the winter had been very cold one year and no leaves that spring. Had the spouse cut it down. To my surprise, shoots started sprouting from the ground like a lot. Eventually, it became very bushy. And the flowers were plentiful...the following years. 🥰
This is an excellent tutorial with just the right balance of how and why. Thanks a lot!
This was a great explanation of the different approaches. I have 5 that are really over grown. I've always been terrified to prune them, but now I feel pretty confident! Three years from now, they'll be gorgeous! And maybe I won't need a 12 foot ladder to reach the top of them! Thanks so much.
I have 2 overgrown & out of control lilacs; unfortunately, I need to go with Option #3. And to make matters worse... I have Rose of Sharon growing throughout one of the trees. Thank You sharing this. It's given me the courage to do what I've been thinking I need to do for awhile now. :-)
Thank you Gardener Scott!!! I'm headed out back with a new perspective and expectation for my mom's lilac's to recover from years of neglect. Thank you, Gardener Scott!!
Hi Scott the Gardener! I planted my first Lilac bush late last summer and this summer the blooms happened and were a delight. I will now be able to prune the branches since viewing your very helpful video! Thanks so much for such an informative and well presented instructional vid. Enjoy your Lilacs as I am enjoying mine! :-)
You conveyed a lot of good information Scott. I do have a few suggestions. I like to remove Woody material during the dormant season only. If I want the shrub to flower better I do as you suggest and cut off the seed pods, but I only cut off the seeds and try to leave all of the leaves in place to provide vital food for the tree. Pruning vegetation after flowering requires the tree to regrow and expend extra energy to recover its former food supply that was removed.That regrowth grows rapidly and is subsequently weak . Pruning 1/3 of a tree or shrub should be a limit, not a goal . There are many 100 + year old lilacs in my area that are absolutely stunning with stems up to 8 in in diameter. These were lilacs that were well cared for and not over pruned. Their branches grew slowly and were subsequently strong enough to withstand many Montana Winters. All that said, lilacs are extremely Hardy and will often be only one of three plants left on Old Windswept Homesteads. Irises and rhubarb being the other two. Keep up the good work and thanks
Thank you for providing such clear and practical advice. I can see exactly what I need to do now. I inherited an overgrown lilac bush when I bought a property and I'm very happy to have a plan of action now. The fragrance brings me back to childhood and now I can look forward to more in the years to come.
So great!! I have pure white lilacs! They bloomed beautifully this year,but needed to cut down leggy branches.. can't wait till next year!!
Ah-h-h, my favorite flower!! (How many people say that? 😊. Grew up in PA where they grew wild, to FL (zone 9) where we can't grow them. Sure do miss them. Thank you for the memories!
I’ve looked up information on lilacs before and your video is one of the best.
Very helpful! I had no idea I could prune my lilac “trees” which only bloom at the top!
Thank you, Scott! I now understand why my lilac bush blooms so poorly, and I know exactly what to do about that.
This video is exactly what I was looking for. Perfectly explain and clear. Great help, Thank you very much!
Hi Scott, I learned some helpful tips for pruning our lilac bush from your video. Thank you.
Thanks for this video! I was a lot more confident about chopping off fat, old, tall branches than I ever would have been without seeing you do it. It was an enormous bonsai experience. Looking forward to seeing the results in coming years. Wish I had taken a "before" pic.
Great explanations. I’m a new gardener and that was really helpful!
This was so soothing to listen to
Thanks Gardener Scott! Great to have a library to look back on every season.
Thanks -- I am a city girl who now lives outside of the city and my lilacs used to make people stop and breathe them. This year only the top is flowering -- now I know why. THANKS!
Same here!
thank you so much for sharing this video. I had no idea how to prune my lilacs. Your instruction was very clear and easy to follow. Looking forward to better bushes...in about three years!
Thank you! We have a lilac bush. Most of the neighbors have allowed theirs to become trees and I didn't want that for ours...but I wasn't sure what to do. Now I'm ready.
Thanks. I'm very glad it was helpful.
I just bought some land and it has two huge lilac plants with many suckers. Torallt out of control. I am thinking it needs to be totally rejuvinated. If I cut it back to say 18 inches how much will it grow in a year?
Thanks for your help. My lilac needed to be pruned and I was unsure how much to take it back.
Thank you for explaining it so well. Especially with the older branches. We have lilacs that are about 30 years old and about 15 feet high, but I would hate to lose them by cutting too much off. I will give this a go and I can’t wait to see how they look next year.
Moved into a place with a 'wild' lilac. Thanks for the help.
Great advice Scott. Just the guidance I needed as I was beginning to think I'd have to fully remove the bush all together. Now I know a hard prune first, with follow-through the next few years will bring my lilac back to the size I need it to be for better management. Thank you!
jn
Thank you for instructions on how to prune . Will be using tips , Now know how much to cut off .
You can dig up the runners it puts out and plant somewhere else in yard or give to a friend to have their own lilac plant
Just got a start from my sil. It's doing really great.
I didn't know about cutting off the flowers after they have bloomed, great advice :)
This is what I do with all “woody” bushes like burning bushes and dogwood. When you take out the woody branches, those that are thick and rough with little new growth, those toward the middle, and allow light and air in again, new growth will occur. Just do an hour or two at a time. And, don’t use a hedge trimmer. The damage it causes to the branch ends will attract bugs and disease. It’s a process so enjoy your time in the fresh air taking care of Creation!
i agree with Matilda, you should do another video to show the 3 year plan further. We currently have 2 lilacs that are overgrown that will need some pruning. we are hesitant to prune as we don't want to mess it up
You speak so clearly and succinctly. Thank you for this video!
Thank you this was very informative and helpful! I now feel confident that I can fix my Lilac 😊
Thank you for this video. This is really helpful. I have two lilacs that just look terrible. I moved in last spring and cleaned out the dead wood. This year I had one purple and one white bush - pretty flowers but not very many. Last year they were both pretty diseased and was told it was because they had little air flow. This year, a landscaper came and advised me to cut one down to about 5 feet after the blooms were done. Your video helps me learn just how to prune for long lasting, beautiful and healthy plants. Thank you!
THE ' LOPPER STOPPER ''.....good man, good work sir ! i've got one of those ' loppers '. Curved, but only one side, is sharp. The other, is flat within the inside curve. I may grind it off, to be another ' cutting ' edge. GOOD JOB !
This is so useful! We moved into a house with bushes that've been completely ignored for 6 years and are in a bad way. Currently propogating a few sprigs, but definitely going to attempt pruning it at the end of season
Thanks for info. It helped.
Thank you for the video! I really love listening to you which makes it easy for me to understand since English isn’t my first language and you make me understand how to take care of my garden and yard thanks again
Wonderful video! Thanks for the tips! I was going to head to prune now before blooming, but your video helped! I can wait until after bloom this year. Awesome shirt! ❤️
Terrific video, I need to prune out lilacs this year.
It would be great to see an update on these bushes, it has been three years!
Here's a quick update: ua-cam.com/users/shorts2DVckv3_jhA
SO helpful and informative! Thank you so much 🙏🏼
This video was so helpful and thorough. Thank you for posting it! 😊
My lilac is almost 15 years old, and I've done a pretty good job of keeping it at that 6-8 foot height and training it to grow in roughly the shape I want. However, I think I need to take a slightly more aggressive approach next spring and get rid of some of the really old branches. There are some in the center of the bush that don't even really produce leaves any more. Your tips will be really helpful in knowing which 1/3 are headed for the compost heap.
So glad it was helpful.
My mom had a lilac bush in our backyard growing up. It was her favorite smell and she would bring a bouquet in the house each spring. I always wanted my own, but assumed I’d have to wait until the dream house to start planting them. My boyfriend and I just bought a foreclosed meth house to fix up and I waited all winter to see what plants would pop up in the backyard. It feels like a sign that our one bush turned out to be a lilac. Thank you for teaching me to take care of them and be a good plant mom.
That's wonderful! I hope you have great bouquets of your own.
Great video. I think I'm at the cut everything back and start over stage. My lilac is about 25 yrs old and hardly ever trimmed. Big old 3-4 inch trunks all old and narly looking. Not many flowers this year.
That me too, times 8.
Me too! I think our lilac is 40 + years old and unattractive to say the least. I’m going to be ruthless and cut it all the down.
Excellent, i just wanted to know how to prune the flowers but I got so much more useful information.
Thanks, glad. Know I can cut them down all the way. We moved into ones frowning about 15 feet, and I have trimmed and cut with no knowledge (also hard to get to), I’ll do it some more today!, I had accidentally taken about a third off, and did it right......imagine that..... off to my next third, flowers dead a week.
Don't do it. You could be ruining the Bush.
Thanks Scott, good to know. I have two sides of my property so I need to get busy once I heal from back surgery
Thank you for the video. I needed to learn all of this. I have a lilac that needs pruning! And now I know how!
Glad to hear it. 🙂
Well done! I watched 3 other videos and learned nothing. This one is by far the best!
Thank you for this video! We purchased a house a few years back with totally out of control lilacs and I thought we were going to have to remove them and start over. You’ve given us hope!
Thanks for this. I did not know you had to prune them. I have 6 right now. Four are over 30 years old and wild. I will trim the other 2.
Lilac bushes were brought to America by Europeans of all sorts for this reason: When it starts to leaf out, it is time to plant your spring crop. When the flowers are spent, it is time to plant your cold crop. Different climate zones have different times to plant. The lilac tells you when. You are welcome!
thank you!
countless of my customers are complaining about no flowers on the huge lilac bushes they have.
today im going to attempt to correct the issue. i assume if i trim it back it should bloom next season., but I'm Studying up anyways!
lol :)
Wonderful job explaining this. I have a huge out of control lilac right next to a flowering cherry tree and I was at a loss as to what to do. Another looks like a tree so I will trim as per your directions. Appreciate your expertise. Now I know what to do after it has bloomed. Thanks again
Thank you. I have two that I got as sticks/rooted cutoffs from a neighbors bush several years ago. The first has grown up to close to 10 feet, the other about 5 feet. I wanted to prune them last fall but thankfully looked it up first. They are both just bursting with flowers and are beautiful, but the tall one is getting a bit too tall. I plan to prune them to get them close to the same size over the next year or two and to suit the areas they occupy. This video certainly helps.
Looking this video up at the beginning of March after the snow melted, guess I'll wait a few months
lilac wood has purple streaks in its wood grain, very cool looking
I have lilac bushes around my house, never pruned them and they flower every year.
Same here, I never though you had to prune them.
Thank
You so much I have a lilac and this was very informative
Gardening is a really violent hobby when you think about it.
I watched this last year and cut my lilacs down to 12 inches. They are now about 4 feet high and I look forward to seeing their progress.
This was so helpful after moving into my new home with a lilac tree that had barely any blooms! Can wait on see how it looks next year. Thank you!
Hello there. New to the gardening. Had a beautiful lilac bush in my front yard of my great grandparents house who raised me. Moved into our house a few years back and our lilacs were blossoming beautifully. I wasn't sure how to manage things as I said im new to gardening. So now I'm have a (estimate) possibly 10 ft LILAC TREE 😂😂😂 If I knew how to send you a picture of it I would but I'm not so great with technology and don't even know if there is a way for me to send you a picture of the big beauty. Lol
I watched your video last year. This year was the best year for flowers, they were absolutely everywhere! I pruned 1/3 of the bush last June, and fertilized in late April 2022.
Our Lilac bush used to flower on the neighbours side of the fence and hardly ours, I was cutting it every year at around April with an electric hedge trimmer, then a few years ago I stopped. The following year and every year since it has totally flourished, full of flowers top to bottom. Its getting a little big now.. so I may trim it when the flowers are gone, now I know the correct time to trim it.
There's a giant 30ft long 10ft wide 15ft high stand of lilacs off a local walking trail at an old farmhouse site. I'm going to ask for permission to raze them to the ground next spring lol. There's also a few honeysuckles that need help badly. It smells soooo good there when they're all in bloom ☺️
Thank you Scott. Great video. I had not pruned my lilac bush last year due to an injury. It is now too tall. I will take off the spent blooms and lower the tall stems down by one third, keeping an eye out for any damaged stems. Best regards. Dorothy from Warwickshire. UK
Thank you! We inherited an old overgrown lilac (my favorite!!) with the purchase of an old house. Unfortunately a spring snow storm took down some branches and made me aware that it was time to prune the 2+ story plant! I'll follow the advice once the flowers are spent and hopefully next year we'll get even more flowers!
Thank you! I am getting only a few flowers and we have been here 30 years. I need to rejuvenate my plants.
Cool shirt! And best video I've seen on lilac pruning.
Thanks for this info. I have a wild one out front by our road. Just took out probably 2/3s. All small trees. looks better already.
What a great video. Thank you. I have been avoiding pruning my lilac, but am ready to go this year🙂
Thank you! I had no idea what to do with my 20 foot tall lilac😮 I will lop the whole thing off and hope for the best next year.
So helpful!! I have baby lilacs that are spindly and this helps!!
Great information ! I’lol take care of my double Dutch lilac this evening.