How Do You Prune Lilac Bushes In The Fall?
There is nothing quite like the delicate scent of a lilac bush in the spring–it is one of the harbingers of the season. With proper pruning, you can keep your lilac in ample blooms year after year. The best time to prune the lilac is in late spring, after the blooms have died. However, if you missed the opportunity to prune your lilac during the spring, you can still do some pruning to shape in the fall. Do not cut away any of the top branches of the lilac. Lilacs flower on old wood–not on new stems–so if you trim away the top branches, you will be cutting off the flower buds that are meant to bloom the following spring. Remove all dead, damaged or diseased branches. Clear away about 1/3 of the oldest branches at the ground level. Trim away dead or bare branches that have no flower buds from the center of the lilac. Thinning away these branches will help increase ventilation to the entire lilac. This will also allow newer shoots room to develop. Shape the bush by removing leggy and
