It is best done in late winter, just before new growth.

PRUNING LILACS PROPERLY Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor University of Vermont Lilacs remain one of the most popular landscape plants in the North, and one of the easiest to grow.

Other than trying to figure out which new ones to buy, the main question seems to be about pruning. Jun 01, Pruning your lilac can help keep it to a manageable size, accentuate its lovely form, and improve flowering.

Sometimes, a complete refresh is needed (coppicing). In this post, we walk you through several options for pruning your lilac, using helpful stumpclearing.barted Reading Time: 7 mins. May 26, Lilacs bloom in the spring and you’ll want to prune your lilac tree two times per year: during the winter months and then following its lovely spring bloom.

When you prune a tree or plant, you are removing branches and stems which will help your lilac tree 5/5(1). Jul 08, Japanese tree lilacs generally require little, if any, pruning until they are about 3 years old.

After this, any necessary pruning should be done immediately after the flowering period is over.

Tip Certain trees and shrubs that are sometimes referred to as California lilac or wild lilac Ceanothus spp.

Remove dead or diseased branches, as well as any branches that interfere with the overall vase shape or clutter the interior of the tree. Dwarf lilacs rarely need pruning ‘Palibin’ Meyer lilac (Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’) and ‘Miss Kim’ Manchurian lilac (Syringa pubescens ssp.

patula ‘Miss Kim’) are both relatively small lilacs with a twiggy habit. Little pruning other than deadheading is required on these types. As the plants age, you can remove a few of the oldest stems to make room for younger, more vigorous Estimated Reading Time: 8 mins.

Apr 02, How to Prune Lilac Bushes.

New lilac plants should begin blooming within two to five years.

When pruning lilacs, cutting back the tops of overgrown stems is oftentimes not enough. It is generally better to cut the entire stem. Trimming lilacs is best accomplished using clippers. Remove spent blooms all the way to the stems to prevent seeding and encourage more blooms later on. Cut back about a third of the branches. Jul 19, Remove one-fourth to one-third of your tree's largest stems using a pair of pruning shears or clippers, according to Russell Tree stumpclearing.bar this each year after lilac blooms have faded, from late.