Quote:
Originally Posted by Janet Tweedy
Lilac that's never been pruned? How do you even go about working out
which third of the stems need doing. Is it best to take out weedy growth
first then 1/3 rest of stems? Looked it up in books but though they say
in a cavalier manner, that you just pruned after flowering and take out
a third it doesn't help much if you can't see the wood for the trees!
Can't find anything much on the smaller rarer lilac
either.
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I'd take out all the weedy growth and then re-evaluate.
Sometimes big old branches won't re-shoot (more than 3 inches diameter), so don't get too enthusiastic. Smaller branches should reshoot, so you can take them out quite short. They'll then throw up straight vertical stems anything from 3 to 6 feet. These won't flower next year, it'll be the year after, or the year after that.