clipped from: forums.gardenweb.com | Lilacs are vigorous shrubs that are hard to kill. It is said that if you deadhead the blooms, then they will put their energy into growth of new foliage and blooms and not seeds. A pruning book I own says this "remove the spent flower spikes just above the first leaves beneath the bloom clusters". Honestly, I usually deadhead the spent blooms I can reach, but once they get too tall and they're out of reach, I'm too lazy! Hehe Lilacs are lime-lovers, so I periodically sprinkle some lime around the base of the Lilacs. Wood ash would accomplish the same thing. Other than that, I mulch with some compost, and leaves. An old overgrown patch of Lilacs with thick, lanky stalks can be rejuvenated by thinning out 1/3 of the oldest wood each year for three years after blooming. Cut the stalks at the base. The suckers and smaller stalks will fill in nicely over the three year period. Sometimes people will "top" or shear Lilacs and I think it usually looks terrible. |