Here s a garden expert s advice on how and when you should prune lilacs to enjoy spring flowers. Also learn why your lilacs are not blooming.
Courtesy Jean Owens
Eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly on a lilac bush
Lilacs are popular shrubs for their fragrant colorful blooms. Many gardeners wonder exactly how and when to prune lilacs. Ken Kuhnen of Machesney Park, Illinois, wrote in asking, “My lilac tree is beautifully shaped, but I need it to be smaller. Where do I start?”
When to Prune Lilacs
With any type of lilac, you should only prune branches right after the flowers fade to enjoy maximum spring color the next year. New lilac buds from on old wood. So if you start snipping in summer, fall or in spring before they bloom, you’ll cut off the forming buds and the plant will not bloom.