Cutting Lilac blooms to bring into the house is a great way to keep.

Jul 08, The general shrub pruning rule is to cut no more than a third of the stems each year. 2  That will help the plant remain constantly vital, with new stems developing as old stems bloom.

Your goal is to have a lilac bush that has somewhere between eight to 12 stems of various ages, all of them between 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Apr 02, How to Prune Lilac Bushes.

When pruning lilacs, cutting back the tops of overgrown stems is oftentimes not enough. It is generally better to cut the entire stem.

Pamela Monday 19th of April

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. Prune the bushes so that they do not fan out.

Your aim should be to maintain the vase-like shape. Since lilacs can grow from 4 to 30 feet, their height depends on your choice. Trim them accordingly. Cut off Flowers, Shoots, Suckers, and Runners: You would find the base of the lilac plant clumped with old and wilted flowers.

You would also see many branches, runners, and suckers overgrowing in all stumpcut.barted Reading Time: 4 mins. Some people like a wide lilac bush while others prefer to keep their’s shorter and smaller in circumference.

Unfortunately, tall lilac bushes suffer from leggy, unattractive lower halves.

The rule of thumb, however, is to cut off each dead bloom and its INDIVIDUAL flower stem, which is referred to as “old wood”. You’ll cut right above where the individual flower stem meets the other stumpcut.barted Reading Time: 7 mins. Oct 06, As a general rule, you should only trim stems that are at least 2 in.

in diameter and are healthy enough to survive the change. If you are diligent and mindful about pruning, you can expect the lilac bush to reach 8 ft. in height around year four. While most flowers shouldn’t be pruned until flowers are dead, the lilac is an stumpcut.barted Reading Time: 6 mins.