Lilac Tree Care and Pruning

Caring For Lilac Trees (Syringa)
Lilac Trees are strong growing shrubs but they will benefit from some basic care. Our easy to follow Lilac Tree care calendar highlights the care dates in the year. The dates are adjusted for your home town if you have previously set it, if not click here to go and set all GardenAction dates for your area.

early April	Feed your Lilac Tree. Scatter a couple of handfuls of bonemeal around (but not touching) the base of the plant and cover with a mulch of well-rotted compost.
mid May	In the first year of flowering, remove all flower heads before they develop into flowers. This will encourage the Lilac Tree to produce a better root system. In the second year of flowering, remove 75% of all flower heads before they develop into flowers.
early June	Remove the flower heads as they fade to stop the production of seed.
early August onwards	Remove any suckers that may develop.
mid August	Take semi-ripe cuttings. See below for more detailed information on cuttings
mid October	Plant your new Lilac Tree. Container grown examples can be planted at any time of the year but the soil warmth and moisture at this time of year gives the best start.
mid October	Prune annually to maintain shape. Lilacs can be hard pruned to rejuvenate them.

How to Plant a Lilac Tree
Bought online or from a nursery, your Lilac Tree will probably come in a largish pot. Dig a hole about the depth of the pot and about twice as wide. Mix a handful of bonemeal into the dug up soil.

Remove the Lilac Tree from the pot. The way to do this is to place a hand over the soil in the pot with fingers either side of the main stem. Turn the plant upside down and ease it out of the pot. If the plant has become root bound, gently tease out some of the roots from the base of the root ball. Place the forsythia in the hole.

The top of the soil of the root ball should be level with the garden soil. Adjust the height of the plant by adding soil under it if needed. Fill in the hole around the plant with the dug soil. Firm the soil down as you fill in the hole to ensure the Lilac Tree isn't blown over in strong wind. Water well to consolidate the soil

How to Prune a Lilac Tree
Lilac Trees need a couple of years to establish themselves. To encourage them to do this, remove all flower heads before they develop into flowers in the first year. In the second year, remove 75% of all flower heads before they develop.

In all years, when the flowers begin to fade, remove them from the Lilac Tree. This will stop the plant putting unnecessary effort into producing seed. Lilac trees should also have any suckers removed, these will only sap strength from the tree.

In mid-Autumn, prune away any crossing or diseased / weak branches. The Lilac Tree can also be trimmed to shape each year. To rejuvenate a Lilac Tree that has been neglected, cut it back to 1 metre (3 feet) high. The plant will start flowering in two to three years time.

How to Propagate a Lilac Tree
Lilac trees are propagated from semi-ripe cuttings taken in mid-August. The procedure for semi-ripe cuttings is common to many shrubs. This is covered in great detail in another of our articles, click here to go there now. With Lilac Tree cuttings there is a medium chance of success.

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