For new lilac trees in their first year, remove all.

Apr 02, The best time for pruning lilac bushes is right after their flowering has ceased. This allows new shoots plenty of time to develop the next season of blooms. Pruning lilacs too late can kill young developing buds.

If you are pruning lilac trees or shrubs entirely to within inches of the ground, it is best to do so in early spring. Jul 08, Japanese tree lilacs generally require little, if any, pruning until they are about 3 years old.

After this, any necessary pruning should be done immediately after the flowering period is over. Remove dead or diseased branches, as well as any branches that interfere with the overall vase shape or clutter the interior of the tree. May 26, Instructions. Dead-head dead flowers immediately after they die on the tree. The buds for the next year grow right away and you may accidentally cut off next year's Cut no more than 1/3 of the tree's stems each year. Trim stems that are more than 5/5(1).

Lilac trees that are over three years old can safely have these removed as close to the ground as possible. Do this from mid-June onwards.

For new lilac trees in their first year, remove all the forming flower buds before they start to bloom. This is usually around the first week of treecutter.barted Reading Time: 6 mins. Jul 19, Control the height of your lilac tree by trimming it to roughly one foot below the desired height in spring, right after the tree finishes flowering for the year.

Trim away extra growth with. There are three maintenance tasks I need to cross off my lilac to-do list in the spring. I need to trim the dead blooms off, prune the shrubs, and cut out suckers that have popped up underneath. Most of the stems I’m dealing with are thin enough that I can use my hand pruners, but if stems are thicker, you may want to use a pair of bypass loppers.

If you want it to remain single trunked and not start producing a lot of suckering canes (as is most common with lilacs), then trim back lightly.

I honestly do not see much of any concern with this lilac. They are not at the best of times very dense shrubs. Personally, I'd just.