how do i prune or trim my lilac bush?

Question

My lilac bush is rather tall about 8 feet, with lots of green leaves. Not too many flowers. Most are at the top. the flowers are finished blooming and green seeds are forming where they were. Is it too late to do any thing now? if not, what should i do? Is dead heading taking just the part that flowered or more of that stem?

Answer 1

You're supposed to 'dead head' the flower once it's gone brown.
I have a white lilac which is nearly 80 years old and so tall, about 20 feet, that I can't get to the top.
I stopped 'dead heading' several years ago, and now I get more flowers than I did before !

You can prune by cutting it back in the autumn (fall), cutting the branch just above a bud, and with a downward diagonal cut, like this /, so the rain doesn't soak into the cut.

Answer 2

I've read that the best time to prune a lilac is after the blooms are gone. Trim the small suckers and shoots, and leave the large branches. Lilacs are hardy - I just dug up and moved one that was at least as tall as yours, and it barely even noticed. I'm told that you can prune a full third of the plant, and it'll come back bigger and thicker than ever next year.