deadheading lilacs

tjg911 · May 30, 2011

anyone grow lilacs? i googled "deadheading lilacs" and looked at 8 or 10 links. about 4 said it is totally unnecessary and about 6 said you should do it! one stated that for young lilac plants deadheading is best because it allows the plant to put energy into growing and indicates it is best done with young plants not older.

my bushes are 10-12 years old. 5 plants are short but one clump is getting to 12'-15' tall. i did it last june but looking at all the brown flower heads and how many and how high up, i need to use an 8' step ladder and it'll take an hour at least to do this one clump.

does anyone know for certain whether it is really necessary to deadhead older plants like mine? it will look better for sure and the smaller plants will be easy to do but this one clump is getting to be a real chore!

thanks,

tom

May 30, 2011	#1
tjg911 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: zone 5b northwest connecticut Posts: 2,570	deadheading lilacs anyone grow lilacs? i googled "deadheading lilacs" and looked at 8 or 10 links. about 4 said it is totally unnecessary and about 6 said you should do it! one stated that for young lilac plants deadheading is best because it allows the plant to put energy into growing and indicates it is best done with young plants not older. my bushes are 10-12 years old. 5 plants are short but one clump is getting to 12'-15' tall. i did it last june but looking at all the brown flower heads and how many and how high up, i need to use an 8' step ladder and it'll take an hour at least to do this one clump. does anyone know for certain whether it is really necessary to deadhead older plants like mine? it will look better for sure and the smaller plants will be easy to do but this one clump is getting to be a real chore! thanks, tom __________________ I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night He’s gotta be strong And he’s gotta be fast And he’s gotta be fresh from the fight I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the morning light He’s gotta be sure And it’s gotta be soon And he’s gotta be larger than life