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

salix · May 30, 2011

Tom, I only deadhead the ones out front to keep them looking good. Anything up to about 8-10 feet, I just grab the branch, bend it down and cut off the ugly bits and dead branches, prune out crossing branches etc. If you can maneuver a wheelbarrow underneath to catch the falling bits, that helps considerably. The two very tall bushes in the back/side get ignored for years, then will prune rather radically to shape them up somewhat... They are all happy and healthy!

mjc · May 30, 2011

Lilacs don't really need it, other than for appearance, but when they get too tall, I just cut them back (take the tallest 'trunk' completely out...).

lurley · May 31, 2011

I "rejuvenated" an old lilac by taking 1/3 of it to the ground each year for three years, but if your plant looks good it certainly isn't necessary. If you want to shorten it, pruning the whole thing to make it shorter and more manageable in the future is a good idea, but do it as soon as it has finished blooming as waiting will remove next years flower buds that start to develop in early summer.

Tracydr · June 17, 2011

I'm planning to do it pretty soon, as I want my lilac and rosemary, which are side by side, to stay fairly short.
I'm glad you asked this question. I was just wondering a couple of days ago if it was ok to do it, since it was looking a little shaggy and growing out of bounds. Figured it would be but it's only my second year with lilacs.
Great desert plants, BTW, can take the heat and drought amazingly well!

dustdevil · June 19, 2011

If you had gotten the genetically engineered lilacs you wouldn't have this problem

I don't deadhead our 14 ft. tall lilacs and they are doing fine. Be sure to cut out any dead branches and let the suckers fill in where the old timers are dying back.

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

May 30, 2011	#2
salix Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: north central B.C. Posts: 2,310	Tom, I only deadhead the ones out front to keep them looking good. Anything up to about 8-10 feet, I just grab the branch, bend it down and cut off the ugly bits and dead branches, prune out crossing branches etc. If you can maneuver a wheelbarrow underneath to catch the falling bits, that helps considerably. The two very tall bushes in the back/side get ignored for years, then will prune rather radically to shape them up somewhat... They are all happy and healthy!

May 30, 2011	#3
mjc Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: WV Posts: 603	Lilacs don't really need it, other than for appearance, but when they get too tall, I just cut them back (take the tallest 'trunk' completely out...).

May 31, 2011	#4
lurley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Central Ohio Posts: 741	I "rejuvenated" an old lilac by taking 1/3 of it to the ground each year for three years, but if your plant looks good it certainly isn't necessary. If you want to shorten it, pruning the whole thing to make it shorter and more manageable in the future is a good idea, but do it as soon as it has finished blooming as waiting will remove next years flower buds that start to develop in early summer.

June 17, 2011	#5
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	I'm planning to do it pretty soon, as I want my lilac and rosemary, which are side by side, to stay fairly short. I'm glad you asked this question. I was just wondering a couple of days ago if it was ok to do it, since it was looking a little shaggy and growing out of bounds. Figured it would be but it's only my second year with lilacs. Great desert plants, BTW, can take the heat and drought amazingly well!

June 19, 2011	#6
dustdevil Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: WI, USA Zone4 Posts: 1,887	If you had gotten the genetically engineered lilacs you wouldn't have this problem I don't deadhead our 14 ft. tall lilacs and they are doing fine. Be sure to cut out any dead branches and let the suckers fill in where the old timers are dying back.