When pruning faded flowers when lilac: why and when?

Hardly any other ornamental wood heralds spring more beautifully than the lilac. The Syringa vulgaris is particularly attractive in May, when the shrub presents its flowers in intense purple or white tones and exudes an intense fragrance in the home garden. The withered flowers are not particularly handsome, but that's not the only reason they should be pruned.

Reasons for cleaning up

The many different types of pruning for the wood serve only one purpose: to keep the lilac attractive and blooming. In addition to plant pruning, building pruning and training pruning, which above all promote dense branching in order to maintain a harmonious shrub shape, there is also cleaning. This means the removal of the dead flower. Plastering not only serves to create a well-groomed appearance, it also has other advantages:

Avoidance of self-sowing

Practice shows that uncut lilacs remain blooming well into old age. Therefore, it is not necessary to cut out dead flowers. Like many other lush flowering ornamental trees, the common lilac (Syringa vulgaris) tends to sow itself. Wild forms in particular tend to spread uncontrollably in the garden in this way in a short time. If you do not want the lilac to reproduce en masse through seed production in the garden, you should definitely remove the flowers before the seeds ripen. Other types of lilac, such as the noble lilac, only develop sterile flowers and therefore cannot reproduce by sowing them.

Promote instinct formation

It does not harm the lilac to leave the flowers on the bush when they have finished blooming, but the plant then puts a lot of energy into producing seeds in order to reproduce. If the flowers are cut out, the lilac can fully concentrate on the development of the young shoots and the corresponding flowering in the following year. This is especially important for young trees that are still in the growth phase. The more force a shrub can use to develop shoots and leaves, the more even and bushier it grows.

Tip: In the case of large solitary trees of Syringa vulgaris, pruning can also be omitted. Flowering in the following year is hardly affected if old flowers are left on the bush.

time

Lilac is very easy on cutting. In general, however, a Syringa vulgaris grows best when it is pruned as little as possible. With young plants in particular, it is neither necessary nor advisable to prune them every year. Similar to a large number of flowering shrubs, the lilac also forms the buds for the flowers in the previous year. So it needs time to develop and produce a rich abundance of flowers. So if you cut after the flower buds have been planted in late summer to autumn, the flowering will fail in the following year. The best time to cut is therefore right after it has faded.

• late spring or early summer
• Mid-May to late June
• before the seeds ripen
• rain-free day
• morning

Tip: If the cut was forgotten after flowering, you don't have to wait a whole year. A slight maintenance cut or corrections are possible until autumn.

tool

As a rule, the shoots on the flowers are still very soft and can therefore be broken out. However, in order to avoid unnecessary injuries and large wounds, it makes sense to use suitable tools.

• only use sharp tools
• clean (disinfected with alcohol)
• Rose scissors for the flowers and thinner branches
• Loppers or saws for thick branches

instructions

Lilac is one of the ornamental trees that are very easy on pruning. Even so, the shrub rarely needs the gardener's intervention. If possible, cut out the faded inflorescences directly below the base of the flowers. As a starting point for the scissors or the knife, preferably choose the pair of buds directly below the flower. If the branch is to be trimmed a little at the same time, at least three pairs of eyes must remain on the respective shoot. In this case, it is preferable to cut just above a pair of outwardly facing pairs of eyes. The shoots that emerge from it make the shrub appear voluminous and prevent too much shade from being thrown into the interior of the crown. In this way you can prevent the lilac bush from becoming bald from the inside.

• directly below the base of the flower
• just above a pair of buds
• Be sure to leave the new shoots below the flower
• these shoots form the new buds for flowering the following year

The fresh cut surfaces are possible weak points into which germs and pathogens can penetrate. The faster these close again, the less they pose a threat to the lilac. The wounds should be able to dry quickly so that the wounds do not become infected with fungi, viruses or bacteria. This works best on a warm, rain-free day. If the weather is damp or if rain threatens, the cut should therefore be postponed to another day. The same applies to hot, sunny days. During this time you should not weaken the shrub even more by cutting.

Tip: Cut the old ones

Inflorescences not too far down. The buds for the coming year are already on the newly sprouted branches.

Maintenance cut / maintenance cut

It is advisable to take a look at the branches of the lilac when cleaning the inflorescences. If shoots are damaged or dead in winter or by a storm, they should be removed as well as diseased branches. Occasionally, every two to three years, it may be necessary to cut back a few branches in order to keep the beautiful shape. This so-called maintenance pruning can be carried out quickly and easily and is carried out in the case of lilacs together with cutting out the faded flowers. Only:

• frozen, dead or damaged shoots
• old, bare shoots
• branches growing inward
• one of two intersecting branches
• weak, hardly leafy shoots
• possibly shorten individual older branches a little more

Refined lilac / high stem

In the case of a refined lilac or lilac stem, the flowering crown is grafted onto a sturdy base. Now and then it happens that the rootstock produces so-called wild shoots. All of these shoots below the grafting point must be removed promptly. Most of the time, the finishing department is located directly below the crown. It can be recognized by the slight thickening on the trunk, where new, bulging tissue has formed. If you let the rootstock grow unchecked, in the worst case it can happen that the grafted crown is repelled by the plant and dies.

Lilac hedges

If you have cultivated your fragrant lilac as a hedge, you should note that in Germany legal regulations must be observed when cutting hedge plants. Among other things, the Nature Conservation Act states that pruning is only allowed in the winter months. From 01. March to 30th September, strong interventions in growth are not allowed. The reason for this is as follows: Nesting birds could be disturbed by these pruning measures. Although gentle care measures to remove the growth or the removal of the flowers are allowed, you should nevertheless Make sure you don't frighten breeding birds in the garden too much with your activity, and very carefully proceed.