Q.Lilac Trees
I read in a book a few days ago that you should not let a lilac tree seed and that you should cut off the seed branches, so this afternoon I did cut off the seed branches(the ones I could reach). My question is, WHY? Why should the seeds be cut off? Surely they are useful. All plants have to start from somewhere in the first place, and surely it must have been from seeds, so WHY cut them off?
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
The reason that it is often recommend to cut seed pods off flowering plants (not just lilacs) is that the plant will focus energy on the seeds rather than blossoms. If you want seeds for propagation, you can leave them on and they will not hurt. But if you are not looking to propagate the plant, removing the seed pods forces the plant to put more energy into making new flowers, which means more and bigger flowers for you.
