What's your question? Ask

Hyacinth Plant

Q.lilacs

Zone St. Helen, MI 48646 (5A) | Anonymous added on September 2, 2018 | Answered

How can I get transplanted lilacs (ordinary ones) to grow into a privacy bush? Should I wait a year or two and then prune heavily? Except for the powdery mildew, they seem to be growing well. I want to hide my near neighbors air conditioning

A.Answers to this queston: Add Answer
MichiganDot
Answered on September 2, 2018

Wait until next spring after bloom time, if you have any. This gets you in the habit of pruning lilacs annually which they need. By nature, lilacs sucker a lot so you should see new stems emerge next spring whether you prune or not. In fact, routine spring pruning includes removing excessive numbers of suckers. They crowd the interior, reduce airflow (making powdery mildew worse) and create so much shade that some interior branches lose their leaves. In order to preserve as many leaves so the slip can grow, perform only a heading cut on the long, slender branches. Consider removing one of the bushes; they are too close together for the large shrub.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/shgen/heading-cuts-in-pruning.htm

Was this answer useful?
00

Log in or sign up to help answer this question.

Did you find this helpful? Share it with your friends!

You must be logged into your account to answer a question.

If you don't have an account sign up for an account now.

Looking for more?
here are more questions about...
Hyacinth Plant
Join Us - Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips!

Do you know a lot about gardening?
Become a GKH Gardening Expert

OK