Why Are Lilac Flowers Growing Underground?

I have a mature 10 foot lilac and the flowers on the actual shrub are gone but I have lilac flowers popping up on the ground around it. I dug around the one and it was in flower around 4″ inches below the soil level and appears to be growing from a root. I noticed the biggest one nearly two weeks ago and it’s still in flower. Has anyone ever seen this and what caused this?

1 Comment (Open | Close)

1 Comment To "Why Are Lilac Flowers Growing Underground?"

#1 Comment By BushDoctor On 06/07/2021 @ 2:24 pm

Because of the way the crown is situated in lilacs (underground), and the flowering habit (on new wood) this can be a common occurrence. The soil has kept the area around the new shoots at a suitable temperature and moisture to produce flowers.

You can choose to leave the "suckers" or you can remove them. Either way will not harm the shrub. Removing them creates a more compact, tidy shrub. Leaving them creates a broader, more "shrubby" shrub.

Here are some articles that will give you more information about the plant:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/lilac ^[1]

Article printed from Gardening Know How Questions & Answers: https://questions.gardeningknowhow.com

URL to article: https://questions.gardeningknowhow.com/why-are-lilac-flowers-growing-underground/

URLs in this post:

[1] https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/lilac: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/lilac

Have any questions about this topic? Visit us at https://questions.gardeningknowhow.com to ask your questions and get friendly answers from gardening experts.

You can also find us at:
'Like' us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gardeningknowhow
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gardenknowhow - @gardenknowhow
Follow us on Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/gardenknowhow/