butchered lilac

[leobluesy]

Hello
I'm really here to ask a question for my girlfriend who lives in missouri USA.
An over enthusiastic neighbour deided to help her trim all bushes and shrubs in her garden. Unfortunately while she was at work... he came and butchered her pride and joy..... a 20 year old lilac that has been replanted several times.. moving house with her.
He was not supposed to even touch the bush.... but its now cut back from a full blooming 8 feet bush.. to a 6 foot central bunch of branches,, all thick branches have been sawn off.... nothing is left but wood... no leaves or flowers. Is it likely to survive the shock at this time of year..... should she treat the sawn ends to prevent moisture loss ?? Neither of us are gardeners.. but we just wondered if it could survive and would it need help....

thanks
Leo

[rainbowgardener]

A 20 year old lilac is pretty tough and hardy. It could probably be cut totally off at the ground and still come back next year--a lot smaller than it was of course. Cutting out some of the thick old stems is probably good for it--it blooms better on younger wood. But usually you would cut some stems down to the ground, not shorten all of them. And this should be done right after it finished flowering. If it had already set buds for next year's flowers, then it may not bloom next year. But it's early enough in the season, that maybe it will. Fertilize it well, take good care of it and it will likely be fine next year. Don't let the neighbor near her shrubs again!

[leobluesy]

Hello Rainbowgardener.

Thank you for your fast reply.
This particular lilac really was part of the family and had travelled many miles with her when she moved house over the past 20 years. Bought for her by her kids,,way back.
She cried when she saw what had been done to it.... but now hopefully all is not lost.
best regds
Leo

[The Helpful Gardener]

Hey Leo,

Good news; I don't think it sounds like a goner; as RBG noted, cutting out older wood is very beneficial. It is older wood that ages and stresses the plant most; second and third year wood are most productive and healthy. Not having seen the plant but hearing your description, it may well be a good pruning job (I have shocked a few people over the years myself but have a very good track record of good results). Was the old wood starting to distort or show irregular bark patterning? Might be it was time for the old stuff to go...

My mother fought me for years when I tried to prune her lilacs ("too hard, you're hurting them"). Now they are dying because it ALL became old wood, and there is naught I can do about senescense (or I'd be younger myself).

Give it a chance; your neighbor may have done you a favor... Bigger is NOT better with lilacs...

HG

[msdowdell]

Hi. I have a very similar problem. Except, my neighbor wasn't "helping". I was looking around on-line and various sites stated that such extreme pruning should occur in late winter. Since it is now late July, is there anything I should do to protect my three lilac trees (now sticks) from the Minnesota winter?

[The Helpful Gardener]

Tree lilac is a different beastie than the shrub types we have been discussing. But as all of the above are Zone 3 plants, you shouldn't have to do much; they should be fine through winter, as long as you can get leaves and growth back on them now...

HG