HelpfulGardener.com

We moved into a new house three years ago and while I was gone one day soon after we moved in my husband mistakenly pruned a beautiful lilac tree down to the ground. Imagine my dismay! The tree was about 8 feet tall when he pruned it.

The plant has grown many tall shoots since then but it has not bloomed again.

I don't know much about lilacs. Anyone have any ideas as to when it might bloom again or what I should do?

Thanks in advance for any help!

I asked Eric Welzel (Fox Hill Lilac Nursery in Maine) as I have not tried growing from clippings and shoots/suckers. His opinion was that it should bloom in Spring 2012 but that there was a remote chance that the shoots might bloom this year.

However, since the drought in Texas is starting to reach into areas of western TN, I would not try to force the plant to bloom. Just maintain the soil moist and add some mulch around the base, up to what used to the drip line.

I also asked Frank Moro of Select Plus Lilacs and he guessed 2-3 years so there you go. I guess those two answers cover nearly all possibilities, hu? Hee hee hee!

Frank Moro emailed to clarify that if it had been pruned to the ground, that it would take 3-5 years.

I also heard from yet a third person. I know; I know. His answer was fairly quickly.

So in summary, we have one person saying "in a few years" and two saying basically the same thing: "next Spring".