Question
Tree
I bought a house with a purple lilac. I'm not sure how to best "prune" this tree. It's gawky and uneven and the new growth indicates that is has been forced to tree instead of bush. The new growth is flowering, so it's not a grafted tree. Would I be better off to leave the tree part as is and trim the tall parts? Or should I cut it down and let the new growth become the new bush? The trunk is a bit twisted and has a cave in it, is this normal or a sign of disease?
There is a white lilac in the front and it is a lovely bush with multiple trunks from the ground instead of being "treed" like the one in the back.
Here's a link to a photo album online with some photos of the tree in question. There is a shot of the whole tree, a close up of the trunk, and one of the trunk/new growth showing the new growth flowering. There were more flowers on it a week ago, they've already come inside the house in vases!
https://picasaweb.google.com/RebelAngel/Lilac#
AnswerHi Debbie,
Thanx for your question. I know what I would do to this shrub/tree but it may not be right because I'm not an expert at shrubs. I would leave it as a tree and sculpt the outgrowths in order to get some kind of symmetry to it. Remember, don't prune until after the shrub blooms otherwise you may not get any blooms. Prune immediately after blooming.
I'm referring you to our shrub experts here on Allexperts. There are two of them. If you will go back to Home/Gardening and click on Gardening and then click on shrubs, you can access their expertise. I hope this helps.
Tom
