In love with lilacs

 Lilacs, along with most other flowers, seem to be blooming much earlier this year in Iowa. Flowers that we'd usually see on Mother's Day are in full bloom now. If your lilacs aren't performing well this year, see the tips from Lisa Slattery, Linn County Master Gardener, who provided the following info on how to prune lilacs for best results:

 This is the first year in a decade that I don't have huge bouquets of lilacs in my house. I rely on my neighbor's lilacs since they have a car-stopping row (and I mean wow! car-stopping!) of huge lilac shrubs running the entire front length of their property. Late last fall they cut them down to three feet in height. Did my neighbors know they were crazy? I knew it was the wrong time to prune, and I thought the wrong way. I shared my lilac-less grief with my neighbor, who said “they'll come back.”

 Pruning lilacs is actually one of the top spring questions asked of Master Gardeners. And ISU does indeed mention two ways to prune lilacs. The common lilac (Syringa vulgaris) in Iowa is a very large shrub that can reach 15 to 20 feet high. As these lovely giants grow, the lower part of the shrub loses leaves and looks leggy because of shade from the top.

 I'm familiar with the first pruning technique or the ‘three-year pruning method.'.   Remove one-third of the old stems at ground level the first year. The next year, prune out one-half of the remaining old stems. The third year cut out the rest of the old wood. Lilacs require wood that is three years or older to produce blooms. This pruning method allows for flowering each spring. Continue to remove a few of the oldest branches every 2 to 3 years to keep the lilac vigorous and blooming. After spring blooming, spent flower heads can be removed.

 The second pruning technique (my neighbor's chainsaw method) is used to renew large, overgrown lilacs. This method is to cut the entire plant back to within six to eight inches of the ground in late winter. This forces a large number of new shoots to grow the following season, but no flower production. The following year after new growth, keep several large healthy shoots to re-build the shrub framework and cut back remaining shoots just above a bud to encourage branching.

 Lilacs like many woody plants must grow for a few seasons before blooming. Some lilacs won't bloom for four, five or more years after planting. Lilacs also require at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. So, unfortunately no lilac bouquets this year, but I'm looking forward to several springs to come.