What should I do with the lilac trees my mother planted?

I am now living in the home where I grew up. When I was a little kid, I remember these lilacs as smelling so good and being the neatest thing, but mom also planted maple trees in the yard and now the maple trees are shading the lilac bushes and the bushes never bloom, and many of the branches are leafless and dead. I trimmed them up, but I think its a wast of time since they are in the shade now because the maple trees have grown big and tall covering over the top. Should I just whack them down? They look really crappy now. Is it a lost cause since they are not getting sunshine? I am just having a hard time doing away with the things my mom planted since she has died.

What should I do with the lilac trees my mother planted?
Oh! I love lilacs! My mother has this huge group of suckers and I look forward to coming home from school to %26quot;bury my face%26quot; into a bouqet of them. She loves them so much, she planted a smaller one in the backyard.





I%26#039;m sorry to hear about your mom, and i bet that those lilacs mean a lot to you. I would have to agree to the trimming of the maple but if you over do it, you could loose the tree as well. If you feel really ambitious, you could dig up the lilacs and move them to a sunnier corner of your yard. It will take a couple of years for them to come back but in the end, you%26#039;ll at least still have your mother%26#039;s lilacs. You would not have to move the entire thing, just the shoots that are still healthy.
Reply:I too LOVE lilacs and was soooo happy when the house we bought had a big bush in front of the house! the 1st year we were here it bloomed beautifully. It%26#039;s right out front with NO shade whatsoever. the second year we were here it only had about a dozen blooms- the next year the same. then all it did for 3 years after that was get green. I tried fertilizer, trimming back the old growth, etc. And nothing... it finally died! I had gone to the nursery and inquired about this and the guy there told me that they only grow well in certain zones. I live in TN. and they don%26#039;t do well here. But he also told me that they have %26#039;lifespans%26#039; too. Now I don%26#039;t know how true this is... but maybe if you talk to a local person at the nursery , they can tell you. there is also more than one kind of lilac and they have different lifetime expectancies.
Reply:R U sure it%26#039;s the lack of sun. Or could it be the soil ? Someone also may be pouring something on your Lilac area or stagnant water accumulation over the years. I%26#039;d first take a multiple area soil test to see how your ph is. You can buy a cheap kit or call your State Dept of Agriculture of where and how to send samples of same to a Lab. Some Nurseries or plant stores- or even large mall stores-Lowes-Home depot-Walmart might also have them. It%26#039;s worth a dollar or two and may save your Lilacs from complete annilation. I have 7%26#039; to 8%26#039; %26amp; also smaller and potted - Old Fashion Lillac (light Purple) - I know what you mean of that sweet smell - it was my grandmothers favorite light perfume she%26#039;d have on embroided handkerchiefs. I have large (30-40%26#039;) and same Silver Maples and mine bloom profusely every year. You have to keep pruning them %26amp; also cut the flowers after bloom or they will go to seed pods. Good luck with same.
Reply:open the side of one of the maples so the sun can get in
Reply:I know just how you feel. My mom and I used to bring huge bunches into the house each spring and they smelled so good! We had them in a number of different places around the yard from full sun to complete shade and all of them bloomed.


Lilacs bloom from old growth. Several things you can try are trimming off all the young shoots that come up at the base of the plant. They are like suckers that sap the strength.


Lilacs will survive very intense pruning, just make sure you leave plenty of good old growth. My dad cut ours way back (I mean really wacked them) and the next year they had plenty of new growth and after that, they bloomed really well for a lot of years.


One thing you need to know is that they bloom better after a hard winter than a warm one. They need that dormant time to rejuvenate. I live in Kentucky and lilacs here are hit or miss because our winters tend to be milder.


Good luck!



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