Can I revive an old lilac tree ?

ERICS_MUM

It's at least 25 years old and bears beautiful white scented flowers. But its about 10 feet tall with all the action - leaves and flowers- taking place well above my head ! Theres a thick trunk for about 2 feet then splits into a few thinner branches which then have long thin bendy "branches".

I don't want to get rid of it but it's so tall and straggly that it needs more than just a "prune".

Has anyone ever cut such a tree right back to a foot or so from the ground and seen it produce new stems from ground level which have matured and flowered ?

Thanks for any help.

EM x

lostinrates

I didn't cut mine hard back as I wanted height, but I took about a third of height off, and some areas more, off ours.

Ours are old, and still over ten feet some of them but took it well. You might miss a years flowering and you want to do it NOW, as soon as finished flowering to stand any chance of blooms next year.

Lilacs seem quite tough to me.

It might however me prudent to do it over a period of years, taking a third of your growth down to the height you like, then another third next year, and then the year after.


Edit: Just read this, reckon in that case you are save to cut back hard!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/plants/10102618/Its-time-to-bring-lilac-back.html

Mojisola

The RHS says it's okay for lilac -
https://www.rhs.org.uk/about-the-rhs/pdfs/publications/the-garden/2012/March-2012/pruning-shrubs

Lilacs are usually very tough and are quite hard to kill.

arbroath_lass

We cut ours down to about ten feet three years ago. I was beginning to think we'd done the wrong thing as we had only a few flowers last year (we didn't expect any the year after we cut them). This year, however, they are covered in flowers - I think you will be fine.

Eenymeeny

Lilacs root easily if you want to take a few cuttings just in case.
I've made a lilac hedge by sticking the prunings into soil alongside the fence. It might take a few years to become tall but I've also grown a few in containers which give 'movable sceening' pretty quickly