New gardener just moved into a new home with a very established garden filled with many things I can't even recognize let alone care for. There is a tree which I believe to be a form of lilac which appears to have many suckers sprouting out of the ground. Do I dig down and cut these suckers right out until only the origianl trunk(s) are left? Also, is that why the blooms seem to be so far up the tree/minimal in number? Thanks for any help....
Like many other shrubs lilacs renew themselves from the base. Cutting away "suckers" will interfere with this process. Only exception would be if it is grafted, in which case you have to identify understock sprouts by their differently colored flowers and saw these out when discovered. Otherwise, to get larger flower heads on shorter stems periodically (every few to several years, as needed) cut the oldest, twiggiest canes only down to within 18 inches of the ground right after bloom. This way you keep the canes cycling through more rapidly, not allowing them to become tall and twiggy.
Ron B., you need to take another look at the picture. There is no way that you should cut that tree down to 18 inches. it would leave unsightly stumps and> those size trunks are never going to sprout again. With that plant, they usually do cut the suckers. And it is advised to dig down into the soil a bit and pull up the suckers rather than cut them at ground level, because they can regrow from the roots. To increase flower production, you could (if they aren't out of reach)- cut off the flower bracts as soon as they have fully displayed themselves. And you can feed the tree. Lilacs are heavy feeders and would enjoy having a rich dressing of manure or compost stuff. Spread it on 6in/15cm thick all around the tree. Cover the ground in a big circle all the way out to the edge of the drip line. You can dig it in, but what you really want are worms for that action. to compliment the lotsofood, they'd usePlentyOh2O..
