get rid of it ...

if i understand correctly.. you are going to invest.. guessing.. 500 to 1000 dollars in material.. and your blood and sweat ... and i will yell ..

AND HOPE YOU DONT HAVE TO REDO IT ALL IN THE FUTURE ???

whats that all about ...

do the job right.. once.. and live free and happy ...

spending the next decade wondering whether that lilac will ruin the project is not in my vernacular as to relaxing on my new patio ... that would drive me insane ...

if you want to save the lilac.. take 2 of the suckers.. and plant them out in the back of the yard.. and be happy you saved it ... and when you are sure one lives.. get rid of the 2nd ....

but dont mess up your patio

once the patio is complete.. we can think about what to plant.. as a replacement.. for whatever use/application ...

and if you have heavy equipment coming in to prep the patio area.. that is the time to remove the lilac ...

ken

Well, I'm not putting in a patio, just a path to lead feet and wheelbarrows from carport to backyard. The existing path was poorly laid and is getting cracked and weedy and a little treacherous, hence the renovations. The lilac must have been there forever, and it blooms right outside our bedroom windows, so I hate to mess with it...although maybe that would be the best option anyway, since I think it was poorly sited (less sun that is ideal, so it only really flowers on one side). Is it possible though to dig out such a monstrous shrub without getting retaliation in the form of a million suckers springing up from roots left in the ground? I don't really have the budget to call in the pros.

Probably they will come up through it here and there. So then what to do becomes a matter of how bothered you would be by this.

i hope you understand.. that the issue for me.. would be the 'wondering or worry' in the future ...

regardless.. when you excavate for such.. you will see if there are many roots there ... you should be able to ID them as lilac ... by digging up a known root near the trunk ....

and perhaps.. you ought to consider a gravel path .... rather than brick.. because then .. you can deal with suckers later..

good luck

ken