Yes, cut back to a lateral branch or branchlet, leaving no stub. Branch collars, where they exist, are apt to be more prominent on the trunk itself, and are not part of the branch per se. Leaving just this branch collar is advisable to help the tree close the wound made by pruning off that branch. But.....you will most likely not be seeing much for branch collars out on the branches, that feature, again, being part of the trunk.

Use sharp pruning tools, try to do neat work, avoiding tearing of bark, etc. A hand pruner, a loppers (or lopping shears), and maybe a fold-up pruning saw will be the tools you'll need. In trees taller than Jap. tree lilacs, a pole saw and a pole pruner will also be needed. I'd avoid cheap combo units at the hardware store. Neither the saw nor the pruner portion are likely to be of good quality on such items, and the extra bulk on the end of the stick makes it difficult to get the saw and/or pruner into tight spots. But I doubt you'll need one or the other of these for your lilac.

+om

laceyvale, No, it isn't a Japanese Lilac. It's Vulgaris Syringa (common lilac) Thanks to both you and Tom for your help. The blooms are just about finished now, so I thought this would be a good time for me to cut it back some. I'll have to look on Google to find out what a branch collar is. I appreciate your help and I'm getting a clearer picture of what to do. I'll read a bit more before I snip. Thank you.

Bug, there may be no branch collars to see on a lilac shrub. That's more of a tree thing. With lilacs, and really, any multi-stem shrub, one way you can handle it is to do "renewal pruning", consisting of taking out all or some of the oldest, thickest "canes" or stems, as near to ground level as possible. Then all the newer, more vigorous stems will take over and you will have a nice show next year. None of this has anything to do with branch collars, my having brought that up because I thought you had a tree-form Jap. lilac.

+oM

a pic of your plant.. will clearly delineate whats at issue ..

lilacs are commonly called flowering shrubs ... and there is a system called rejuvenation pruning ... to take care of them ...

unfortunately.. you called it a tree .. and MIGHT HAVE ... sent us on a wild goose chase ...

favor us with a pic.. and you will get precise info on what to do ... if nothing else.. but the proper search terms...

ken

Hi Ken, I've heard of both lilac trees and lilac shrubs. I believed mine to be a 'tree' because it has a 'trunk' I only wanted to remove a couple of branches so they're not too close to the house. I am really sorry if I did send you and everyone on a wild goose chase lol. It certainly wasn't my intention. Here is a pic of my lilac tree from last year. I hope this will help. Let me know if you would prefer another photo and I'll take one tomorrow. Again, thanks to everyone for all your help.

Well, in truth, kind of a small, multi-stemmed tree or "sub-shrub". doesn't particularly affect maintenance though, except for aspects already mentioned above. Just prune away what you will. You're not going to hurt this lilac.

+oM

Tom - Thank you. I'll just prune a bit off.

And the reason you're having problems is that your lilac and the hydrangea next to it are planted MUCH too close to the house. Correct distance is 3-4 feet from the house.

Laceyvail, thank you. The lilac and hydrangea look closer to the house in the pic than they actually are. I think once I prune back the lilac, it should be okay. Thanks again.