I noticed a few, more mature specimens, around town yesterday. They all had a single trunk for at least 3 or 4 feet above the ground and looked very nice. So, for now I'll let the leaves feed the new root system and this fall cut the second leader off. Does this sound reasonable? It is on the fence side of the plant so it won't compete well. Any tips from experience with these?

pruning for shape or form.. is a personal decision ... what ever rocks your boat is fine with me ..

you dont mention when planted.. but i like your leaves feed roots thinking ...

most of the time.. flowering shrubs are pruned after bloom.. if for no other reason.. just to get the bloom ...but whether you prune in fall or late spring.. is full circle back to your whims ...

the guy holding the saw ... wins .. lol ..

ken

your tree, your choice.

with the exception of birch and the occasional prunus maackii, I really didn't see very many clump trees in upstate MN, and the occasional overgrown shrub that had been trimmed up ( amur maple, for instance).

Were it me, I'd trim it earlier rather than later if that were my plan.

regardless, it'll turn put to be a fine looking specimen, in time. next time you head to Fergus, stop by swedbergs in battle lake and see if the still have any copper curls lilac.

Thanks guys!

I was just reading that these can be pruned any time of the season when flowers aren't the issue, so I think I'll get right to it.

ken, we bought the tree May 26th while on the road from a nice backyard nursery in Menahga MN. Planted it next day.

We installed that new section of fence to close the gap between the house and the lilacs. The wife wanted something that bloomed later than the crabs and lilacs. It was marked zone 3 so I hope that was correct.

Wayne, we're always on the lookout but are running out of room. I saw some Rhododendrons that were marked -35d at Home depot today but everything on line says zone 4 minimum so we passed, also I didn't want to mess with soil amendments etc.

I think I'll make the cut now and be done with it. :-)

Looking again it appears that all the new growth was appearing at the top of the main leader and the secondary leader was in the shade of the primary. So it was an easy call really. I cut the leader as short as I could to avoid cutting into the main trunks bark. Should I try to cut it shorter?

'Also, mulching close to the trunk'

The other reason I keep the area around the trunk clean, is so I can see if ants are digging around the root flare. Something I see them do a lot of around here. I don't know if the ants will hurt anything but I don't think they do any good either.

One year later: The main leader put on 35" so far this year and the leaves are huge! The double leader I pruned last year tried to sneak back by re sprouting and growing up along side the main leader, hiding inside the lush growth. Just found it when pruning a few extra branches. About about same height now as the fence behind it (6 ft.).

"Also, mulching close to the trunk won't kill it, since it is a shrub and not a tree."

Just in case someone is confused by this bizarre remark, the only difference between a tree and shrub is size ;-) Both have a woody base/trunk(s) that can certainly be affected if mulch is applied too closely!! So mulch piled up against the base of a shrub-form Syringa reticulata is just as likely to cause damage as would mulch piled up against a tree-form Syringa reticulata!!