Can lilac be white? I'm pretty sure the blooms were white.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Syringa+vulgaris+flower+colors&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjA4NWKrcjVAhVh0YMKHaiZDXQQ_AUICigB&biw=1920&bih=940

It's also taller than my 1 1/2 story house but definitely more bushy than tree like.

Yes...you've described common lilac.

Thanks!

You might lose next year's blooms if you prune now. General guideline is to prune right after bloom on spring bloomers since they form next spring's flower buds over the course of this summer.

google; REJUVENATION PRUNING OF FLOWERING SHRUBS ...

maybe even look for a video .. its a 2 or 3 year process.. to beat that sucker back into submission ...

the key to the process ... is you will have bloom during such ...

basically .. you would remove the largest 1/3 of the trunks .. as close to the ground as possible ... and in that fell swoop .. probably reduce the height significantly ...

ken

Yeah, I've been reading about the 1/3 over 3 years process. I think I'm willing to sacrifice blooms for a few years. I don't think I need to do a complete hard prune down to the 8 inches or whatever the internet said it should be, but I want to get a lot of it done this year and then do some more over the next year or 2.

I've already done a hard prune on a few of the bushes around the house so its going to be a few years before everything looks nice anyway.

btw.. the only way to create problems with a L ... is to give it a haircut at height ...

and the reason is.. with no insult to the root mass ... when you cut to 3 inches or so.. it will grow 3 feet next year from the cut ..

but if you make that cut at say.. 3 feet .. and it grow s the new shoots at said 3 feet.. and get to 6 feet next year ... the second year.. to 9 feet ... and the thing collapses ... perhaps a bit of an exaggeration ... but i hope you get the point ...

no haircuts.. per your title ..

ken