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Shrubs
teuth

Bonsai lilac?

8 years ago

This is a question I think I already know the answer to, but I'd like opinions from people with experience...should I try to keep a "large" lilac under 10' via regular pruning?

I'm sure it's possible, but do you think it's worth it? Or would it require so much pruning that it would spoil the looks of the plant?

A nearby nursery has a very nice looking Katherine Havemeyer lilac for a good price, and while it's not nearly full grown, it's much bigger than other offerings. Very tempting to just plonk it into my garden and enjoy instant gratification, as opposed to waiting years for a much younger, smaller variety to grow to maturity.

(photo from www.rhs.org.uk)

If your answer is "no, don't do it", can you recommend a smaller variety? I've read about several online, but again, I would like to hear opinions from experience.

Featured Answer
  • 8 years ago

    what gal said ... this years buds.. were on the plant late last fall ... very very tiny ... but you could have found them if you wanted ... so you would never prune in fall .. or.. obviously.. early spring .. which only leaves ... pruning right after flowering ...


    but you are still better off.. finding a cultivar that is a better fit ..


    btw.. bonsai ... is basically a system of digging up a plant once or twice a year.. and forcing dwarfism thru severe root pruning.. and i dont really see that happening out in the garden ...


    now.. hair cuts... obviously i am bored.. and have nothing else to do right now.;. so you win .. lol .. if a plant grows 3 or 4 feet per year.. like some Ls can .. then if you hair cut it at 3ft .... then next year it might be 6 or 7 feet tall [the 3 you left.. plus 3 more] ... and if left.. 3 more on top of that .. etc ... its an exaggeration.. but you get the idea ...and sooner or later.. that branch or trunk.. collapses due to the hanging weight ... one might say.. self renovating.. lol ..


    so with those type of plants.. and under the rejuvenation theory .. you remove 1/3 of the limbs near the ground every year ... so the plant stays smaller... with one third tiny.. one third medium.. and next years sacrificial lambs way up .. blooming their brains out ...


    and as to paliban ... you're lucky i remembered it started with a P ... lol ...


    ken





    Comments (7)

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