CORVALLIS — The lush fragrance of lilacs defines late spring. These beauties are as durable as they are lovely. They are cold hardy, city-tough and not picky about soil. They make vigorous tall screens and a striking display of flowers. Even when branches are bare, younger lilacs show off an attractive branching pattern in winter.
Lilacs generally produce more blooms on healthy, newer growth, rather than on older stems, according to Ross Penhallegon, retired horticulturist with the Oregon State University Extension Service.
To keep your lilacs looking their best, they need to be pruned, fertilized and shaped almost every year, soon after they are done blooming in the late spring. Don’t wait too long, as next year’s blooms start forming in the summer. You don’t want to cut them off by mistake. Pruning in the winter will remove all the bloom for the following spring…