Pruning at the wrong time can cut off next season's growth.

Q: We have a large tree-form lilac that needs to be trimmed back quite significantly. I can’t trim very far before I cut off a lot of leaves. What’s the best way to do this? Should I be concerned that ...

Lilacs are an icon of spring, blooming in shades from deep purple to pale lavender to white all over the Chicago area. Yet lilac bushes can be monsters. Hardy and resilient, a lilac can live for many ...

I got an email from one of my readers a couple of weeks ago who has enjoyed my column for a number of years, and she asked me whether she should prune her lilac now and how she should go about pruning ...

The sight and fragrance of lilacs, blooming in shades from deep violet-purple to pink to white, are among the splendors of spring. If you’d like to have that splendor in your yard, be careful about ...

There’s an old saying in pruning: “Prune until it hurts, and then prune some more.” The advice helps overcome our fear of cutting away too many branches. Other pruning adages are less useful. “When in ...