Farmfresh City Homesteader - the sound of falling oaks.

[TanksHill]

I can just imagine Sage telling Cassie that he doesn't think she's supposed to eat that banana. She says -Yes I can, I'm the boss and here, if you keep quiet, you can lick this cheese wrapper!

 

[Farmfresh]

B.U.S.Y.

 

[TanksHill]

Wow, you sure are busy. Good dog Sage. Sounds like he is learning very well.

have a great day.

g

 

[savingdogs]

If you were pruning your lilacs perhaps you have some advice for me. I've actually grown lilacs for a long time but have not had good luck getting them to grow the way I wanted them to. I've tried NOT to prune the ones here because of my former hack jobs. lol

I have the same thing here currently that was present when we first arrived here. A large old beautiful lilac was pushed over by the snowstorm and is leaning over at a rakish angle over the lawn area.

When we moved here it was summer and the lilac had sat that way all spring, so we cut it off at the base, hoping it would regrow. Instead, it shot up little suckers and a haphazard lilac hedge would like to grow right now. I hope to move a lot of these starts this year when I have some gardening time, they are two years old now.

But with this current one, considering the giant shrub has only been pushed over and I don't believe cracked, do you think we should try to pull it upright? It will take many years before this particular shrub would be replaced in the landscape and was my most beautiful lilac, I was real irritated to see it like that, although I see it is still fixing to bloom, so it is not dead. Do you think there is a way to salvage it? I don't know what kind of lilac it is except that it is white. There is a giant sturdy western hemlock behind it I could use to try to hoist it back up and even tie it in place.

Or should I consider it too old and knock it down. The oldest it could possibly be is 15 years.

 

[Denim Deb]

You may be able to get it upright. Lilacs will live for years, don't know how many.

As for the starts, if you're wanting to move them, make sure they have roots, and aren't all attached at one spot. I'm pretty sure you can root them, but don't remember for sure off the top of my head.

When you prune, remember, wherever you cut, you can get a new branch growing right there. If you want it to grow in a certain way, prune at a bud in that spot. It will put out a new branch there.

 

[savingdogs]

Well whenever I would try to shape them up, it seems like I'd get a whole bunch of ugly starts in that place the following year. I tried eliminating whole branches once they got bigger, but they did not like hard pruning, especially the winter after.

This particular one is nicely shaped so I'm not as concerned about pruning it currently, although I'll use that advice when I prune the others in the yard.

Those starts from the two year old stump are all attached to the stump. The roots all formed new little trees. I was thinking of taking a sharp shovel and trying to cut them off from that trunk and digging it up (unsightly). They are sprouting much too close to the border of my planting bed. I have MANY areas of my yard that could use a lilac so I'm excited about all of these. Perhaps I should root them in some rooting compound first before I plant them? Sorry to take so much space in your journal with my lilacs, Farm fresh! You seemed like a lilac kinda gal to me I guess.

I love them, one of my favorite flowers.

 

[abifae]

Now he is outside blowing off steam with Cassie.

He deserves it! wowsers.

 

[Farmfresh]

Generally speaking

 

[savingdogs]

That sounds beautiful! I love tulips too but I hear they attract the deer? Or at least the previous owner had a problem with them.

 

[pinkfox]

oooo let me know if you end up with any suckers that need a new home this year, looking for a couple nice strong lilacs for along the fenceline.