Pruning lilacs

**forestdale** · 03-11-2005, 03:38 PM

Jean, as I've no experience with growing lilacs I searched for a site with good info for pruning old lilacs.

http://www.helpfulgardener.com/lilacs/03/pruning.html

http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortn...993/lilac.html

It's wonderful to be able to enjoy plants that were planted by the original owner. In my own home, we have a mango and a bopple tree (nut similar to macadamia) that were planted on the creek bank by the original farmers here.

Good luck with the pruning.

**jlxian** · 03-13-2005, 05:23 PM

Thank you Rhonda! I'm going to check these right now.

**jlxian** · 03-13-2005, 05:32 PM

Looks like cutting the whole bush back (and now is the time!) is what I need to do. It seems so drastic, but it may be just what the poor thing needs. Thanks again Rhonda!

Yes, it has been fun finding the plantings of the original owners. The daughter of the original owner has stopped by a few times and asked us "where are the peonies?". Our first spring I searched and searched the yard for evidence of some plants and found a few scraggly, weak little peonies trying to come up. I tried to transplant them but it didnt work. I believe renters who lived here for many years probably just mowed down everything -- and eventually the peonies gave up. And who knows what else gave up too!

There was a fence row on one side of the house that must have had many spring bulbs planted the length of it. The only remains are a few daffodils on one end and some muscari and a few star of bethlehem. I'm slowly nurturing these and dividing them and moving them around the yard. I've lost a few things --- but I'm saving what I can.

We do have two old old pear trees that still bear well. They are being overtaken by undergrowth but they are high on my list to take care of. There is also one old apple tree that has not done much since we moved here 15 1/2 years ago. I'd love to resurrect it also.

**SewCrafty** · 03-13-2005, 06:24 PM

Thank you for the links on lilac bushes Rhonda!

We have so many of them and they are so old and don't produce like they should. Two sides of our property are lined with them and these are ancient! I'm off to read up on how to 'help' them along!

**forestdale** · 03-13-2005, 06:40 PM

Jean, it was lovely to hear a little bit about your garden. It sounds divine. How old is the house you live in?

We live on the banks of a creek that flows into the Pacific Ocean, about 20kms away. On the creek bank we have those old trees I mentioned above. I've tried to find out who lived here - our house is only about 15 years old - but I can't find any documentation on it. This area was originally set up as a staging post for Cobb and Co (similar to Wells Fargo) and a little later for logging. We have an old unused saw mill close by and I'm thinking that maybe our first settlers on the creek bed were millers. Maybe they owned the mill and lived here. I'd love to know for sure.

I find the history of gardens such a fascinating topic.

No problems, Dee. I hope your lilacs get a new lease on life after your pruning.

**jlxian** · 03-14-2005, 07:56 PM

Our place is supposed to be in the 100 year old range. We know from the descendents that three generations lived here until the current (fouurth) generation had to rent the place out for several years. Then it was sold to a family that did the majority of the repair and remodeling. We bought the house from them.

The original owners were farmers and had a chicken hatchery. I have to believe they did a better business with the chicken hatchery because our soil is so full of clay that farming would have been a struggle. Also, this should be known as a rock pickers paradise. There are tons of rocks that work their way up to the surface. The farmers piled them in the fence rows for the most part. The fourth generation daughter said she had picked up enough rocks to last her entire life.

Rhonda I hope you can find out more about your property. It would be interesting to research it! I bet you are right about the saw mill being owned by the previous owners.

I read a bood many years ago about a couple who purchased an old farm as a "weekend home"-- in Maine I believe. They discovered the remains of a perennial garden that piqued their interest in gardening. They eventually moved to the farm and began a truck garden farm -- growing their own plants and selling their produce to local restaurants and the like. That book was very inspiring to me -- sorry I can't remember the name right now!

**forestdale** · 03-14-2005, 09:46 PM

It's a shame those early owners didn't use some of the chicken manure to improve the garden. I hope you can get the garden to how you want it to be. Certainly with those peonies and lilacs it has the bones of a great garden.

I'll keep looking into my garden and hopefully one day I'll know what happened here early on.