Common lilacs (Syringa vulgaris) are a favorite landscape shrub here in Ohio and beyond, with flowers that provide beauty and an unmistakable fragrance every spring. Other cultivars of lilacs offer different habits and uses in the landscape, but provide the same display of flowers that we all love. In order to ensure you get the most flowers on your lilac year after year, it’s important to know when and how to prune them.
STOP! DON'T TOP!
The Value of Trees in the Urban Landscape
Ask an Arborist: When is the best time of year to get trees trimmed?
The dormant season is a great time of year to prune your trees, Sandra. This is basically from October through May. In the dormant season, the leaves are off so it is easier to see structural defects within the canopy of your tree. It is also a time of year when there are fewer insect and disease issues that sometimes or attracted to fresh pruning wounds. Sometimes customers have concerns about our cruise being able to identify dead limbs when there are no leaves. This is done by looking closely at the bark and if needed, the color of the cambium layer with a small scratch on the bark of each branch. Long story short: Now is a great time to trim your trees!
-Joe Russell, Russell Tree Experts