Liliacs with barky stems?

Question

I just purchased a home about a month ago. There are 2 liliacs out front. One seems to have a dead stem in the middle and some healthy growing around it. The other has a very thick barky stem. I have been told you can cut it down and will grow back nicely. I want to cut it down into the ground to hide that nasty looking bark, is this possible? When is the best time to do this also?

Answer 1

Pruning of any flowering tree is right after it has bloomed. If you want it back you should not cut any more than 1/3 of the tree away.

Answer 2

The older stems do get "barky" as do the dead ones.  Yes, by all means cut out the oldest stems right down to the ground level.  I suggest either a garden pruning saw or even a Keyhold saw used by carpenters.  The wood is very tough.  

Ideally, lilacs should have one third of their growth removed at the base every year....starting with the oldest.  Also lilacs send out a lot of sucker type growth each year.  Thin some of this.  If you prune out 1/3 every year your shrub remains young and vigorous and you don't need to be whacking it down from the top (except to remove seed capsules).  

If you are just pruning at the base, you can do that anytime: winter summer, whatever.  Any tip pruning has to be completed by mid July as you'll be removing next year's flower buds after that.

As for whacking the whole shrub back, hmmm, winter or now.  If you did it after flowering the plant would be weak from flowering.  Now it's had a chance to recover plus any new growth will have time to harden for winter.