Lilac Bushes
While forsythia shrubs are harbingers of spring, common lilac bushes bloom in late spring, normally (this year, however, my region experienced hot weather at an unusually early period in spring, forcing my lilacs into bloom early). 
Plant lilac bushes in conjunction with the former (or other early bloomers), to extend the period that your yard experiences the color provided by spring's glorious flowering shrubs. Deadhead lilacs after they have bloomed.
But what I love most about lilacs is their aroma. If there's one scent I associate with the merry month of May even more than the smell of newly-mown grass, it's the fragrance of lilacs. Their scent, wafted on a gentle evening breeze, is the very essence of May.
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Photo ©2006 David Beaulieu (licensed to About.com)
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Comments
I have a lilac bush that I planted about two or three years ago, and it
has never bloomed. Can you tell me why???
You have to be really patient with lilacs. You can try a “trick” to try to
force flowers out them earlier (namely, applying phosphorus to the soil),
but mainly, you just have to wait. I waited 5 years for a lilac “sucker”
that I transplanted from one property to another. At the end of the 5-year
wait, I was finally rewarded with blooms. I didn’t do anything specific to
get it to bloom — just waited.
Depending on your conditions, you may have to wait longer than 5 years.
Patience is definitely a virtue with these plants, but they *are* worth
it.
David, just as you said, it took several years for our lilac bushes to flower — and they were beautiful this year.
But I’m no gardener, so could you tell me what the best way to prune is? What tool should I get? Where do you cut? What parts should you take off? How much should you remove?
Thanks!
Susan,
Great news!
There’s basically 2 kinds of “pruning” you need to consider for lilacs:
1.Just after they bloom, deadhead them. With pruners, simply cut off the stems of the spent blooms. That way, the plant’s energy doesn’t go into seed production.
2.Again, just after they’ve finished blooming, prune to shape the bush. It may not be necessary for you to do this right now. However, the problem with common lilacs is that they eventually get too tall. So when they seem to be getting out of hand, there’s a 3-step (over 3 years) rejuvenation procedure that the experts recommend:
Take a rough count of the total branches coming out of the ground. Then mark the oldest-looking ones, until you’ve reached a count of about 1/3 of the total branches. Cut those older branches down to the ground. That concludes your work in the first year (step 1).
In years 2 and 3, simply repeat the above. The end result will be more energy being channelled into the younger branches coming out of the ground.