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Lilac suckers

madpenguinmadpenguin Posts: 2,543
in Plants
My Lilac is suckering all over the place.It is in a border.Is it best to cut off as soon as you see them or wait until they are,say,a foot high.Some I can't see until they are tallish as they are coming through plants.Do they only sucker now (spring) so cutting them now would be job done or will they continue?
“Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings

Posts

  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    Have have have you recently pruned the shrub? I took about a third off the height of an overground lilac and thinned it out as well and, two months later, the thing retaliated with a vengeance. Suckers were thrown up in their hundreds all around the parent stem and I fear that in your case if you were to remove the suckers it would just proliferate yet more.

    We dug ours out.
    Rutland, England
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    I think lilac does it more if you prune them. Rip the suckers off rather than cutting them. Try burying it deeper.
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • madpenguinmadpenguin Posts: 2,543
    Not pruned this year and digging out not really an option!
    Will just have to keep cutting the suckers off I suppose.
    “Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    Mine sucker like crazy, I've never pruned the main plant but I think removing suckers seems to stimulate it just the same.  I find they are best when planted in the wilder areas of the garden.. where they can sucker and do their thing.  Keep them rejuvenated by cutting out a third of the large branches from mature plants right down to the base.. allowing suckers to develop into new branches.   

    As to yours in the boarder, just keep cutting the suckers out until you're ready to rejuvenate.. and then plan select suckers to grow as replacements.  
    Utah, USA.
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