How to save or graft or propagate a very old white lilac tree - Ask Extension
I have a very, very old white lilac tree that seems to be dying slowly. There is a weed that is entangled and I can’t seem to get rid of it. I w...
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How to save or graft or propagate a very old white lilac tree #891704
Asked January 18, 2025, 2:37 PM EST
I have a very, very old white lilac tree that seems to be dying slowly. There is a weed that is entangled and I can’t seem to get rid of it. I was wondering if there was a way to transfer a piece of the tree or branch and start a new tree? Clearly I am not a gardener but the blooms are beautiful in white and the smell is spectacular.
I hate to see it die. I have never seen another white lilac either.
Any help or resource would be amazing.
Thank you,
Kate
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
*Edited to add link at bottom
Does your lilac have multiple trunks that had leaves last year?
When lilacs get old and woody they tend to be more slow growing and flower less. (Lack of flowers can also be from lack of sun as other landscape plants/trees grow to shade them).
The good news is that old, declining lilacs can often be rejuvenated by pruning.
There are a couple of ways to accomplish this.
Severe pruning will look stark when first done, but often produce vigorous new growth that will (if roots are healthy) fill in over a period of time- a couple of seasons or so.
A more moderate approach would be to prune out one third of the oldest, thickest limbs to the ground this spring, and do it again each spring for 2 years after that. This will look less stark but by the fourth year you will have essentially a brand new shrub.
This page contains information on renewal pruning, which can be done in late winter/early spring:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/pruning-shrubs-and-hedges-home-garden/
It's worth noting that lilacs tend to grow best in more northern areas towards New England. With climate change making weather more unpredictable, it seems to be becoming more difficult to grow them well here.
This page from Cornell Extension covers other ways to propagate lilac:
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://chemung.cce.cornell.edu/resources/lilac
Christine
Does your lilac have multiple trunks that had leaves last year?
When lilacs get old and woody they tend to be more slow growing and flower less. (Lack of flowers can also be from lack of sun as other landscape plants/trees grow to shade them).
The good news is that old, declining lilacs can often be rejuvenated by pruning.
There are a couple of ways to accomplish this.
Severe pruning will look stark when first done, but often produce vigorous new growth that will (if roots are healthy) fill in over a period of time- a couple of seasons or so.
A more moderate approach would be to prune out one third of the oldest, thickest limbs to the ground this spring, and do it again each spring for 2 years after that. This will look less stark but by the fourth year you will have essentially a brand new shrub.
This page contains information on renewal pruning, which can be done in late winter/early spring:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/pruning-shrubs-and-hedges-home-garden/
It's worth noting that lilacs tend to grow best in more northern areas towards New England. With climate change making weather more unpredictable, it seems to be becoming more difficult to grow them well here.
This page from Cornell Extension covers other ways to propagate lilac:
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://chemung.cce.cornell.edu/resources/lilac
Christine
