I moved into a house last February 15 mo ago. there is a lilac on the south side of the house. Gets full sun from about 11am until sunset. I only know it's a lilac because of the tag but it didn't bloom last spring or this spring. What can I do to help it to bloom? I pruned the whole garden down in late fall and I'm afraid I might have pruned it but don't remember. It is about 6 ft tall. Any advice?
18 May, 2017
Answers
If you pruned it in late fall it is likely that you cut all the flower buds off. Lilac needs to be pruned after flowering i.e. May June time.
18 May, 2017
Moon grower's right - as a general rule, shrubs that flower before June should only be pruned immediately after flowering; those that flower later can be pruned before winter, if they need it.
18 May, 2017
That's one possibility. Another is that the soil might be too acidic. Lilacs need alkaline soil. Sprinkling bone meal (garden lime) around the drip line of the lilac then tilling it in is excellent for fostering bud & flower development for next year.
You still have a couple weeks to prune it now if you want to shape it or make it smaller. Work in some garden lime around the drip line or some 5-10-10 fertilizer, then leave it alone. It should bloom beautifully for you next year.
18 May, 2017
welcome to GoY paeonyprincess.
I suspect that the pruning late in the year is the main cause. Though if the area is very dry that would inhibit flower formation and last year was quite dry. So give it a regular watering and a good bucket full at a time as they use a lot of water. A general feed through the summer say once a fortnight/month will also help.
19 May, 2017
Is it growing through week supressent? Perhaps it hasn't had enough water, it has been extremely dry.
18 May, 2017