last year i bought a lemon lilac of ebay
wiltshire,
United Kingdom 
the main stem is very bent should i leave it, or will this weaken the plant, there are several young shoots coming from the base should i remove the main stem so it grows straight? help :0)
13 May, 2009
hi Helen,
The ones from the base might be the common lilac suckers and will be mauve. I have a primrose yellow lilac and it is grafted onto mauve rootstock. so any 'suckers' are pulled off. investigate the stem if there appears to be a scar between the stem and root it is grafted. anything above the graft you keep as it will be yellow, everything below i would remove.
as to striaghtening the stem how woody/ thick is it. if its not too thick or rigid you could try staking it into the position you want and hope it thickens up in time, to the position you want. have you any pictures of it?
13 May, 2009