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I used to have lovely lilacs. Full flowering bushes. Then--many years ago I pruned the bushes in the Fall. Barely had any flowers the following year--barely, a handful. Last year I had a handful. This year--none. The bushes look healthy--just no flowers.
I am about to dig them up, get new ones and start over. I miss them, I miss their fragrance smell in the Spring.
Are you continuing to prune them each fall or are you saying you pruned them that one time and they haven’t flowered in the years since?
My understanding about lilacs is that you should prune them after they flower in the Spring. They’ll set buds during summer/fall for next year’s flowers. If you prune in fall, you’re removing next years flower buds.
Are you fertilizing the lawn in Lucas vicinity? Nitrogen will keep lilacs from blooming.
It could be the new growth isn't old enough to bloom. Old bushes benefit from dramatic pruning, but it takes several years for the new growth to flower.
As people have said, you may be cutting off the new growth. Another thing, add some lime in the fall to sweeten the soil. Lilacs don't like acidic soil. You can add the lime any time but it does take a long time to work--you could even add it now but it won't take effect until you see lilacs next spring.
Have the same problem here. We've had it for a couple of decades but it has never filled out again after it was pruned five or six years ago. All I get are sparse blossoms at the top.
Oyster shell is what we use instead of lime since it lasts longer in the soil. We have high rainfall, though, which washes out the lime, if your rainfall is less, maybe the lime won't wash out as fast.
We can't get lilacs to bloom here in Hawaii except for one or two 'low chill' cultivars and they're not enthusiastic bloomers. We don't have peonies, either. Or tulips. Sigh!
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