RE: smoke tree/coppicing

Maria- the lilacs I referred to grew to about 10 ft everyyear and were cut
back to 4 or 5 feet.  This happened every year, so it had developed thick
"trunks" and we jsut cut back all the branches to be about 6 inches from the
trunk.  Hope this helps.

Theresa

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-gardenchat@hort.net [o*@hort.net]On
Behalf Of Maria Olshin
Sent: Sunday, March 23, 2003 7:29 AM
To: gardenchat@hort.net
Subject: Re: [CHAT] smoke tree/coppicing


My friend's lilac has been in the ground for 27 years and not pruned in all
that time. It's on the property line and several trees have grown up around
it. Now it's a spindly 15 feet tall and blooms only at the very top. How
severely can it be cut back? If cut down to less than a foot, is it likely
to croak?

Maria


>
> Hmmm- this is very interesting.  I am under the impression (perhaps wrong)
> that coppicing means cutting nearly to the ground.  Is this correct?
>
> The lilacs we had in New York were severly pruned every year (just after
> blooming I think)- essentially they were cut back by half (at least) and
> they regrew and bloomed again the following spring- never missed a year.
> They were on an east facing wall and would get just loaded with flowers.
>
> Theresa
>
>
>
> Ceres,
> You're right, I should have explained further.  Coppicing lilacs is done
> only when a specimen requires extreme rejuvenation - plants that have been
> neglected for decades.  You do lose the next years bloom, but it is a
> worthwhile method in some cases.  The reason it is suggested in such cases
> is that it won't kill the lilac and the eventual results are very good
> compared to the neglected plant.
>
> Kitty
>
>
>
>> In a message dated 3/21/03 8:54:09 PM, kmrsy@earthlink.net writes:
>>
>>> BTW, Syringa - LILACS! - are also suggested as good subjects for
> coppicing.
>> Kitty, if you severely prune an entire lilac in the spring or immediately
>> after blooming I think you would not have bloom the next year.  I think
> it is
>> best to selectively prune cutting out the oldest wood to the ground.
> This
>> will keep the lilac in bloom and promote new growth to maintain a
> desirable
>> full plant.
>> Some of the books list other trees/shrubs that this is applicable but
>> which die to the ground each winter for northern gardeners.  Examples
> would
>> be Lespedeza, Sambucus & buddelei.  Nature does the
>> stooling/stumpping/coppicing for us.
>> Ceres

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