This has been a very hard winter on lots of things, besides me. I took a little walk around seeing what the wind, the snow, and the huge ice problems did to the yard. Although, this isn’t so major it will not kill the Lilac I found it rather sad.
Terry’s Grandmother planted this huge old lilac tree around 1920, making it 90 years old.
As soon as the weather starts to warm up we will get out there and prune the branches. It would be neat if it could live another 90 years.
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 
Well – you live and learn! I thought that lilacs were garden flowers but since reading and seeing this. I went straight to “google” to look up lilacs! The things you learn – many thanks,Linda.
Here:
http://www.gardenersnet.com/lilac.htm
And the USA has the “lilac” city of the World. I wonder why I always thought lilacs were found predominently in Holland????
Cheers
HB
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What a shame that your wonderful old lilac took such a hit. I hope it does rebound and give you many more years of beauty and fragrance!
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I bet this old lilac is simply stunning when in full bloom and the fragrance amazing. What color is this lovely old gal?
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Hope you can save the lilac. It must be so beautiful in bloom. The one I had was pretty tough. It was part of an uprooted lilac that someone gave me and it grew into a lovely tree. Hated to say goodbye to it when we moved.
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Lilacs are a pretty hardy plant. Given the right conditions they can be downright weedy. I like the way you have kept the main branches and trained it into a tree. What a shame that it took such a hit during this winter. But, like you said, give it some time and care and it will come back.
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Aw, I am sorry this has been a hard winter! I think it has been so tough on so many. Its been a really hard year for most of the people i know and I am hoping that 2010 will be better for everyone!
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It is a shame, but I sure hope you are right and it can last another 90 years!
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OMG! A 90 year old lilac? It must be beautiful when in bloom.
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Hi Linda, Save a few twigs so that after they are budded out you can cut off a few short whips and plant them..that way you will always have a Lilac:)
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How fun to have something planted by family so many years ago. The lilacs up here are really big bushes, they never get huge trunks or branches, not even the really old ones. Maybe a good pruning will revitalize it.
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Linda: 5.47pm Brisbane time 27/01/10. Humidity 64% – I think it is about 100%!
Please some snow here – summer has at last landed on this part of Australia.( Brisbane). Still I suppose we should thank our small mercies that we got through 1/2 of summer without the excessive heat. Looks like the second 1/2 is going to well and truely make up for it! I’ll even go and roll in the slushy icy “mud” on your farm for relief! Forget about the snow – anything to get cooler.
The humidity is terrible, cold showers are a waste of time, the moment you get out, more sweat seems to pour out of the body!
So get the your cattle, dogs, chooks,cats, family members and all of the residents in your area together and with ONE ALMIGHTY BLAST OF WIND FROM LUNGS, blow south! Kindly before check wind directions.
Cheers
Sweating me
HB.
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Mother nature can be so damaging – I hope your lilac thrives after its pruning session. They are just beautiful and one of my favorite spring flowers 🙂
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Natures way of pruning is the way I think of it 😉 Not pretty but it forces me to cut the damage off often resulting in a much better tree.
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Hopefully, it will come back even stronger. I used to have a lilac bush right beside my window when I was a child. My room was always full of it’s sweet frangrance when I had the windows up. blessings,Kathleen
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Hey Linda, if that lilac is prone to suckering let some of them keep getting bigger and keep pruning back the older stuff. As I’m sure you know Lilacs root very readily, take some babies and plant them near your orignal bush. You should be able to have some of the original bush with you for another 90 or more years.
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Mmmm…lilacs! And guess what? We saw a sundog yesterday! I would have had no clue what it was called had I not seen you post about one a while back! It was very cool.
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I hope you can save it
this crazy winter takes a tole on plants trees and
US (o:
I took kids for a walk around the block today
We just had to get out…it was cold though and I had to keep saying
“Don’t step on that ice”
The gutters still have a lot of ice in places
then it melts, seeping up the sidewalk and FREEZES
my hubby fell on it last week
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It just may hang around for another 90, that would really be something..:-)
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praying for you….. love the pic… and that is awesome about the tree!
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It will be okay. We’ve lost some of our trees in the storms and they’ve been old ones too. I understand how you feel because it’s so special to you.
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We have two very old lilacs, although they don’t have near the trunk of yours. When you go to prune, could you take some pictures? We’re afraid to touch ours.
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Can I use your cattle gap image in a book I’m writing? If so, who do I credit? Your company? The photographer?
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