[chrissie B]

dose any one know how to take cuttings from a lilac bush , Ive got a nice one in the yard but its on the fence and next door seems to get the best of it , and its not the done thing to drag it back if you know what i mean .
any ideas
chrissie b

[gobs]

You can propagate lilac any whichever way you like. Can take heeled soft wood cuttings in spring, keep them moist, best to do in the morning and soak the bush the night before. Just pull of a few of last years' shoots, c 3-6 inches long you try to find, have your pot or better a plastic bag of moist send or sterile compost ready, stick them in and keep moist, in a warm but not too sunny place. You can see the roots this way, once about an inch, can plant them on.

You can also layer them, which is less of a hassle, bend a new shoot down, peel off bark at bottom and bury.

Cuttings can take very looooong even a year or more, that's why most people go wrong with them IMO, they think it's dead.

The easiest fastest thing though is to look for suckers, dig them up there will be already roots, so just plant and water.

[chrissie B]

thanks gobs will try one of those , its such a lovley bush i want to spread it around abit
chrissie b