I wait until the lilac ( mine is a house sized tree) is budded out to trim dead wood, and after the flowers are spent, trim the errant branches out, otherwise you will not have any flowers this year.
Trimming lilacs is best accomplished using clippers. Remove spent blooms all the way to the stems to prevent seeding and encourage more blooms later on. Cut back about a third of the branches. Cut away shoots growing near the ground that may be sprouting from the main trunk
Regular pruning of old stems should keep your lilacs from becoming too tall and cumbersome. What you do not want to do is cut off just the tops of branches. Cutting back just the tops of long stems leaves the plant with an odd, unnatural shape. You are better off completely removing any stem that has become overgrown. PLEASE PAY ESPECIAL ATTENTION TO STEMS THICKER THAN 2". i USE A BATTERY POWERED SABRE SAW, OR MY ELECTRIC CHAIN SAW, and actually cut it into fire wood after a year drying. I rarely ever cut any limbs other than those larger ones at the ground. Removing the dying/dead blooms is esential for the next year, and just as soon as they are drying/dead, as that/s when the plant sets the next years blooms.
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I wait until the lilac ( mine is a house sized tree) is budded out to trim dead wood, and after the flowers are spent, trim the errant branches out, otherwise you will not have any flowers this year.
Prune after it is done blooming. You don't want it to spend energy on making seeds
We do the same as Nancy (above).
Trimming lilacs is best accomplished using clippers. Remove spent blooms all the way to the stems to prevent seeding and encourage more blooms later on. Cut back about a third of the branches. Cut away shoots growing near the ground that may be sprouting from the main trunk
https://www.thespruce.com/pruning-lilacs-how-and-when-to-prune-lilacs-1403004
Begin by pruning:
Regular pruning of old stems should keep your lilacs from becoming too tall and cumbersome. What you do not want to do is cut off just the tops of branches. Cutting back just the tops of long stems leaves the plant with an odd, unnatural shape. You are better off completely removing any stem that has become overgrown. PLEASE PAY ESPECIAL ATTENTION TO STEMS THICKER THAN 2". i USE A BATTERY POWERED SABRE SAW, OR MY ELECTRIC CHAIN SAW, and actually cut it into fire wood after a year drying. I rarely ever cut any limbs other than those larger ones at the ground. Removing the dying/dead blooms is esential for the next year, and just as soon as they are drying/dead, as that/s when the plant sets the next years blooms.
cut off the dead blooms and chop away
Hi there, here's a great article and video that will show you how
https://www.thespruce.com/pruning-lilacs-how-and-when-to-prune-lilacs-1403004