Moved into new house with lilac tree

Hi,

I am completely new to gardening and have just inherited a garden with the following tree (see pics), which I have been told is a lilac. As you can see it is situated close to the border of my property and has had what appears to be some fairly heavy pruning. My guess is this was done due to the fact that a car park is on the other side of the fence and it was somehow interferring with one of the neighbours parked cars. Can someone please advise on what is best to do with the tree, should I keep it, and can it be restored to something more akin to a natural looking tree?

Many thanks in advance.

 

Keep it if you can; lilacs are beautiful trees. It also gives you some privacy. It is close to the fence; maybe you could cut down the trunk that is closest to the fence seen in the first picture. That's what I would try first. It would be a shame to get rid of it altogether.

 

Oh definitely keep it! It'd be a sin to cut down an established Lilac without at least attempting to whip it into shape......just think of the gorgeous flowers! Im no "tree whipping into shape expert" (thats a profession right?) but I'd clear away all that new foliage at the base and take off that stump against the fence and possibly that branch on the right thats sticking out away from the rest....then stand back and see how it looks

Also id be down that garden centre like a shot! A clematis would look fantastic growing through that lilac

 

HB is right about removing the leaves at the base. Most lilacs are grafted and these shoots will be coming from the rootstock and will not flower and could eventually take over.

 

Thank you all for your helpful advice. Ok, so the consensus is keep it.



This is how the tree looks from the right hand side. The stump that honeybunny is referring to is the part on the far right of the picture. As you can see it is substantial as it continues up and out of the image. It does seem as if I have two trees here. You can also see where it has been cut back at the point where it once crossed the fence. Can anyone tell me anymore about this type of tree and what to expect from it? Are the stumps likely to grow back, and if so, what is roughly the rate of growth?

 

It's not a good looking specimen - if you want to keep it then I would be tempted to cut it down to just above fence height (especially the larger upright stems at the rear - they can go completely!) and watch it regrow. Regularly keep in check with trimming and it should bush out into something more respectable, manageable and enjoyable.