HELP! Need to Save Lilacs

[ramama]

The neighbor kids stromped all over the lilacs (didn't even know they were lilacs) that my landlady had saved because they were her mothers. Is there any way to save them? They are mostly stomped to the ground

[Erinz]

I've had to clip mine completely back (because I left them in pots for too long w/o watering while building our house so they completely died back...oops) and just stuck them in the ground anyway to see what happened and both came back. They take hard freezes in most of the country and thrive on it, so I'm guessing they will come back nicely. Perhaps just section them off and make sure they get water when needed.

[ramama]

Thanks for replying so fast! So, they seem like pretty hardy plants (we're in Maine, so I guess they have to be!). Seeing my landlady in tears over the lilacs (I just thought they were over-grown weeds, so I didn't stop the kids ) was not cool at all and I feel really really bad. Even though they weren't my kids, the plants were my responsibility. The stalks don't seem to be broken, just laying flat (the stalks are about 1-2 inches thick. The ones still standing are about 3-4 inches thick). Do you think if I tie the down stalks to the ones still standing, they'll perk back up?

ETA: Just remembered that the neighbor whose kids destroyed them is a landscaper. Hopefully he can help too!

[Erinz]

It certainly wouldn't hurt? That's one thing I always notice when visiting Maine is how AMAZING all the lilacs are! I try to replicate here in California but ...eh... not quite the same We don't get all that awesome summer rain!

Make sure he/she is a landscaper who knows how to care for plants, not just stick 'em in kwim!

[lmonter]

Oh my stars, unless the neighbor kids busted out the roots? Landlady will be good. We've cut ours back over the years here and there (some years we're more on top of yard work than others), and they won't ever go away. The base is probably a good 2 feet in diameter from where all the new little shoots come out. It's only 30 years old at most, and is feet above our modest roof line. Yes, I call it our lilac monster - bush is not even close to appropriate.

I wouldn't worry so much about the 1-2" thick sticks. New shoots will come up in the spring like gangbusters and you could even potentially do cuttings/transplants if you/landlady felt like it. The 3-4" thick stalks will just shoot flowers out the top of them - possibly over roof height depending on how tall they are.

[MissMommyNiceNice]

You have to work hard to kill a lilac! It's funny, we were just talking in my MG class how people place all these emotions into plants someone planted...

Anyway, it's going to be fine, they'll grow back bigger & better.