Preparing a lilac to move, or move now?

We have decided to move a Miss Kim lilac that was planted right up against the spigot in back. There's a spot for it already, but since we just made up our minds, nothing has been done to prepare it. My question is--what can i do to make things easier for it, and us, when it comes time to move in early Spring? It needs to at least be pruned down some (I realize it won't bloom then but that's ok). Can we move it as soon as we can dig? Or can we even move it now? The ground will probably start to freeze in about 10 days, from the forecast.

Can i take from the lack of response that there's nothing I need to do now? As for the other question of whether to move now, it now looks like it will be a couple of weeks at least before the ground freezes.

It feels like it's getting a bit late to be transplanting things in your zone, I'd probably wait until spring.

Usually it helps to root prune it all the way around the shrub in the fall.
Roughly the same diameter as the rootball you'll be digging up in spring.
That gives the plant time to adjust to the reduced root mass before the additional trauma of the move in the spring.
But whether it's too late in the season for that to do any good, I'm not sure.

It is late, but with the mild winter predicted, I'd root-prune it now and move it in early spring, cutting the top growth back to about a foot. The roots will grow this fall until the ground freezes which might not be until into January if you're lucky. You could also heavily mulch the area around the lilac to keep it from freezing sooner. They are easy to move.

Can I get away with not cutting the top down so much? This is going in a row that faces a neighbor who doesn't know a thing about gardening but knows what he thinks looks good, if that makes any sense.

You could try it... root-pruning it now and moving it in the spring. If the growth is weak after blooming, you could cut it back more heavily at that time. It'd be worth the wait to see. How large is it now?

About 4 feet tall and a good 3 feet wide. I can still prune it some; he'll just think there's something wrong with it and complain if I cut it down to a foot. He wants a "screen" between his patio and the crazy plant lady. The one that was there heaved out of the ground last winter. I should have just shoved it back in, it probably would've been fine.

I'd cut it back to 3' or so and wait to see what happens when it leafs out next spring. Or, you could wait until it finishes blooming, then cut it back to 3'. Unless you get lots of root, it would definitely benefit from pruning back. When you do move it, many people swear by using either Vitamin B12 or/and Superthrive to stimulate new root growth.

We have a white lilac that is planted at the corner of our sunroom and we want to get rid of it. How deep are lilac roots? To begin with, it is white, doesn't bloom very much and all of my lilacs don't look like a tree, they were more in shrub/bush forms. It was planted by previous owners. Also there is another one planted in a flower bed, along side of a dogwood tree. Neither blooms that much. Don't know how long they've been there as the previous owners are both deceased..don't know why they planted them in a flower bed to begin with! So close to the house. Don't people think about future years of growth when they plant trees, shrubs,etc.?

If your white lilacs are French lilacs (and most likely they are), depending on the size, the roots can go deep. They usually aren't hard to dig out though, especially if you're not saving them. Just dig and hack ...a pickax makes short work of it. (If there is anyone you know who would like them, tell them they can have them if they want to dig them out.)

Note: Lack of good bloom is usually one of two conditions: 1.) They are in too much shade. 2.)They have been trimmed too late in the growing season which results in cutting off next year's flower buds that formed in early summer.

Stupid question but I'm going to ask it anyway. I think I might know the answer but I want to make sure. I've never heard of the terminology "root-prune" before. Explain please. How can one prune the roots of anything if they don't dig down? Will that stop the tree's growth? It's planted too close to the house to begin with. I have a feeling there was a smaller sunroom onto this house and they took out the 3 sides of sliding doors and enlarged it, put half walls and new window in but put in a cheap a** storm door (Jalowsie type panes..screaming 1970's)somebody painted the exterior of the inside sunroom door and the paint dripped onto the panes facing the outside..so in the spring, it's a new storm door for that room.

Naw! No such thing as a stupid question! How else can a person learn from others, especially on Dave's Garden?

Root pruning is a way to help prepare an established plant for transplanting, which can be a real shock for some, especially larger plants. Ever wonder how garden centers and nurseries sell those larger shrubs and trees in relatively small containers or balled and burlapped with a small root ball? Well, if properly grown, they have been regularly root-pruned. While the trees or shrubs are growing to marketable size in the field from cuttings, each year they have their root systems cut (pruned) to make them develop dense, compact root systems. This is done without digging the plant out of the ground. Nurseries have special machines for this, but the average gardener can easily do it by hand in most situations. Without root-pruning, most trees and shrubs would develop very wide-reaching root systems (at least out equal to the drip line, the outermost ends of the branches, for trees). That's why it's usually hopeless to try to move a large wild-grown tree or shrub from the woods. While being dug out to be transplanted, most of the plant's roots are cut off and what's left can't nourish the top growth. So, the plant either dies back, or dies completely. (But, if you root-prune it a year in advance, you can be successful. I've moved wild, 6' dogwoods, maples, and sassafras this way.)
Root pruning is done WITHOUT digging the plant out of the ground. You simply approach the process as if you were going to dig it out of the ground completely, but STOP SHORT of those last few spade-cuts when the plant would be completely dug up and ready to pop out. In other words, dig all around the shrub or tree (mostly vertically cuts, but slightly slanting under the plant), severing the feeder roots, the ones that grow horizontally away from the trunk of the tree or base of the shrub. Do not make the last few shovel cuts that would cut any taproot or deep-growing roots. What you have now done is stimulate the growth of more feeder roots while not depriving the plant completely of nourishment. If done in the fall, although the plant's top is dormant, the roots will grow until the ground freezes (some say when the soil temperature is below 40º F), which can be weeks or even months into the winter, depending on your zone. Root pruning can be done at any time of the year, but early-to-late spring is best for FALL transplanting, and early-to-late fall is best for SPRING transplanting. When combined with top-pruning (or thinning) of at least one-third, the plant will not experience much transplant shock, and will have much better top-growth when it leafs out.
It has been my experience that home-transplanting is more successful when plants are root-pruned two seasons before being moved (root-pruned spring, moved the next fall: root-pruned fall, moved the next spring). If you root-prune late in the fall, move the plant as late in the spring as possible, but before it has leafed out fully. If you root-prune anytime in the spring (early spring to early summer), move when the plant is leafless, late the following fall.
I just this month moved two 7' dogwoods for a friend. They had been planted three years ago, but it was too shady for them to flower. I root-pruned them last March. When I dug them up, there was a nice, dense root system. (I did have to sever the few deep roots that were purposely not cut last spring.) I'm confident that they will survive and thrive in their new location.
I hope this is clear for you. It's certainly not rocket science! This way will help the plant if most of the soil falls off when transplanting, although the more dense root system will naturally hold on to more soil than will a less dense system.
Let me know if you have any other questions. Perhaps others will add to this information if I've missed anything, or they can relay their experiences transplanting shrubs and/or trees. Good luck!

The man came to mulch all my flowerbeds, prunned all the roses, and saw that the lilac had lilac borer and he cut it down and dug up the roots, so in the Spring, I will order a Double knock out rose to plant for that bed. Mr. B also transplanted an azalea that was being smothered out by hydranges. He also cut back the clematis and there had been some type of tree root mixed in with my Contesse de Bouchard that he was able to dig out. Yeh! I must admit I was skeptical about him cutting the clematis this time of the year and moving the azalea but he's been doing this work here for 30 plus years and he knows what he's doing. He thought my idea was great, highly recommends them. The rest of the flower beds along the side have landscape timbers enclosing them which stopped right at the corner where the lilac bush/tree was. Really don't see the need for us to continue those but may do so just to give a boundry for landscaping crew that mows/weedwacks.

Sounds like you have a keeper for a landscaper maintenance man, Pippi21. It's good to have someone you can trust and can do the right things for your gardens.

P.S. You might compare the blooming habits of regular 'Knock Out' roses and "Double Knock Out' ones. Many people prefer the regular because 1.) They bloom heavier, and 2.) They self-clean better (drop their faded blossoms) that eliminates the need for dead-heading for most people.

But, both are very disease resistant and vigorous growers.