Syringa josikaea (Hungarian lilac)

 

Our lilac has been struggling for the last couple of years, although it is well over twenty years old. This spring there were so many dead branches that urgent surgery was required. Below was how it looked exactly two years ago. 

So a combination of my long pruning shears and a saw for the larger branches resulted in this pile of dead wood. 

There are still dead branches, but I have left these to support the new growth. I never knew what type of lilac it is; it has much smaller flowers than a normal lilac. PlantNet has come into its own to tell me it is a Syringa josikaea or Hungarian lilac. That I didn't know.