Sue, I grow Ernest Markham (a magenta pink), Abundance (White) and Etoile Violet (Dark Purple) in my New Dawn roses. EV and Abundance are newer but Ernest Markham has been in there since the roses were planted 5 years ago. To prune your lilac, I would start by pruning out some of the oldest canes to encourage new growth. I would do this in late winter/early spring. You could cut some back this Spring but unless you wait until after it blooms you will lose the blooms. If you don't care, then you can go ahead and take some out. Here is some information I found on-line from the Iowa Department of Horticulture that really sums up what I've been told about how to rejuvenate overgrown shrubs. Fine Gardening also had an article on this within the last couple of months. I know it seems drastic but the old lilacs are really tough and if you let it go you will have leaves at the top and just bare legs at the bottom. Old, neglected lilacs can be renewed or rejuvenated by pruning. Home gardeners can choose between two different pruning methods. One way to renew a large, overgrown lilac is to cut the entire plant back to within 6 to 8 inches of the ground in late winter (March or early April). This severe pruning will induce a large number of shoots to develop during the growing season. In late winter of the following year, select and retain several strong, healthy shoots to form the shrub framework and remove all the others at ground level. Head (cut) back the retained shoots to just above a bud to encourage branching. A second way to prune old lilacs is to cut back the overgrown shrubs over a three-year period. Begin the procedure by removing one-third of the large, old stems at ground level in late winter. The following year (again in late winter), prune out one-half of the remaining old stems. Also, thin out some of the new growth. Retain several well-spaced, vigorous stems and remove all the others. Finally, remove all of the remaining old wood in late winter of the third year. Additional thinning of the new shoots should also be done. Since lilac wood needs to be 3 or more years of age before it blooms, this pruning method should allow you to enjoy flowers every spring. When properly pruned, an old, overgrown lilac can be transformed into a vigorous attractive shrub within a few years. Once rejuvenated, pruning should be a regular part of the maintenance program for lilacs. The shrub can be kept healthy and vigorous by removing a few of the oldest branches every 3 to 5 years.- Good luck Sue! Kim

I bought a little bare root Polish Spirit at WalMart last year, planted it directly in my garden, and it produced a few dozen blooms the first year. This year it's covering a 5 x 7 trellis and covered in blooms. It's my first clematis, but it's done so well I added 4 more this spring. This spring I followed advice here on pruning group 3 clematis and I cut it back to about a foot high when the new buds started showing. It immediately sent up several really sturdy new shoots, and was 7 feet high within a few weeks.

Have you done a soil test? Nutrients will wash through the soil eventually, especially if you have had a lot of rain. Mulches and compost add trace nutrients to the soil, but unless you are composting with different composts on a regular basis, you will need to supplement. I would add fertilizer, but it seems everyone uses different types. If you have rose or tomato fertilizer, use that. Otherwise, look for a fertilizer with a higher middle number.

Alina, I have seen the same thing in some of my clematis--ie the lower leaves turn paler and yellow and finally brown out. This has never been due to lack of water and I attribute it to the fact that some clematis just develop this way. Those bare legs are just a hazard with some clematis cultivars. In some plants, the older leaves are covered up by new leaves and the older ones just turn light and fall off. If the clematis in question is growing very vigorously then perhaps it could be a nutritional deficiency where the plant doesn't have access to or the ability to take up nutrients fast enough to keep up with all the new growth.