Dividing

• 1). Divide shoots and runners from a mature lilac plant in early or mid-spring before flower buds are showing.
  
  
• 2). Dig around the new shoot until you find its roots and the runner it grew from. Remove the shoot by chopping it out of the ground with your shovel and severing the connection between the runner and the mother plant.
  
  
• 3). Refill the holes around the lilac plant and smooth the disturbed soil with a rake.
  
  
• 4). Water the lilac thoroughly and add a 1- to 2-inch layer of organic mulch around the plant to enrich the soil and keep the moisture in.
  
  

Transplanting

• 1). Prepare the hole for replanting before you divide the lilac shoot from the mother plant. Dig a hole approximately 1 foot deep and 1 foot wide for each shoot you wish to plant.
  
  
• 2). Choose a shoot that is approximately 8 to 14 inches tall for the most successful transplanting.
  
  
• 3). Center the newly divided cane into the hole and fill it in with soil. Use excess soil to build a circular "well" around the plant to hold in water.
  
  
• 4). Water the new planting thoroughly and keep it evenly moist throughout the spring. Once it is well established a lilac needs only moderate watering.