Strange growth on lilac

betty.goat

Californian Lilac has what looks like a type of fungus or lichen growing all over it. Anyone got any tips or treatments I can use please? 

robairdmacraignil

Lichen is a good thing to have on your surfaces from a wild life perspective and they don't harm your plant so I would leave them as they are if it was my garden. Much of them would be cleared anyway if you trim off the dead branches they are growing on which you could do with a secateurs and this might improve the health of your shrub by improving air circulation. I found one of my ceanothus shrubs really came back to life after I cut back the dead branches it had developed but I have read cutting into the larger branches is a bit risky as they can take it badly.