The yield from the garden is increasing year on year – rapidly approaching an annual weight in produce of almost 1 ton. We're delighted that your lavender is doing well! Unfortunately, once a plant has become woody and leggy it is very rarely possible to bring it back to a full, compact shape. A full-grown lavender bush can give you 7 to 8 bundles of lavender each season, which you can dry and store for months to come. One of the most common questions is about pruning — how, when, etc. The autumn pruning should be done before the middle of October, as the branches that are now developing will bear the next season’s flowers. She has created booklets and aided in the design of Food Kits to help gardeners to cool and warm climates to grow their own food, for example. That way you have lavender in … This is part of a series on How to Prune Trees, Shrubs, and Vines in your garden and how to choose the right tools. Pruning lavender keeps the plant vigorous and bushy. We find the best time to prune lavender in the Pacific Northwest is fall, well before the first frosts come. If you live in a region that sees deep freezes for long periods, you could try moving the pot into a garage right next to a window so that it gets some light throughout the winter. This latter method may have variable results, however. It sounds like you are referring to the trained 2-3 foot trunks with a ball of greenery at the top. Pruning prevents older plants from splitting in half and aids in … In addition to designing gardens, Elizabeth also works in a consultancy capacity, offering ongoing support and training for gardeners and growers around the globe. As for wintering in a pot, it really depends on where you live. My French Lavender plant is only 14 months old, and it's lovely and bushy and a mass of flowers. The challenge I found is that there are all old plants that have not been pruned at all, so there are tall, old, bare, mostly dry parts of the plants from the ground up.I think they may need to be just replaced, like I read in this article. How far back to prune is now the important question. If left to its own devices, lavender can become bare and straggly. (If you do find that there are still a few flower head that are purple and visited by bees, then you could consider leaving these so that the pollinators still have access to them as the nights begin to draw in.). You can tell when it’s ready because the flowers have gone grey. Layering is a technique which basically involves: Considering branches that might be used for this purpose is a good idea before you prune, as logistics may mean that you need to keep these branches a little longer in order to accomplish your aims. Lavender is usually pruned after flowering in the late summer, though some books will also recommend pruning in the spring. Pruners should be used to remove the flower heads and cut back this years growth, making sure that some new green growth remains. As long as you keep these things in mind, and do not prune right back to old woody growth, then it will be difficult to go too far wrong and your lavender plants will remain full, bushy and healthy for many years to come. These clippings make a wonderful mulch or, at the very least, addition to the compost bin. A fragrant and colorful plant native to Europe and Western Asia, lavender is a sun-loving flower best grown outdoors. Lavender is an easy-to-grow, evergreen shrub with deliciously scented flowers and foliage. In your own garden, as you are preparing your other plantings for the winter, add "prune the lavender" to your fall gardening checklist. Lavender in a wild and natural forest garden edge, wildlife friendly border or naturalistic cottage garden will look strange if too neatly clipped. Do not cut completely down in the autumn or early spring. 2. Red Line: Never cut down to wood base. Spring pruning is usually a light trim that is undertaken in order to remove any foliage that is frost damaged or untidy after winter. We suggest replacing the plant at this stage and starting your pruning rhythm at year one. Amongst other things, she has designed private gardens in regions as diverse as Canada, Minnesota, Texas, the Arizona/California desert, and the Dominican Republic, commercial aquaponics schemes, food forests and community gardens in a wide range of global locations. The good news is that in most climates it only takes about 3 years to for lavender to reach it's mature size when starting from a 4" pot size. This is one of the lavender plants after pruning, and as you see there was not that much taken off (one third of plant). Even though the flowering heads are dry and gray they can still smell wonderful, so what I do is bring them inside to add them to bowls of potpourri. There won’t be any bees humming around the stalks. Join the RHS today and get 12 months for the price of 9. It can lose vigour and the woody stems can look straggly and unappealing. When she is not gardening, Elizabeth spends a lot of time working remotely on permaculture garden projects around the world. Or is there a time in the year when I can hard prune it by about a 1/3, do they ever stop flowering ?. These were run using a portable generator. Lavender can tolerate drought but not constantly wet soil. Follow us. Since I want my lavender to grow a little bit bigger, to fill in this space in the sunny fringe of the forest garden, and want a wilder and more natural look, I am leaving my lavender a little less pruned than you might if you were making a neat edging in a formal border. Pruning lavender. New shoots will quickly appear at the base of the bush and these will have enough time to grow and harden up before winter comes. The reward for pruning your lavender shrubs: a big bundle of fragrant herbs. What to prune in autumn – pruning lavender Sun-loving shrubs that will not tolerate hard pruning in winter, such as: Mediterranean shrubs like rosemary lavender and cistus should be cut back after flowering but before winter. Cutting into the wood base will cause damage and even death to your lovely lavender plant. Prune after flowering, typically in August. It's an easy step in caring for your lavender plant, let's get to it. She has made many strides in attracting local wildlife and increasing biodiversity on the site. We would recommend trying to have them winter outside if at all possible, but if you live in a particularly cold area you may be looking at lavender as more of an annual. The best time to prune your lavender is in the fall, at least 6 weeks before your first frost date. Cut back quite hard but don’t cut into old wood, as this can reduce flowering potential the following year. A good rule for your "green" thumb is — brown is bad, green is good. ). French lavender (Lavandula dentata), flowers for most of the year so it can be hard to choose the best time to prune. Garden clippers or hedge shears (pictured) or even scissors work great for a few plants in the garden. You prune English lavender by cutting it back by two thirds in the second half of August and you can cut into the bare wood, if needed. We are at a higher/cooler elevation but it does not freeze. Join now. Do not be too frightened to cut back your lavender, especially if it is the English variety. Pruning lavender is important because a lavender shrub that is left unpruned will become more woody more quickly. You can remove most of the new, green growth, so long as you cut above the small buds and green shoots that are forming on the lower woody material. Lavender is a shrub that will do best if pruned every year. If your lavender plant has been deprived of its annual pruning for some years, it's likely become quite leggy and the woody base has begun to sprawl and will be quite top heavy when in bloom. Pruning lavender in October is perfect. Pruning. Do not cut down to the woody stem. You can prune a few stems at a time or use garden shears and cut strait across.Af. To determine where this is on your plant, hold back some stalks so that you can see into the woody base of the plant. Fall is still the ideal time to prune lavender, even in Hawaii. Pruning strategy: Cut heavily in autumn to reduce the size just before winter. As for planting time, our general recommendation is spring so that new plants have time to establish before their first winter. This latter method may have variable results, however. Future years, pruning can be done in late fall or early spring depending on your preference and a variety of differing opinions. Hardy lavenders (Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula x intermedia types) can cope with temperatures down to about -15°C, and can therefore be left in the garden all year round. I find that they often die in the winter, I'm in a frost pocket. In New Zealand, autumn is around March to May. There are important benefits of pruning lavender. Pruning lavender is a relatively straightforward process, as long as you keep plant health and requirements, aesthetic and practical considerations in mind. Pruning Lavender after the First Year: Lavender plants should be pruned once per year, preferably in the spring, just before new growth starts. Since moving to the property she has also rescued many chickens from factory farms, keeping them for their eggs, and moved much closer to self-sufficiency. This post may contain affiliate links. If the flowers on your lavender plants have lost their colour, then it is a good time to prune. Using hedge shears you cut off the … Before you prune lavender plants, think about the potential to create new lavender plants from the plants that you already own. Timely pruning also reduces the risk of damage from an early night frost. Give it a good haircut each year and your plants will look good and remain healthy for much longer than if you are too tentative. We would recommend connecting with a local nursery and getting their input about your specific region. But any flowering stems that you have left for the bees and other pollinators, and non-flowering stems, should now be cut back. If you haven't already, do so soon so that your plants can transition into their dormant period and get some good rest before the next blooming season. Cut the flowers and stalks down to within 2 leaf nodes above the grey/brown woody part of the stem at the very base of the plant (leaving approximately 2-3 inches of green stalk). In our part of the country, that means we start pruning the fields as soon as we’re done with the essential oil distillation at the end of September, with the aim of finishing by mid-October. My dilemma is about when to plant the new lavender plants; now (since here in Arizona is still "late summer"), or in the Spring?Please help! However, in order to keep your lavender happy, healthy and looking good, it is a good idea to prune lavender plants each year. What is more, the woody stems will be more prone to frost or water rot damage and disease, and can crack or break more easily. Count 2 leaf nodes or 2-3 inches above the woody transition. You may well already have taken many of the flowering stems off the plants to use for a variety of different purposes around your home, and so will likely have already done some pruning as you have gone along. She has filled the rest of the garden with a polytunnel, a vegetable patch, a herb garden, a wildlife pond, woodland areas and more. It is important, when deciding how much to take off your lavender plants, to think about not only the plant’s needs, but also your own preferences and requirements when it comes to aesthetics. So remember, keep your pruning in the green stalks. Lavender is, generally speaking, a rather easy and low maintenance plant to grow. Brown is bad, green is good! Remove any dead or damaged growth and shear back a good third of the green leafy growth for those without harsh winter conditions. When you are finished the lavender plant should look like a little grey/green hedgehog. 3. This will help maintain the shape of the lavender plant the following season. Lavender can be pruned in late winter, but pruning lavender in the spring is better. Varieties of Spanish/French Lavender—Lavandula stoechas cvs. Pruning in late-August or early autumn will encourage good air circulation, which guards against rot. The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. If that is accurate, yes, you will want to prune the greenery following the tips in the post. Using a peg, or a heavy rock to hold the branch down. In warm climates, all pruning can be carried out in the autumn. Pruning heavily every year will help slow down the formation of wood and extend the vigor and lifetime of your plant. 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