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How to trim lavender in the fall


How and When to Prune Different Types of Lavender

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How and When to Prune Different Types of Lavender

The soothing smell, gorgeous blooms, and tidy habit of lavender make it one of the most prized plants in gardens. While lavender is low-maintenance in terms of water and soil needs, it does need a specific approach in pruning. Especially once it has become a mature, established plant. We all want to keep lavender in our garden for the long run. Therefore, it's important to know how to prune it. This will ensure a prolific crop of flowers and tidy foliage comes back year after year.

How and when to prune lavender varies depending on the type of lavender you’re growing. Here are tips for pruning the three most common types of lavender. Follow the advice and you're sure to have healthy, beautiful lavender growing in your garden every year. 

How and When to Prune English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

This is the classic English lavender is beloved for its memorable fragrance. Also for it's silvery foliage and stems that add texture to a border. It’s one of the hardier and most commonly grown lavenders with blooms that come on strong in early summer. (And, it makes a great short hedge!)

When and how to prune:

Pictured left: Munstead Lavender, Zones 5 – 9

How and When to Prune English Hybrids (Lavandula x intermedia)

The glam, later flowering lavender (Lavandula x intermedia) has long flowering stems. These are topped by slender tapering flower heads with stems that splay outwards from a rounded mound of foliage. Use them make as the centerpiece of a border or to highlight corners and edges of beds. Or, where you can enjoy the movement with every breeze.

When and how to prune:

Pictured left: Riverina Thomas French Lavender Zones 5 – 9

How and When to Prune Non-English Lavender (French, Spanish, Wooly, etc.)

These 'tufted lavenders' have full, thick flower spikes. They flower much earlier, in late spring in warmer zones and early summer in colder zones. Then often bloom right into fall. Such a diverse collection of lavenders with plenty of variation in fragrance, size, color, texture, and flower heads. This makes them fun to play with in the garden.

When and how to prune:

Pictured left: Javelin Forte™ Deep Rose Spanish Lavender Zones 7 – 9

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Lavender Care: Fall Pruning - Lavender Connection

Fall is in the air, and for lavender farmers, that means one thing: time to prune! You may be asking yourself, “Do I need to prune my lavender?” The answer is, unequivocally, yes. Read on for tips and tricks of the trade!

Why should I prune my lavender?

Lavender needs to be pruned back every year to keep the plant base compact and healthy, and give you the chance to shape it to a nice mound. If you don’t prune the lavender, it will grow misshapen, “leggy”, and split at the base as the branches get longer and heavier. Once this happens, it’s almost impossible to save the plant. The only way to keep this from happening is annual pruning.

When should I prune my lavender?

The best time to prune your lavender is in the fall, at least 6 weeks before your first frost date. 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.

If you stumbled on this blog after the window for fall pruning has passed, don’t despair – you can still prune lavender in the spring! Check out our blog Lavender Care: Spring Pruning  – (the basic principles are the same. )

Okay, I'm in! How should I prune my lavender?

Do not be afraid to prune! Like most plants, pruning is necessary for the health of your plant. Think of it like a lavender haircut (rather than a punishment) and don’t be timid. The only tools you need are disinfected scissors or sharp knife, and garden gloves to protect yourself from the splinters and sharp wood at the base.

Most garden blogs/advice say to leave an inch or so of green on the plant and never cut into the wood. This is good general advice, but sometimes it’s necessary to cut back a little more harshly in order to shape a plant that grew heavily on one side (usually facing the sun), or perhaps one branch that had Olympic Dreams and excelled past all the others and is reaching for gold outside your preferred perimeter. Don’t be afraid to cut the occasional section or branch back into the wood if you need to shape it. I promise you won’t kill the plant as long as you’re not lopping all of the branches off at the base.

Step 1 (prepare): To begin, cut back any old stems that you haven’t harvested (a few inches above the wood). This isn’t really pruning yet, but it’ll give you a better sense of the shape of the plant.

Step 2 (find center): Step back and above, and determine the center of the plant (it may not be where you thought.) Draw a large imaginary circle around the center of the plant. The perimeter of the circle is where you’ll prune – so leave 1-3” of stems, depending on how you need to shape it to keep it centered.

Step 3 (prune sides): Prune back/shape the plant so that the branches are evenly extended from the actual base/center.

Step 4 (prune top): Take an eye level view (on your knees), and prune the top, about 1-2” above the wood.

Step 5 (prune top edge): Finally, cut at a diagonal (ish) angle along the top edges to round the plant.

Step 6 (last looks): Step back one last time and prune any final bits and bobs to shape the plant. We recommend aiming for a gumdrop shape.

Lavender Pruning Pro Tips

Here are some tips to keep in mind while pruning.

I just planted a tiny start this spring/summer – do I still need to prune it?

Yes! In fact, the first 3 years of life are the most important time to prune your lavender. You want to heavily prune and shape young lavender plants for two reasons: 1) It helps develop a tight, compact, shaped base that will keep the plant healthy for years to come, and 2) Pruning in the fall drives energy away from the plant surface and down into the roots, which is what you want for the winter. Young plants especially benefit from being reminded “don’t put out new flowers, now it’s time to grow your foundation.” By pruning, you are helping them grow strong and survive their first few winters until they are established.

In the picture above, compare the pruned plant in the foreground to the un-pruned plant behind it. As you can see, we give even our baby youngsters an autumnal buzz cut. As long as you aren’t cutting into the woody part of the plant (too much), you won’t hurt the plant. We promise. Now get your scissors and get out there! Your lavender will thank you.

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Lavender in autumn - care and reproduction. Pruning and shelter for the winter. Photo — Botanichka

In the south of Europe there are whole plantations of lavender, grown mainly for cosmetic purposes. Angustifolia ( Lavandula angustifolia ), which is also called English lavender, is a frost-resistant and unpretentious plant that grows with pleasure on poor soils. Therefore, today it can be increasingly found in our summer cottages. In this article I will tell you what autumn lavender care activities should be carried out. I will also share my experience of propagating lavender in the fall.

Lavender in autumn - care and reproduction

Pruning lavender in autumn

In autumn, approximately in mid-October, it is necessary to prune lavender. And if in the spring it is sanitary in nature (it is necessary to remove dry, broken branches), then in the fall, firstly, I shorten the branches for a decorative purpose, and secondly, so that they do not break under the weight of snow in winter. If the bush is old, then this is also a rejuvenating procedure.

I do not do autumn pruning of very young lavender bushes. Only when they reach 2 years of age.

Any mature lavender bush has woody, dry parts at the bottom and green parts at the top. I cut the branches, stepping back about 5 cm from the lignified part. The bush after such a haircut will look very modest, but it will become lush and will bloom profusely next year.

Can be cut higher, especially if you feel sorry for the bush. But remember that over time, the green parts will also become stiff and the bush will take on an untidy look. He, instead of a ball, will fall apart to the sides. Then you will have to carry out anti-aging pruning - cut the bush very shortly, 5-10 cm from the surface of the earth along lignified stems, and lavender does not tolerate this procedure.

I use pruning shears for pruning, but many people find it convenient to do this with garden shears.

I don't throw away the rest of the lavender branches. They have almost the same intense smell as flowers, so they still come in handy. I dry them. And then you can make ikebana out of them. And if you fill bags (sachets) with them and put them in a closet, then moths will not start there.

Lavandula angustifolia, before pruning. © Olga Olshanskaya Lavandula angustifolia after pruning. © Olga Olshanskaya

Soil care

The next thing to take care of before the lavender sleep is the soil where it grows. Lavender likes slightly alkaline or neutral soil, loose, with good drainage. Lavender does not tolerate excess moisture, it can get sick from this and die. Therefore, you need to take care of the soil even when planting a plant. If the soil is acidic, then it is necessary to add ash, lime or dolomite flour to it in advance.

When preparing lavender for winter, I add a little compost under each bush. This will be enough for her. The fact is that lavender is used to growing on poor, stony soils. And she really does not like excess nitrogen. On the other hand, for abundant flowering, it is still necessary to apply fertilizer. Therefore, here it is necessary to observe the golden mean. Instead of compost, you can add ash or some phosphorus-potassium mineral fertilizers in the fall.

Because lavender does not like nitrogen, it should not be mulched with plant materials. The best mulch for her is pebbles. In my case, this is a bit of river pebbles. When pruning and in order to add compost, I remove them, and then lay them out again. This is mulch, and drainage, and heating for lavender. After all, the stones will heat up in the sun.

Soil needs to be taken care of when planting lavender. © Snapguide

Lavender Shelter for the Winter

English narrowleaf lavender is fairly hardy, especially as mature plants. They winter quietly and without shelter. And calmly withstand frosts down to -25 ° C. The root system of lavender is pivotal and goes very deep, where it does not freeze through.

On the other hand, under cover there is a chance that lavender will get sick because it cannot tolerate the excess moisture that can form there. For this reason, I do not cover mature plants, but only those bushes that are 1-2 years old, their roots are not yet well developed, so they need protection.

Spruce branches (or lutrasil, or something like that) can be used to cover such lavender bushes, it will create a warm air cushion for them. If you have a lot of snow all winter, then you can sprinkle the bush with snow and then it will winter well.

I cover young lavender bushes only when the air temperature is confidently around 0 ° C for several days, not earlier. I make a hut from spruce branches and tie it with a rope so that it does not fall apart.

Lavender propagation in autumn

Lavender is very easy to propagate. There are several ways to do this.

Propagation of lavender by seeds

Lavender reproduces well by self-sowing. If you leave a couple of flowers on the bush, then the seeds nearby will fall and overwinter. And in the spring, under your bush, you will find small sprouts. This is how it happens in nature.

The easiest way for summer residents is to propagate lavender by seeds, sowing it before winter. How to sow flowers before winter, including lavender, read our article.

Lavender propagation by layering

My favorite way to propagate lavender is layering. And now is a great time to do it. Before cutting the bush, I inspect it and select a few convenient branches for layering. It's just that if you cut it first, the branches will become short and it will be inconvenient to work with them.

Twigs are better to take thin, not branched, not yet strongly lignified. I tilt the lavender branch to the ground, pin it either with wire pins so that it fits snugly, or, if there is no wire at hand, then with stones, which is less convenient. I sprinkle earth on top. And so I repeat with other branches. Instead of wire or stones, you can make "slingshots" from branches. And after that I sprinkle with compost and mulch with pebbles.

The stones will become an additional weight for layering, which will make their contact with the ground tighter. And that's it. In the spring, I simply separate the young lavender bushes with secateurs, carefully digging them up. The branches will already form roots, and I will transplant them to a permanent place.

My favorite way to propagate lavender is layering. © Olga Olshanskaya

Cuttings of lavender in autumn

Lavender is excellently propagated by cuttings. This can be done both in spring and autumn. It is even believed that in autumn the cuttings take root better. Therefore, from those branches that I have left after pruning, I choose a few - 10-15 cm in length.

I clean their lower green part from leaves by 3-4 cm. And just plant them in the chosen place. You can first make a groove, how to spill it with water, spread the branches in it, and then fill it with earth.

It has been noticed that thin twigs root better.

Lavender cuttings in a container

I live in the south. In more northern regions, autumn cuttings of lavender in the open field may not have time to develop a sufficient root system and die from frost even under cover. In this case, cuttings are best planted in containers and kept indoors.

I put shards on the bottom of the pots, or some other kind of drainage is possible. Next, I prepare a mixture of garden soil and sand in a ratio of 3: 1, moisten it a little. Wet sand can be placed on the bottom for better drainage. I put a mixture of soil and sand in pots, and again a layer of wet sand 1 cm thick on top.

Cuttings, for better rooting of lavender in containers, can be pre-treated with growth stimulants. With the cleaned tips, I stick the stalk into the pot. You can stick them 2-3 in one.

There is another technique called push-ups. For better contact of the cutting with the ground, after I stick the cutting into the ground, I grab it together with a clod of earth with my fingers and try to press the ground closer to it. It's like I'm pressing.

After the lavender pot needs to be watered and create greenhouse conditions for it. I put a plastic bag on top. But it is necessary to make a hole in it or tie loosely. And so it stands with me for a couple of months. Then I make a revision, and if the cutting has grown, then the package can be removed, and it will winter well on the windowsill.

It is believed that lavender cuttings take root better in autumn. © Olga Olshanskaya

Reproduction of lavender by dividing the bush

There is another way to propagate lavender - by dividing the bush. Lavender has a long tap root that cannot be divided. However, it very easily gives additional roots. To do this, it must be spudded.

To do this, the lavender bush is almost half covered with light soil. It is important to sprinkle the earth between each branch. Then literally every branch will give additional roots. And if you spud a bush in the fall, then in the spring each of its rooted branches can be separated from the bush and transplanted. And in this way, hilling, you can strengthen the old bush. It will give more roots and will bloom better.

Also read our article 7 Simple Rules for Gorgeous Lavender.

Dear readers! Fall is an important time of year to care for your lavender if you want it to bloom luxuriantly next year. Lavender, by the way, in good conditions blooms twice a year. The first time - in mid-June, and the second - in August.

Pruning lavender in autumn - rules, photo, video

With blooming fragrant lavender, the garden becomes more elegant and fragrant. But in order for plants to always look attractive and healthy, they need proper care, which includes regular pruning. You can trim lavender bushes several times a year, but special attention should be paid to this procedure in the fall before the onset of cold weather.

Content

Pruning - is an important lavender care component for lavender not a herbaceous plant.

And, unlike some types of ornamental shrubs, it requires mandatory pruning. Without it, the bushes will soon acquire a somewhat untidy appearance. In addition, if the plant is not regularly pruned, its branches can quickly become woody to the very tips, as a result of which the emergence of new shoots will be drastically reduced.

Attention! It is better not to prune the plant at a young age. It is advisable to start pruning lavender when it reaches two years. Otherwise, the bushes will have less opportunity to form normally and you can simply not wait for them to bloom.

Lavender belongs to heat-loving plants and feels great in the southern regions. But it tolerates frost well and winters well under shelter in the middle zone of the country. And so that the branches do not break under the yoke of the snow cover, in the fall it is better to prune the bushes and cover them on top with spruce branches or special material to protect the shoots from freezing.

Many gardeners in the Moscow region and more northern regions often do not prune lavender for the winter at all, as they are afraid that it will not have time to prepare for the cold. In such cases, so that the bush does not freeze, you need to collect all the branches in a bundle and bend it to the ground, covering it with spruce branches on top.

How to prune plants

In order for the shrub not to lose its decorative qualities, it must be cut one or more times during the year. Too often, this is also not worth doing, otherwise you can disrupt the flowering periods of the plant. There are several cropping methods:

  1. After flowering - under favorable conditions, lavender blooms 2 times: the first - in the middle of summer, and the second - in September. To stimulate re-flowering, the shrub needs pruning. When harvesting vegetable raw materials, the inflorescences are cut off at the beginning of the period, when they have just blossomed. If blooming lavender is needed to make bouquets, you can do this a little later, first enjoying the beauty of the plant in the garden.
  2. Sanitary - such pruning is carried out in the spring, removing broken, diseased and dried branches from the bushes.
  3. Autumn - pruning during this period is carried out to maintain the compactness and decorativeness of the bush, as well as so that its branches do not break under the weight of snow and do not freeze in cold winters.
  4. Rejuvenating - if the bushes are already quite a few years old, you can try to rejuvenate them by cutting the shoots 5-10 cm from the ground in autumn.

In order not to accidentally destroy the plant, it is better not to cut off the entire bush at once. It is advisable to first cut the branches of half the bush. And when new shoots grow there next year, it will be possible to remove the old branches and the second half of the bush. But you need to be prepared for the fact that the old plant will not survive and will have to be replaced with a new one.

How to properly prune lavender bushes in autumn

Autumn pruning of lavender is very important, because it depends on how well the plant will survive the winter cold, and whether the bush will retain its decorative effect and attractive appearance. Therefore, it is necessary to approach this procedure very responsibly. If you have to do it for the first time, then it is better to first watch this process on a video or step-by-step photos in order to understand exactly how such trimmings are made.

Cutting pattern

When pruning lavender bushes, there are certain rules that are better to follow: