Lavender prune spring
Growing lavender & pruning lavender for plant health
Planting lavender, growing lavender, pruning lavender & winter protection.
What is Lavender?
Lavender is a perennial and has been known to survive up to 15 years in home gardens. Longevity can be increase through many methods of lavender growing. Soil preparation, soil amendments, drainage, pruning, winter protection and proper harvesting can result in a life long lavender hedge.
Planting lavender in
well drained soil with a Loamy mix of sand, clay soil & compost.Well drained soil consist of a Loamy mix of sand, clay soil (south central Ohio) and composted horse manure or organic matter from a old wood lots will be beneficial.Add 2 hand fulls of limestone (a little dolomite lime if using rock instead of limestone) and a good base Nitrogen starter fertilizer during planting. Container planting will not require any weed protection. It's recommended to use a weed guard material such as polypropylene or other natural woven weed quard. Oyster shell mulch will also help reduce weeding. This summer of 2014 we added a new method to commercial lavender production by utilizing wood chips as a mulched bed weed cover, similar to conventional home gardening methods. New small lavender gardens need a dose of Nitrogen the first 2 years of growth. Then let the plant thrive on its own adding just a little lime every year to keep the PH up high, preferably 6.9 to 7.5. Using natural mulch materials like wood chips which break down will reduce the need to fertilize year after year. The biggest challenge is choosing a good Angustifolia planting variety that can withstand cold wet winters. The most hardy Angustafolia lavender variety plant would be Munstead or English which makes for a great addition to the garden with an elegant aroma pretty much year round, even in the rain!
When to plant lavender?
Peaceful Acres has played around with multiple seasons of planting.
We have planted in middle of May, June, July, August, and September. Although spring planting has proved to establish a much hardier plant than the fall months all seasonal planting have survival comparable survival rates. The only downfall we have found is the reduced size, yield and second year growth from a lavender plant planted in the ladder part of the growing season. Smaller fall plantings experienced more soil wash around the plants base which resulted in uplifting of the root system.
Winter lavender plant protection
Winter lavender protection is important for your Lavandula oil producers. Two well known varieties Peaceful Acres grows are 'Grosso' and 'Twickle Purple'. These plants may need a sheet covering the lavender bush during winter ice storms. Most damage occurs when ice coats stems, leaves, and base for several days.
Snow will insulate lavender plants only if no ice has accumulated before the snow fall.
Excessive weight of snow will create a situation lavender farmers call 'snow pack burn'. This happens when you have several inches of snow covering your plants for longer than several days below freezing. The biggest concern is ICE! Once Ice has accumulated on the branches they will begin to freeze the oil within the stem and the branch will die back.
Pruning Lavender in spring & fall for the best results in the Midwest
Several years of trial and error research with growing experience the farm has developed a guide to growing lavender to help determine the best growing methods. Many questions are asked when to prune lavender. Pruning can fall during any season which may require continuous pruning lavender. It's best to plan a pruning routine to reduce maintenance and to harvest the best dried lavender bundles from your plants in a timely manner. This reduces random pruning and lengthy, woody growth.
We have established three methods for pruning lavender plants to achieve the prefect hedge.
Lavender pruning- When is the best time to prune lavender?
The first growing season of a newly planted lavender plant it's recommended to remove ALL bud shoots as soon as the little green buds start to form. Removing any signs of the flower bud process will keep the plant in a vegetative cycle which encourages a larger, hardy strong lavender plant. Having an established lavender plant is essential for surviving the first winter. Allowing your plants to flower the first year of planting greatly reduces the size of your lavender plant for over wintering. This also reduces the second and third year harvested yields and stunts overall plant growth.
Typically pruning should take place during the harvesting of lavender bundles. This method reduces loosing valuable buds and eliminates the need to return for another day of pruning your lavender plants.
March through May, early spring is the best time to prune. Remove any dead branches all the way down to the hedge bottom. (see image) Following a harsh winter season as seen during the winter of 2013-14 (see 2014 Winter Blog) you may want to prune the entire lavender bush down to the bare woody hedge. You can feel the branches and notice if all the leaves are dry and falling off the branches. Pruning this early in spring with a dose of nitrogen will encourage vegetation to grow. Peaceful Acres trims off all lavender bud shoots as we would establishing a new lavender plant so the energy is put into new growth fast. This is very important when re-generating a thought to be dead lavender plant.
After the initial harvest sporadic buds will shoot up and form. Remove each additional lavender stem as ready. If you have tall stems where the buds have formed and flowered off you should prune these down below the first set of leaves before the bud stem starts.
Deep pruning I recommend only during the early spring.
How to prune lavender plants?
Pruning & harvesting lavender (LEFT)has a specific method on where to cut to reduce stress on the plant. It is known and recommended to prune two leaf sets above the woody growth. This reduces stress on the plant by avoiding pruning into the woody growth which can lead to rot. Leaving two leaf sets encourages stable growth and a healthier thicker lavender plant.
Pruning winter lavender death (BELOW) requires a more aggressive form of trimming where all woody branches are pruned down to the root hedge top as seen here in the images below. Initially the lavender plants look as if they would never recover in the middle of June. Fortunately we maintained our patience and allowed the plants to re-generate after pruning along with a normal dose of N-nitrogen. Two months later in August and September we were harvesting bundles similar to a second year crop harvest.
This reduced our loss from 90% of our crop to only losing 20% of our lavender fields.
Hard Pruning to the Root Hedge Two months after hard pruning
How to prune lavender: and when to, for the best results
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Knowing how to prune lavender will keep these gloriously scented plants in good condition for years to come, and ensure their structure remains neat and dense, too.
Learning how to grow lavender from cuttings and seed is not difficult. However, if not properly pruned, the plants will become woody and unattractive after a couple of years, requiring replacement.
‘Annual pruning will improve flowering and prevent lavender becoming woody,' says plant expert Sarah Raven , who suggests pruning lavender immediately after flowering has finished. 'Remove shoots to within one inch (2cm) of previous year’s growth,’ she says.
As well as being an essential plant for adding fragrance to the garden, lavender has long been prized for its therapeutic and culinary properties.
It’s also one of the best plants for pollinators, particularly bees and butterflies, and is one of the best fly repellent plants, too.
(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)
Bear in mind that there is more than one kind of this aromatic herb to enjoy in your garden. English lavenders, such as Hidcote and Munstead, are the most popular, and the hardiest.
Other European varieties – namely French and Spanish lavender – are less hardy, and so you will need to take extra care when pruning. However, if you stick to a few golden rules, you can apply them to all of your lavender plants.
How to prune lavender – an expert guide
Many gardeners are overly cautious when pruning lavender, as they worry about cutting too far into the stems, which can harm the plant. However, knowing how to prune lavender the right way will prevent this from happening.
‘Don’t be afraid to prune lavender – the plants can become leggy and woody very quickly, and effective pruning will prolong their lives,’ says gardening expert Leigh Clapp.
Follow our simple step-by-step guide, and your plants will flourish for years to come.
What time of year should you prune lavender?
There are two times of year that you should prune lavender: in fall after flowering and in spring. And though you may have heard different opinions about when to prune lavender, and how often to do it, it is best to tackle the plants in two stages: ‘Trim after flowering in fall, then prune in the spring,’ says Clapp.
Don’t prune lavender too hard after summer ends, or the plant may struggle to survive the onset of colder weather. Instead, think of fall pruning as a way to harvest lavender for drying and scenting your home. Knowing when to harvest lavender really does depend on what you are planning to do with it; some uses require lavender to be cut as the blooms open, others as they begin to fade.
If you forget to prune your lavender during the summer, then it’s best wait until the following spring, especially for less hardy French, Spanish and Italian lavenders.
And when you do prune lavender in spring, only do so after you see new growth begin to appear.
(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)
Where do you cut lavender?
When pruning lavender, it's important to cut it in the right place to ensure future healthy growth, and this is a smidge above side branches or leaf nodes. This part of the plant tends to be green. Go any lower and you'll be cutting at the woody part of the plant, which isn't always advised, though some garden experts say you can do this – more on that below.
'Sometimes you may want to cut into the woody growth simply to tidy up the structure of an older lavender plant,' says Homes & Gardens' Gardens Editor Rachel Crow.
How to prune lavender in its first year
Lavender only requires a light trim in its first year, but to avoid the plants from becoming leggy in future, it’s important to get them off to a good start. Make sure you know when to plant lavender for plant health, too.
Tackle pruning new lavender during the summer, after the plant has flowered.
At this early stage, pruning is about encouraging new growth, and developing a nice mounded shape. If you have grown the lavender from seed or cuttings, then it is beneficial to pinch out new growth tips to help the plant become bushy.
There is no need to follow up with a spring prune when lavender is only in its first year.
- Using a clean, sharp pair of secateurs cut each stem back by up to a third, to remove the flowers and some of the green stem growth.
- Do not cut the plant back ‘hard’ by going near the woody base of the stem – it is essential to leave plenty of green on the stems when the plants are young.
- Try to make an even dome shape by leaving the stems longer in the middle, and gradually going shorter as you move to the outer edges of the plant.
- After trimming your lavender, you may get a second flush of flowers. Prune these the same way once finished – but do it well before the cold fall weather sets in.
How to prune mature lavender plants
Lavender plants will establish quickly, so from their second year you will need to follow a simple – but thorough – pruning regime to keep them in shape.
Start by giving your lavender plant a good trim in the summer. Prune plants by about a third into the foliage to maintain their attractive domed habit when in flower. To do this, grab handfuls of the stems and, using clean, sharp secateurs, snip them off.
‘Stems at this level are about drinking straw thickness and regenerate well if there are plenty of small nodules or shoots below the cut,' says master grower Simon Charlesworth, of Downderry Lavender .
'By the time they go dormant in the fall the lavenders should have re-clothed themselves with fresh young shoots that will harden off before the vagaries of the winter weather.'
Try to maintain a good rounded shape to the plant, but do not cut too close to the woody base of the stems, or the plant might struggle to overwinter.
Follow up with a harder prune in the spring.
(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)
Pruning lavender in spring
Spring is the time for pruning your lavender harder to minimize the development of woody stems and encourage fresh new growth. You should do this early in the season, to give the plant plenty of time to reestablish itself.
However, it's vital that you do not cut the stems too far down into the old wood.
‘If you crop the entire plant back to old wood it can mean big trouble,’ says celebrity gardener Monty Don in his book The Complete Gardener .
‘If you cut into the old wood, which does not have any leaves, and new leaves do not grow, then it will not survive.’
How much wood your lavender plant has depends on the plant’s age, and how well it has been pruned in the past.
- Take a stem and examine it – you’ll notice it has a woody base set below the leafy section.
- Using a clean, sharp pair of secateurs, cut the stem around 2-3 inches above the woody base, into the leafy section of the stem.
Avoid cutting into wood below. - You can prune handfuls of stems at a time, and for hedges you might find it easier to use shears.
- Try to create a nice rounded shape to your lavender plant by pruning the outer stems a little shorter than the inner stems.
- Where there are dead, frost-damaged or diseased branches, these should be completely removed.
(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)
How to prune lavender that is woody
When lavender is a few years old, it can develop long, ‘woody’ stems that look unsightly. However, if you know how to prune lavender like the experts, then you should be able to rejuvenate the plants.
‘‘The normal advice is to replace plants when they become leggy, usually after three to five years. But I avoid having to do this by cutting right back into the wood,’ says Judith Hann, author of Herbs . ‘I have not lost a lavender plant yet in the 20 years they have been growing in my garden.’
Though usually avoided, cutting lavender into the old wood can be a good way to renovate them.
The trick is to make sure you can still see some signs of life in the form of growth nodes below the cutting point. If you cut beyond this, the stems are unlikely to recover, so examine them closely.
Bear in mind you are taking a risk, so before you attempt to hard prune woody lavender, take some semi-ripe cuttings, so if your plant dies, you can grow a new one.
(Image credit: Raquel Lonas / Getty Images)
Should lavender be deadheaded?
There is no need to deadhead lavender; if you prune lavender properly in spring and fall, you shouldn't need to anyway. However if you love a pristine border and want to encourage a few new flowerheads, deadheading won't hurt the plant.
(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)
How to prune Spanish and French lavender
Spanish and French lavender are particularly attractive varieties, with distinctive 'butterfly' shaped upright flowers that may be purple, pink or even white.
The plants require full sun in order to thrive, and are not quite as hardy as English lavender.
However, they are no more difficult to prune and maintain.
As when pruning other lavender varieties, simply trim around a third of the plant's growth after flowering in summer. However, do not cut the stems back too far, as this will expose them to too much frost over winter.
Follow up with a harder prune in early spring, taking care not to cut into the dead wood.
How do you cut back lavender for winter?
While you only need to prune lavender in the summer and spring, Monty Don suggests a third trim in the fall, to help it ‘hold a tight pebble shape’.
Cutting back lavender before winter will create a tidy mound that will give structure to the garden over the coldest months. Lavender is an evergreen shrub, so it retains foliage year round.
Leaving faded blooms on the plant can also provide food for seed-eating birds, so it’s not always necessary to remove the flowers straight after blooming.
It’s still best to do your first prune before the end of summer, but hardier varieties can respond well to a light fall pruning before the winter.
Make sure there is plenty of green left on the plant, to keep it looking good over the colder months.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
How do you cut lavender so it grows back?
To cut lavender so it grows back, it's important to avoid cutting into the ‘dead’, woody growth. If you harvest lavender just as it is flowering, you might get a second flush of flowers.
What happens if you don't prune lavender?
If you don't prune lavender, the plant will quickly become leggy and woody, and won't be able to hold its own weight very well.
This means the stems will flop over when heavy with flowers, causing the plant to spread out and exposing more of the old wood in the plant.
As editor of Period Living, Britain's best-selling period homes magazine, Melanie loves the charm of older properties. I live in a rural village just outside the Cotswolds in England, so am lucky to be surrounded by beautiful homes and countryside, where I enjoy exploring.
Having worked in the industry for almost two decades, Melanie is interested in all aspects of homes and gardens. Her previous roles include working on Real Homes and Homebuilding & Renovating, and she has also contributed to Gardening Etc. She has an English degree and has also studied interior design. Melanie frequently writes for Homes & Gardens about property restoration and gardening.
Prunes Lavender 🌿 All about gardening and garden design
Some lavender size surgery may be required to maintain a harmonious silhouette and prevent foot exposure.
Content of the Article:
- La on Lavender
- size Lavender0021 lavender .
Lavender highlights
Lavender evokes Provence with its silver color and spikes of blue flowers. Its unforgettable and powerful aromas have long been known in the field of perfumery.
This honey plant also attracts insect pollinators to the garden. In terms of size, Lavender is a bit like thyme; It is best to prune before the plant becomes woody because it will be difficult for an old tree to produce new shoots. Knowing this, it will be necessary to avoid interfering with an old object, long abandoned with the risk of losing it.
Lavender Formation Size
When lavender plants are young and newly established, wait until they bloom to enjoy the show and fragrance. As soon as the stems are almost gone, cut them all the way down with pruning shears.
Then halve stems that have not blossomed to force them to branch. You will get a dense bundle.
Tip: You can use it to tie dried flower bouquets and hang them upside down in a dry and ventilated area. You can use dried lavender in small sachets to scent your closets like our grandmothers did, or you can make dry bouquets to decorate your home.
Lavender maintenance size
To prevent the foot from deviating from its base, the plant should not grow too fast or become overly woody. The training size then intervenes to overcome this phenomenon.
Once again, wait for flowering to finish before intervening.
Gather withered flowers, if you like, and then cut off all the branches by about ten centimeters, not even cutting the branches formed in the year.
Take the opportunity to give your lavender the desired shape, ball or more linear if placed on the edge.
Rejuvenation size
As we have seen, it is better not to tamper with very old lignified lavender stems and risk losing them. However, you can try size rejuvenation if it seems really necessary. There is a light hand!
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Remove really bare stems by cutting close to the base. Never cut more than 1/3 of the plant.
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Keep the branches branched and prune the young shoots over the fork, trying to keep the eyes in shape to ensure the plant recovers.
Related video: LAVENDER SUGAR!! Recipe!! #lavendersugar #recipe #lavender.
English lavender: planting and care, photo
English (narrow-leaved) lavender is a herbaceous flowering shrub. Gardeners appreciate it for its fluffy purple ears and aroma. Also, the flowers of the plant are often used in the manufacture of sachets and cosmetics. By the way, lavender blooms in spring, but retains a beautiful appearance until autumn.
Description of lavender
English lavender belongs to the family of herbaceous plants. The bush reaches a height of 30–60 cm, and a width of 1 m. The length of its taproot, fibrous root is 2 m. There are many shoots on the plant, the flowers on them are narrow, light or dark purple. Lavender is unpretentious in care and can withstand frost.
Source: Depositphotos.
The color of the buds stood out so much from others that it was given a personal name - "lavender". Gardeners in Russia prefer English lavender to French lavender. This is due to the fact that English lavender is more winter-hardy and suffers less from temperature changes in the middle zone. In addition, the aroma of French lavender is inferior to English (narrow-leaved).
French lavender or broadleaf lavender is distinguished by incredible butterfly-shaped petals
Read about French lavender here.
English lavender varieties
Hidcote pink . The plant has pink flowers and grows up to 50 cm.
Hidcote . The flowers of the shrub are purple, and the stems are silver. A dense cushion of inflorescences is formed from numerous stems. The plant reaches a height of 50 cm.
Munstead . Lavender flowers, succulent and green stems. The plant reaches a height of half a meter.
Nana alba . The variety is unusual in that its flowers are white. Lavender is small - only 30 cm in height.
Rosea . The shrub has pink flowers and green leaves. Plant height no more than 50 cm.
Vera . The second unusual variety is its pale blue flowers. In addition, the shrub can reach a height of 1 m.
Yuzhanka . The flowers of the plant of this variety are dark purple, the leaves are green-blue and very narrow.
Any variety of lavender is grown on alpine lawns, common flower beds and individual plots. They can also be grown outdoors or in pots.
Planting English lavender
In the open field, the plant propagates easily on its own. To grow lavender at home, you can use a mixture of sand and peat. Or buy a ready-made substrate from a gardening store. It is better to plant grown seedlings in open ground.
Use 3 growing methods:
Propagation by seed
Initially the seeds need to be stratified.
Put them on a damp cloth or napkin and refrigerate for two months. The temperature should not exceed +5 °C. During stratification, it is necessary to periodically ventilate the seeds so that they do not become moldy. And remember - the seeds should always be wet. After that, you need to prepare a container for grown seedlings. First create soil: mix humus and river sand. And to remove lumps from the resulting soil, bake it in the oven at 120 ° C. The container for seedlings should be spacious so that the roots have enough room to develop. At the bottom of this container, put small pebbles. Scatter English lavender seeds on the surface of the substrate and cover with a layer of sand. Lastly, you need to create a greenhouse effect - spray the planting with water and cover with a film.
Source: Depositphotos
It is noteworthy that all parts of lavender have a pleasant smell.
The plant loves warmth and is not afraid of direct sunlight. You can plant a plant in open ground already at the end of spring.
Before planting, dig the soil to a depth of 20 cm. When the lavender stops blooming, prune back a little. First you need to create conditions for the cuttings so that they have roots. Place the cut cuttings with internodes in damp sand and water them regularly for two weeks, but with a small amount of water. Then plant in open ground. Propagation by layering
This method is best for propagating lavender in spring. Select a lignified lavender branch and cut a little in the middle. Do this with a sharp knife so as not to cause further harm to the plant. Place this branch in the ground so that the incised place is under the surface of the soil, sprinkle with earth on top. After two weeks, check whether the layering has given roots or not. If you have given enough roots, then carefully separate the seedling from the main plant and plant it in the selected area.
Conditions for lavenderThe most important thing in planting lavender is choosing a place.
The plant prefers open and well-lit places. At the same time, it is able to endure partial shade, but then do not expect abundant and long flowering.
It is also worth considering that the roots of the plant do not react well to wet soil. Therefore, wetlands and places with high groundwater are not suitable for lavender. If you do not have the opportunity, create a hill and plant the plant already on it. Do not forget about the drainage layer - it will save the planting from water.
In addition, lavender reacts sharply to the structure of the soil and its acidity - it needs loose earth with a neutral level of acidity. To be safe, you can add wood ash and lime to the soil before planting to reduce acidity; and make regular compost to loosen the soil.
Sowing seeds in the groundSowing lavender before winter is carried out around October. Seeds do not need deepening, but very much in soil mulching. The first shoots will appear in May-June.
If you want to sow seeds in spring, May is the right time. But first, make sure the night frost is behind you.
Lavender care
Pruning is not as important to lavender as it is to you. With it, you will form beautiful bushes. Spend the first pruning when spikelets-inflorescences wither. You need to shorten the shoots literally by 2-3 cm. The second pruning should be started at the end of summer - the beginning of autumn, but already more drastic. At the same time, be careful - if you overdo it, the bush will die. When pruning for the winter, the lignified parts of the lavender are not touched: they are prone to cracking when damaged and grow poorly. For grassy shoots, about 3 cm is left. This length reduces the risk of damage from strong winds or snow.
Plants over 8 years old, which have lost their decorative appearance, sometimes carry out an extreme haircut - almost all of the above-ground part is removed. In spring, lavender either sprouts or dies.
The missing bushes are removed, and those that could survive continue to delight with their flowers. As a fertilizer, lavender responds well to mineral supplements. Apply them at the beginning of flowering. Concentration - 2 tbsp. l. for 1 bucket of water. Pour the bushes around the perimeter with the resulting liquid.
Collection of raw materials
The aerial part of the plant should be collected during its mass flowering - when 50% of the flowers bloom. During this period, the aroma and color of lavender is the most intense. Inflorescences should be cut to a length of 10-12 cm and hung to dry in a warm, well-ventilated and shaded place. To make lavender oil, flower shoots are cut during the day, immediately after mass flowering. After a week, the concentration of the beneficial substance gradually decreases.
Lavender fields delight the eye with their color and unforgettable aroma
Useful properties of lavender
- Removal of anxiety and irritability, normalization of the nervous system;
- reduced levels of stress hormones;
- sleep normalization;
- lowering blood pressure;
- improve blood circulation;
- stimulating digestive processes;
- elimination of edema and inflammation;
- disinfection;
- neutralization of toothache;
- relieve muscle tension;
- skin hydration.
The flowers of the plant are of the highest value. They need to be collected along with shoots and leaves.
How to use
Add lavender oil to therapeutic baths and aroma lamps to improve sleep. For bruises and burns, include it in the composition of therapeutic compresses.
Ways to use lavender in cosmetics:
- rinse hair with infusion to get rid of dandruff;
- add oil to hair growth masks;
- treat inflammation and acne locally on the skin;
- Wipe your face with a mixture of lavender and base oil to heal acne marks, normalize the sebaceous glands.
In higher doses, the oil causes dizziness and drowsiness, so take the medicine only in the indicated dosage. And first check the product for allergic reactions. It is necessary to completely abandon lavender-based products during pregnancy or taking drugs with iron and iodine.
Strong lavender scent repels mosquitoes, bed bugs and moths.
Learn more
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