SERIES 29 | Episode 09 When should I prune lavender? This will remove some of the top growth, but you don’t want all those flower stalks weighing the plants down. We have established three methods for pruning lavender plants to achieve the prefect hedge. You can prune at harvesting time and prune to shape in early spring. This means that pruning can be done in early- or mid-spring without sacrificing the current years flowering. If you have a mild, but wet winter, check your lavender plants to make sure the tops are not holding excess water, which can cause the crowns to rot. However you should also perform a light pruning of your lavender plants in the late summer/early fall to prepare you lavender for the coming winter. We find the best time to prune lavender in the Pacific Northwest is fall, well before the first frosts come. A small sythe or curved harvesting knife is a much better tool for this. This is very important when re-generating a thought to be dead lavender plant. Don’t forget to clean up the sides, too. Pruning should begin early, when lavender plants are still young. (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. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place. If possible, pruning twice a year … Many questions are asked when to prune lavender. Here's how to prune lavender so it looks (and smells) great year after year. Take care not to cut into the woody part of the plant which can cause damage. This reduces random pruning and lengthy, woody growth. Typically pruning should take place during the harvesting of lavender bundles. http://learn-how-to-garden.comThe autumn is a perfect time for pruning your Lavender to keep it healthly and productive. Pinch off new growth and cut flower buds in the first year. Pruning lavender gently each and every year, as described above, will keep it compact and stop it getting leggy, so you will never need to be fierce. Pruning lavender after flowering is ideal, but if you miss the window, don’t fret. After that, do not fertilize regularly. Prune for healthier lavender plants. Lavender is not the easiest plant to grow in most areas, but your best bet at success is to get your plants well established early. MILLIE: As always, ‘listen’ to the plant. Look for where the woody section turns to soft green growth and then prune about 2 - 3 inches above that. March through May, early spring is the best time to prune. You never want your lavender to be sitting in wet soil, which will rot the roots. Pruning in spring can delay floweringwhich might be your preferenceand is a good time to take down dead, winter-killed parts and shorten growth to the fat, vigorous buds. This also reduces the second and third year harvested yields and stunts overall plant growth. This will make sure it stays compact and strong. Pruning once a year is great. Don't be afraid to cut the leaves down to 2 inches above the woody base. Common Lavender Pests & Problems You can feel the branches and notice if all the leaves are dry and falling off the branches. 01:42. Removing any signs of the flower bud process will keep the plant in a vegetative cycle which encourages a larger, hardy strong lavender plant. Good pruning is key to keep growing lavender looking tidy and producing robust blossoms. Pruning your Lavender will prevent your shrub from turning to wood. Second year pruning should begin after its first flowering. If you prune too drastically, they might not regrow. One year old lavender plant First Year Lavender Pruning. Then all the new growth would go into the foliage, not the flowers, to produce less woody looking shrubs with more growth at the base of the plant. A first-year lavender bush will typically produce only enough flowers to form 1 or 2 bunches, but older plants can give you up to 10 bunches. Marie Iannotti is an author, photographer, and speaker with 27 years of experience as a Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticulture Educator and Master Gardener, 12 Essential Spring Cleaning Tasks for the Garden, Hardy Chrysanthemum (Garden Mum) Plant Profile, Growing Geraniums in Containers—Indoors and Out. It can seem severe, but pruning off all that top growth strengthens the roots and gives you a bushier, more compact plant. Light pruning is best after the first harvest, followed by a heavier one during summer or fall. Use hedge trimmers or pruning shears, if possible, to keep things nice and tidy. By year 3, your plant should be quite large and blooming with abandon. Lavender plants need 3 years to hit maturity. If you get a second flush of blooms in the fall, you can go ahead and cut them back. After the initial harvest sporadic buds will shoot up and form. The top growth will serve as insulation, keeping the crown and roots of the plant protected from repeated freezing and thawing. They do very well outdoors and have long, slender blooms that occur late spring to early summer. Your plant should be quite a bit larger this year, with more blooms. In frost free areas, your lavender plants may remain evergreen. To be honest, once a lavender plant is too leggy and woody, we think the best thing to do is to dig them out and replace with new young plants. Don’t wait too long to prune, though. Therefore, to prevent leggy, woody growth over time for as long as possible, it's best to prune twice a year. English Lavender should be pruned right after it its first flowering and again in late August, right after the last flush has faded away. Follow us. The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. Pruning. Although spring planting has proved to establish a much hardier plant than the fall months all seasonal planting have survival comparable survival rates. The main pruning should be done at the start of spring to really dictate the lavenders shape and appearance. This method reduces loosing valuable buds and eliminates the need to return for another day of pruning your lavender plants. That’s why it should be cut back just a bit – few centimeters, just to … If you wait longer, you risk cutting off the flower buds that are forming. An annual pruning is an important step for long-lasting lavender (Lavandula spp.and hybrids) plants. Lavender plants left to their own devices will become woody and flowering will diminish. Typically pruning should take place during the harvesting of lavender bundles. This last photo is of our new Impress Purple (an intermedia) which is only 1 year old (awww, baby lavender!) SERIES 29 | Episode 09 When should I prune lavender? They will grow healthier, bloom more profusely and live longer if you do a little annual pruning. Prune right after the plant flowers and at the beginning of fall. Additionally, a … We use gas-powered hedge trimmers to prune the 30,000+ plants in our fields. Plant your lavender in well-drained, rocky soil, on a slope (if possible) to ensure drainage. Get involved. You should see the new growth by the time the tulips are blooming. Make sure it is growing in a well-draining site to begin with. 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. My lavender bushes are looking rather ragged. This also reduces the second and third year harvested yields and stunts overall plant growth. ... Use your pruning shears to cut at least 2 inches (5.1 cm) above the woody part of the stalk to give the plant enough to work with for a new bloom. From Farmer Rick: “Since the lavender plant is so young, pruning is heavy to shape and control the lavender … The one thing to look out for here is wet soil. If you want to keep your plant healthy then you should prune it twice a year, every year. Pruning in late-summer or early-fall encourages good air circulation, which guards against rot. Choose young two- to three-inch shoots that have just started to harden up. Allowing your plants to flower the first year of planting greatly reduces the size of your lavender plant for over wintering. 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. There will probably be some winter die back, but if you wait until the new growth starts, you will be able to see which stems are dead and can be pruned out. The important thing to remember about first year plants is not to prune down into the woody part of the stems. For a first-year plant, keep your pruning soft and avoid any drastic cuts. Grab the flower stalks by the handful and slice them off at the base. We have planted in middle of May, June, July, August, and September. Pruning Lavender in spring should be done very early on to avoid pruning off undeveloped flowers about the same time you would plant spring bulbs. This is important because the parts of the plant that turn to wood will not produce new lavender stalks. There are many different varieties of lavender. Pruning every year is important to maintain appearance, promote blooms, and extend the life of the lavender. Follow the contours of the plant. Snow will insulate lavender plants only if no ice has accumulated before the snow fall. Pruning in late-summer or early-fall encourages good air circulation, which guards again… A. Unpruned lavenders tend to become woody and have decreased blooms. All lavenders bloom on the stems that grew in the current year. 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