How do you maintain lavender?

Lavender Care

Plant lavender in full sun and well-drained soil (add organic matter to improve heavy soils). Starting with the proper conditions is essential for successfully growing lavender. Water plants deeply but infrequently, when the soil is almost dry. Prune every year immediately after bloom.

Should I cut back lavender?

Lavender bushes need to be cut back every year to keep them from growing out of control. “Pruning lavender keeps it looking full, encourages new growth and flowering, and gives you lots of fresh tips to harvest throughout the season,” says Amy Fedele, a home gardening expert and Pretty Purple Door blogger.

What happens if you don't prune lavender?

An annual pruning is an important step for long-lasting lavender (Lavandula spp. and hybrids) plants. Without it they grow a large, lanky, woody base that can split open — it looks bad and shortens the plant's lifespan.

When and how do you prune lavender?

Left to their own devices, lavender can become woody and ungainly, so to keep plants compact and attractive, it's best to trim them annually in late summer, just after flowering has finished. Remove any spent flower stalks and about 2.5cm (1in) of leaf growth.

Do you deadhead lavender?

And August is a good month for deadheading lavender plants. Proper pruning and deadheading of lavender plants will increase your harvest of flower spikes for dried flowers and make your plants more beautiful and healthy. Lavender benefits greatly from being pruned in mid-spring and deadheaded in the summer.

Spring Care Tips for Lavender

How do you keep lavender blooming?

To increase the amount lavender blooms, plant lavender in full sun, with sandy soil and prune in the Spring to stimulate more growth to support more blooms. Watering lavender too frequently and adding fertilizer can stress the plant which causes fewer blooms.

What do you do with lavender after it blooms?

Lightly prune, harvest, or deadhead blooms throughout the growing season. Then towards the end of summer, prune the shrub into a rounded mound of foliage. Most gardening resources recommend taking off no more than one-third of the plant.

Can I prune lavender in November?

Unpruned lavenders tend to become woody and have decreased blooms. However, lavender should not be pruned during the winter. Unlike many perennial plants and shrubs that can be pruned now, it is best to wait to prune lavender until after bloom in spring or in early fall before any danger of frost.

Does lavender come back every year?

Lavender is a Low-Maintenance Perennial

And this beauty will come back to your garden every year, for about 3-5 years, so it's a great investment. What is this? Before you make any plant purchases, however, I want to remind you to always choose plants that thrive in your plant hardiness zone.

How much can you cut back lavender?

After the plant is done blooming in the summer, cut back 1/3 to 1/2 of the new growth, being careful not to cut any branches down to the leafless wood. If you're too nervous to cut it back that far, then you can try deadheading lavender instead.

Where do I cut back lavender?

Prune right after the first flowering and again in late August after the last flush has faded. Cut off about 2/3 of the plant's height or to just above the bottom two sets of leaves on each stem. Take care not to cut into the woody part of the plant which can cause damage.

How do I prepare lavender for winter?

If your plant will be inside for the winter, keep it in a cool, non-freezing location with sunlight and air circulation. Slow down watering of plants. Lavender prefers a dry soil, and the amount of rain that naturally falls will be sufficient for the plant.

What month does lavender bloom?

Lavender Blooming Guides

Flowering typically occurs as early as May (in areas with mild summers and winters) with another flush of blooms in June followed by another flush of color in late summer or fall.

Can I prune lavender in February?

Our school of thought on Lavender clipping is to do it twice a year: A light trim in late February / early March - right about now at the time of posting. A hard trim after flowering, sometime in August.

How do you deadhead lavender?

Does lavender regrow after winter?

Key Takeaways: Lavender does come back after Winter if they are planted in the appropriate climate. French and Spanish lavenders are not cold hardy and may not come back after a cold Winter with freezing temperatures whereas English lavender can tolerate cold climates and grow again in the Spring.

Can I leave lavender outside in winter?

English Lavenders are cold hardy and can be left outside over winter. Non English lavenders will only survive winter in mild climates and need to be transferred into pots and brought inside over winter. Prepare your lavender for winter by pruning them into a mound shape that resists winter weather and tidy away leaves.

Why is my lavender turning GREY?

The lavender plant often turns gray due to fungal infections. Make sure to not overwater them. This Mediterranean plant grows best in warm conditions. During winter when it is exposed to cold weather, it turns gray as a result of frost damage.

Why does lavender go woody?

“If left unpruned, plants become too tall, woody and gappy, splay open and finally collapse,” she explains. “For plant health and longevity, it's best to maintain a compact, rounded shape, or for a lavender hedge, a nice undulating 'caterpillar'.

Do lavender plants spread?

Lavender is a small shrub that usually grows 20 to 24 inches tall and wide. The height includes the flower stalks, so when not in bloom, the foliage may be only a foot tall. The plant does not spread as thyme, oregano, and other herbs tend to.

How many times a year does lavender bloom?

It often blooms twice in one season. Lavandins (L. x intermedia)—a hybrid of English and Portuguese lavender (L. latifolia)—are generally larger plants that bloom only once per year, later in the summer.

Does lavender flower twice?

If it's pruned lightly just after its first flowering, it will likely flower again in late summer. After this second flowering, a full pruning—typically in late August—will prepare it for winter and encourage more blooms in spring.

How do you harvest lavender so it keeps growing?

The flowering stems can be harvested while in bloom or snipped off after the flowers fade to keep the plant tidy. Leave the foliage over the winter to protect new growth from frosts, then in spring trim the plants fairly hard to prevent them from becoming leggy and bare at the base.