HERBS > LAVENDER > PRUNING
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Lavender is a not bad choice for many gardens , as it is not only a beautiful florescence plant but also a utile herb .
Lavender is not usually challenging to grow , and as long as you choose the right spot to uprise it in , it is low - maintenance and requires small care .
However , to keep lavender felicitous and good for you , it is safe to prune your lilac-colored plants ( at least lightly ) every yr .
“ How to prune lavender is one of the questions we get expect most often , ” explain Julia Snowball , the Head Gardener at Yorkshire Lavender .
When it comes to pruning lavender , this guide explain all you need to know .
Do You Need To Prune Lavender?
“ Pruning lavender is the best agency to keep them looking fresh and levelheaded and to avoid them getting too woody , ” says Nick and Lyndsay Butler , possessor of Lavender Fields , a specialiser farm based in Hampshire .
Woody stems tend to look less attractive , and there will be less green maturation over time , flowering will be reduced and the plant wo n’t expect as skillful .
Furthermore , woody lavender flora are more likely to endure frost equipment casualty or damage due to waterlogging .
By dress your lavender plants , they wo n’t get woody as chop-chop and will stay dark-green , sizable , resilient and flexible for retentive .
A woody and straggly lavender bush is usually best replace since lavender wo n’t regrow well from older wood .
When To Prune Lavender
Lavender is well pruned annually , as Julia shares :
“ Lavender bushes should be dress p.a. to stop them becoming big and woody .
“ I recommend pruning after florescence , but you should definitely not dress any subsequently than mid - September . ”
ordinarily , you should only remove a little material and not hard prune back to wood .
“ trim the flora once a class is also all-important for long liveliness and skillful efflorescence , ” part Charlie Byrd , owner of Cotswold Lavender .
“ Cut at the oddment of the summer to permit the plants time to go back before they go dormant for the winter . ”
We ’d recommend express out this occupation in August or in September , once the flush have finished blooming on the plant .
“ However , for later flowering lavender , includingLavandulaxintermedialike ‘ Old English ’ , you should cut back the following outpouring , ” says Julia .
To determine exactly when to prune , look at the flowers of the lavender plant .
By this time , they should be wearisome and grey and bee and other louse will no longer be buzzing around them .
When most of the heyday change in this way , this is the best time to prune .
How To Prune Lavender
The actual appendage of pruning lavender is very simple .
Take some clean , acuate secateurs and remove the unfolding stems , then cut back the current season ’s development while check that at least a small invigorated increment remains .
“ Prune all English Lavenders in the same way , ” explain the Butlers .
“ English varieties should be pruned to about 2 - 3 cm above the woody stems of the plant life .
“ This may look harsh , but it will keep the plant healthy and insure you retain the nice tight figure of the plant . ”
“ Always insure that there are fleeceable shoots below where you cut off , ” add together Julia .
With English lavender , you could be more vigorous in cut back than you could with other types and should not be too doubtful if you desire your plant to persist healthy and attractive for as long as potential .
Personally , I like my lavender to calculate less clipped and more lifelike .
A more organic look make better on a woodland garden fringe , in a wildlife - friendly surface area , or ina natural - look cottage garden .
Since my lavender is on the sunny edge of my wood garden , I prune only light .
If you choose a formal , neat or modern-day look , you might like to prune back harder and keep a more neat and clipped coming into court to your lavender , as long as you do n’t cut back too hard .
“ Do n’t trend into woody material , ” Charlie warns .
“ They really do n’t wish that at all and will often go bad as a upshot . ”
Of course , a neater look might also suit you if you arecreating a lavender hedgeand do n’t just have stand - alone plants .
As you’re able to tell from the above , pruning lavender is indeed a fairly simple outgrowth .
Just commend not to prune back too voiceless to old woody growth , and in all honesty , you could not go too far wrong .
A clean prune each twelvemonth will keep your lavender good for you and get strong and it should flower well for you over a number of years .
