Prune lavender in very early spring. How to hard prune lavender. She has made many strides in attracting local wildlife and increasing biodiversity on the site. (Using rooting compound increases the chances of success, but is not essential to the process. Wipe down the blades of your pruning shears with rubbing alcohol or bleach to make sure all bacteria and potentially harmful germs are removed from the blades. You may also cut back the spent blooms, or deadhead, after the plant has finished flowering. Taking a low, woody branch of your lavender plant. Cut back up to one-third of the leafy section of the stems, shaping the lavender into an evenly rounded mound as you prune. (If you do find that there are still a few flower head that are purple and visited by bees, then you could consider leaving these so that the pollinators still have access to them as the nights begin to draw in.). The toughest semi-shrub around, every sunny garden needs this heavenly scented staple. Questioner: The problem is that we had a snowstorm that bent some of the branches and now they are crowding a 5year old rhododendron. Pruning lavender can be very crucial to how it will turn out and whether or not it will eventually thrive like a plant. Prune established plants heavily, pruni… Pruning lavender is a relatively straightforward process, as long as you keep plant health and requirements, aesthetic and practical considerations in mind. Once the plant has reached the desired height, the pruning strategy changes and top growth is taken off to promote bushiness and the Dr. Seuss-like ball of growth on top. If you want to prune lavender, this is a job to get on with in August, or early September, once the flowers are finished for the season. Avoid cutting into the woody stem bases. She has filled the rest of the garden with a polytunnel, a vegetable patch, a herb garden, a wildlife pond, woodland areas and more. Podcast episode, Nicole Sanchez, Toni Stephan, Scott Thiemann, Brooke Edmunds | Pruning lavender is important because a lavender shrub that is left unpruned will become more woody more quickly. After the flowering season ends, prune back the shrub by one-third its original height with grass-shearing scissors, advises Mountain Valley Growers in Squaw Valley, California. Keep an eye on the underside of your topiary form especially, because stems tend to dangle down as they grow. Podcast episode. First perform the regular, basic pruning for lavender. This may not be necessary, though it can help to keep plants healthy and full. Here are detailed instructions on how to prune back your Lavender to keep its shape, encourage repeat blooming and to maintain vigor. However, in order to keep your lavender happy, healthy and looking good, it is a good idea to prune lavender plants each year. Join now. Lavender is usually pruned after flowering in the late summer, though some books will also recommend pruning in the spring. Pruning Lavender Plants . Information about garden planning, maintenance, cleanup, pest management, houseplants and indoor gardening for the month of November. When it's time to prune your lavender, regardless of its variety, tailor your pruning to the age of the plant: Start pruning your lavender plants while they are still young. Want to learn more about this topic? While the plant is in bloom, usually in mid-summer, gather up the flower stalks and once again prune the plant back to 2 - 3 inches above where the soft, green growth begins on the lower part of the plant. Not sure but would really like to not lose my plants if possible. The best time to prune lavender is after all chance of frost has passed, so that would be early March or so. Second Year Lavender Pruning . Follow us. She is undertaking ongoing work for NGO Somalia Dryland Solutions and a number of other non governmental organisations, and works as an environmental consultant for several sustainable companies. A good rule for your "green" thumb is — brown is bad, green is good. When pruning lavender, it’s important to start out with a sharp, clean set of pruning shears. Prune to the preferred shape and size in early autumn, as the lavender tree grows quickly and may become too large for available space if not kept in check. Can my bushes bounce back after hot, dry winds? Apple scab is a significant problem in the climate of the Pacific Northwest. Ask an Expert is a way for you to get answers from the Oregon State University Extension Service. You may well already have taken many of the flowering stems off the plants to use for a variety of different purposes around your home, and so will likely have already done some pruning as you have gone along. They are about 5 years old and have not bloomed yet. If you have a lavender bush that has become woody and poor then it is best to replace it as lavender does not grow readily from old wood. 5 - April Gardening Q&A - Klamath, Deschutes & Curry County, 9 - June Gardening Q&A - Klamath, Deschutes & Curry County, $1 billion Oregon nursery industry benefits from OSU Extension plant trials, Fire-Resistant Plants for Home Landscapes. She has created booklets and aided in the design of Food Kits to help gardeners to cool and warm climates to grow their own food, for example. And, your ‘new’ plants (perennial, I assume) should be planted in the fall. The important thing is simply to make sure that you do not cut right down to old wood, as if you do, the lavender may not readily re-grow. Heather Stoven, Andony Melathopoulos, Neil Bell | Recommends controls and spray timings. We have experts in family and health, community development, food and agriculture, coastal issues, forestry, programs for young people, and gardening. This encourages the plant to branch, and grow. Then the back arrow to return to the Educational Gallery home page. The basic rule of pruning lavender is not to trim into brown, dead wood. While some plants can go without pruning, lavender likely will refuse to flower next summer if you don't prune it (and, let's be honest, it's all about the fragrant flowers with lavender). Rates susceptibility and resistance to scab of some apple and flowering crabapple cultivars. Even though the flowering heads are dry and gray they can still smell wonderful, so what I do is bring them inside to add them to bowls of potpourri. Expert: Then prune at will! Mar 2, 2020 | Trees and Shrubs for Fall and Winter Bloom, Commercial fishing, crabbing and clamming, Local, regional and community food systems. Jean R. Natter | It isn’t hard to learn how to trim a lavender with woody stems. As homeowners continue to build in the wild and urban interface, they must take special precautions to protect their homes. Should I leave my fig leaves on the ground? If you prune them now, you’ll prune off this years blooms-in-progress, even though it may have bloomed twice in a season before. Your plant should be quite a bit larger this year, with more blooms. Use the arrows to the right and left of the photo to navigate through the photos. Bending the branch downwards, pressing that notch to the ground and making sure that it stays there, covered in soil. Also, how old are they, and have they already bloomed? She has long had an interest in ecology, gardening and sustainability and is fascinated by how thought can generate action, and ideas can generate positive change. To keep lavender plants lush and increase flower production, gardeners prune the shrubs annually. The yield from the garden is increasing year on year – rapidly approaching an annual weight in produce of almost 1 ton. Get involved. Waiting for roots to form. Pruning lavender. Dig a hole the same depth and twice the width of the lavender tree's root-ball. News story. Spring pruning is usually a light trim that is undertaken in order to remove any foliage that is frost damaged or untidy after winter. Hang the lavender bunch upside-down in a cool, dry spot. I couldn’t work out why next door’s lavender is still healthy and bushy after fourteen years. Some of my lavender bushes have barely lasted four. Pruning perennials is always dicey due to timing. The most commonly available are English (L. Augustifolia), French (L. dentata) or Spanish (L. stoechas). Video. Similarly, pruning in spring could result in removal of new growth and flower buds if done too late in the season. Visit her website here and follow along on her Facebook page here. Nov 2, 2020 | How to prune lavender When you are planting lavender, prune plants lightly, removing all growing tips and flowers. To hang your lavender to dry, use a rubber band to tie the stems together. Mar 2020 | It would be helpful to know where you are in Oregon (USDA zone), as well as what type of lavender you have. Lavender is a strong durable plant for dry, warm borders and known for flowering from spring right though to autumn. Lavender Christmas tree care. I have always been removing all the fallen leaves this time of the year as I was told that any dead leaves could give rise to increase in insects and plant diseases. You … Lavender is a beautiful and fragrant flower that finds a place in many very different gardens. However, generally speaking, people will remove the flowering stems and around 2.5cm of the length of the leafy growth, which will encourage it to grow back bushy and full. When is the best time to do that? Take care not to cut into the woody part of the plant which can cause damage. There are different schools of thought on how to trim lavender plants. Jun 2020 | Just some things to consider. Here is a good Colorado Extension article about them. 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. Pruning Lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia) Pruning your lavandin in early spring will keep your plant from getting too leggy. Flowering shrubs are also a boost to pollinators, providing nectar and pollen when little is available. Pruning lavender is all about ensuring that this perennial plant thrives year after year. Do I water them or withhold water and let nature do it’s thing? Gail Langellotto | If you begin by pinching tips of new growth when the plant and its growth are very young, it will respond vigorously with dense branching that helps form a good shape and a lot of blooming growth to work with later. I’d also observe that (1) your lavender will try to resume (or exceed) their current size in the future and (2) planting more plants between them may make them all vulnerable to fungal diseases, which happens with inadequate air circulation. Neil Bell | Good luck! Current link... Fall and winter flowers add cheer in the Pacific Northwest's rainy season. Maintenance pruning. Since moving to the property she has also rescued many chickens from factory farms, keeping them for their eggs, and moved much closer to self-sufficiency. Questioner: I believe it's an English. Dec 2020 | Learn How to Prune Lavender like a Pro Many people start to feel nervous about pruning Lavender plants. Expert: Thank you for your question. You can remove most of the new, green growth, so long as you cut above the small buds and green shoots that are forming on the lower woody material. Schedule of classes happening at the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center. 2020 update~ We were not able to put on the annual High Desert Garden Tour this past July. Regular pruning twice a year gives your plant time regenerate fresh flowers and … As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. She is a practical, hands-on gardener, with a background in philosophy: (an MA in English-Philosophy from St Andrews University). I have a big fig tree in my backyard. If the flowers on your lavender plants have lost their colour, then it is a good time to prune. Join the RHS today and get 12 months for the price of 9. An initial light pruning is performed on the entire shrub. Featured question. The lavender demonstration garden at Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center is tended by Master Gardener volunteers. Yet I followed all the advice I was given. Using a peg, or a heavy rock to hold the branch down. Use scissors or ikebana-type shears to make pruning easier. Elizabeth Waddington is a writer, permaculture designer and green living consultant. There are two ways to rejuvenateold, woody lavender: 1. severe pruningone third at a time 2. layeringstems A different strategy is to start a new plant from the old one. Pruning English lavender You prune English lavender by cutting it back by two thirds in the second half of August and you can cut into the bare wood, if needed. Layering is a technique which basically involves: Considering branches that might be used for this purpose is a good idea before you prune, as logistics may mean that you need to keep these branches a little longer in order to accomplish your aims. It’s important to prune a few months before winter sets in to prevent frost and breakage from the snow. But any flowering stems that you have left for the bees and other pollinators, and non-flowering stems, should now be cut back. The side shoots are pruned off as the plant grows up, creating a bare main stem. Pull off some of the lower leaves. Sep 2020 | When it's time to prune your lavender, regardless of its variety, tailor your pruning to the age of the plant: Start pruning your lavender plants while they are still young. This publication discusses the symptoms of the disease and the pathogen and disease cycle. OSU Extension Catalog. Thank you. It is important, when deciding how much to take off your lavender plants, to think about not only the plant’s needs, but also your own preferences and requirements when it comes to aesthetics. This is your pruning marker. 01:42. Kym Pokorny | Another thing to think about when pruning your lavender is whether or not you intend to propagate the plants through layering. Learn what shrubs and trees to plant now to brighten your garden in the months to come. Main pruning occurs in summer, after the flower harvest. Nicole Sanchez, Toni Stephan, Scott Thiemann, Brooke Edmunds | What is more, the woody stems will be more prone to frost or water rot damage and disease, and can crack or break more easily. There are different ways to prune both the French and the English lavender, each has its ups and downs, but we will discover both of them. Overall, try to prune spring-blooming plants like lavender when the first green buds appear. Every year after that, one third of the long, woody branches are cut back to the trunk. 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. In 2014, she and her husband moved to their forever home in the country. Prune for healthier lavender plants. Aug 2006 | Expert: Thank you! Do I prune them like it was fall? ‘Never cut lavender back to the wood’ is in every list of gardening dos and don’ts. Oregon State University Extension Service has a long history of assisting the state’s nursery industry. Thanks! Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mw7mEQkNTxM&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR12DRykqcNu8aqGO4a9Wlj1bGbrNlRYgDRNWp-d8k8ue0xoqESjhP5WbqQ. This can be done through: 1. preparingcuttings 2. harvesting and growing from seeds Let’s take a lo… OSU Extension Catalog, Come and explore several gardens in Central Oregon at this annual event. It can lose vigour and the woody stems can look straggly and unappealing. Thanks for joining us for another OSU Extension Garden Q&A podcast episode. Look for new growth spouting through near the base of your plant and cut an inch (2.5cm) above the new growth. You can now predict consequences! Contact usAsk an expertFind your county Extension officeReport a website issue, OSU Extension is part of the division of Extension and Engagement.Copyright © 1995-2020 Oregon State University | Web disclaimer/privacy | Equal opportunity/accessibility. I’d also observe that (1) your lavender will try to resume (or exceed) their current size in the future and (2) planting more plants between them may make them all vulnerable to fungal diseases, which happens with inadequate air circulation. How to Trim a Lavender with Woody Stems. Pruning: Prune right after the first flowering and again in late August after the last flush has faded. Copyright © 2020 Rural Sprout on the Seasoned Pro Theme, 40 Plants To Propagate From Hardwood Cuttings & How To Do It, How To Grow Peonies & 11 Ways To Use The Flowers, Annuals, Biennials and Perennials - 3 Plant Types You Need To Know. Pruning lavender. Learn how to plan, establish, and care for windbreaks, shelterbelts, and living snow fences. 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