We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. French lavenders are short-lived and usually only last for five years. The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. Look for new growth spouting through near the base of your plant and cut an inch (2.5cm) above the new growth. The basic rule of pruning lavender is not to trim into brown, dead wood. Lavender was first introduced into the UK by the Romans where it was used for its antiseptic properties. But deep at the centre of this moulded shrub, it is trying to turn to wood. We recommend that you cut your lavender back around September time ( between 10:00am – 11:00am on September 15th!) Lavender is an evergreen shrub that looks like a perennial plant because most of its growth is soft and green. English lavenders suitable for hedges and edges. Laver is Latin for wash and the flowers were strewn into water, between linen and on floors. How to Prune Lavender Varieties. As an aromatic, it has a sweet fragrance with a taste of lemon or citrus notes. Give them a very gentle trim after the first flush of flowers has faded, often in late June, but don't ever cut them back hard. Find out more about pruning French lavender. Pruning in late-August or early autumn will encourage good air circulation, which guards against rot. Credit : Photo: GETTY IMAGES A reader writes about lavender trimming: Aim for a tidy, rounded mound of foliage (that looks good in winter, too). Prune these lavender in spring when all frost is finished for the season. These fast-growing perennials require little upkeep and are very easy to grow. The handsome, later flowering lavendins (Lavandula x intermedia) make fine individual specimens for the edge or corner of a border. Unlike humans, pests such as mice, flies, mosquitoes and moths cannot stand the smell of lavender. Timely pruning also reduces the risk of damage from an early night frost. Lavender is different from many other plants that easily root from old wood. Pruning lavender. English lavender is identified by its single, leafless stems and compact spikes of heavily scented blossoms. There are many reasons why lavender could be a good choice of plant for where you live. 'Hidcote' - neat, dark purple flowers (50 cm/20 in), 3. Like to advertise with us? once flowering has finished. This prolongs the flowering and creates new growth the following April/May. It’s important to prune a few months before winter sets in to prevent frost and breakage from the snow. 01:42. Prune back after flowering, avoiding pruning into old woody growth. However, they do benefit from an annual prune as this will help maximise flowering and keep your plants looking nice and healthy. The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. A drought-tolerant plant that likes a sunny dry spot and thrives in borders, pots, herb or gravel gardens. During the Black Plague, which hit London in the 16th century, lavender oil and alcohol were taken as a way to ward off the disease. Lavandula stoechas (French lavender) are easily be identified by the colourful ear-like tufts topping the flowerhead. Take lavender cuttings from all your varieties every June and July. New shoots will quickly appear at the base of the bush and these will have enough time to grow and harden up before winter comes. Lavender Hidcote in flower: they should be pruned twice a year if you want a good strong bushy plant. Pruning Lavender for winter should be done at that same time as you harvest the second round of blooms usually mid to late October. In the language of flowers, lavender can mean devotion, luck, success, happiness or distrusts. Laver is Latin for wash and the flowers were strewn into water, between linen and on floors. Flower spikes are longer as well, and they have a graceful taper. If new growth has already come in by several inches, you may need to wait until harvest or risk losing many of your flowers. French lavender is a nice alternative to common lavender thanks to its very original flowers.. Key facts for French Lavender. It isn’t just dead-heading your lavender. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. You can prune at harvesting time and prune to shape in early spring. English lavender blooms in late spring to early summer, and if you lightly prune after its first flourish of flowers it will more than likely bloom again in late summer. Prune your Lavender plants just as the new growth begins, cutting back as to leave some new shoots at the base of each branch. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. You may also want to give your lavandin a trim throughout the growing season as it produces longer stems than the English and French varieties, making them suitable for use in your home as a cut flower. It has needle-like silvery leaves and bears short, upright spikes of flower in midsummer. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Follow us. All lavenders bloom on the stems that grew in the current year. The Nectar from lavender plants is used to make high-quality honey. My French Lavender plant is only 14 months old, and it's lovely and bushy and a mass of flowers. 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. Pruning your lavandin in early spring will keep your plant from getting too leggy. However, lavendins are less hardy and, therefore, you never cut back hard into the bare wood. Before you prune your lavender you need to identify which type you have planted in your garden. Look out for these appearing through the surface of the soil. English Lavender; French Lavender. This can be done through: 1. preparingcuttings 2. harvesting and growing from seeds Let’s take a lo… Many people keep bunches of lavender in their homes to repel unwanted animals. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. The 'tufted lavenders' have a flag-like petals at the top of each thick flower spike and they are often labelled Spanish or French lavenders. French lavender may suffer in severe a UK winter with hybrid and cultivars being categorised at hardy levels H4 (hardy-average winter) or H3 (half-hardy). A well-pruned angustifolia has a life expectancy of over 20 years without becoming too woody. Pruning in late-summer or early-fall encourages good air circulation, which guards again… It will kill them. This will kill birds two with one stone, by cutting off any winter damage to your lavender and will also give your lavandin the desired shape and insight as to the direction of the new growth. Pruning with the goal of improving future flowering is best done as soon as the flowers have faded. How to Prune French Lavender. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. French and Spanish lavenders should be … The best time to prune lavender is after flowering, but this plant is forgiving. While pruning in spring can delay flowering, it is a good time to trim away dead or damaged parts. Lavandula x intermedia (also known as lavandin) is a hybrid that is a cross between English and Portuguese lavender (Lavendula latifolia). There are many different types of lavender, but most fall in one of two categories: English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) or French lavender (Lavandula dentata). Trim them under the leaf node, remove the lower leaves and plunge them into a 50% compost-and-horticultural-sand mix. Newly planted or very young plants need a chance to establish themselves, and in order to do this, they need to be able to focus on growing roots. Join the RHS today and get 12 months for the price of 9. When to Prune Lavender. Pruning Lavender All Lavenders need to be cut back. Name – Lavandula stoechas (GB) Name – Lavandula dentata (USA) Family – Lamiaceae. Regular pruning twice a year gives your plant time regenerate fresh flowers and … In the fall, after the second flush … The main objective for pruning your lavender is to slow down the transformation. The best time to prune lavender is in autumn. Join the RHS today and get 12 months for the price of 9 If you have stoechas lavender (French, with the butterfly flower heads) cut back around half the green growth in March. If you're planning a traditional English garden, read our guide to designing a cottage garden. The material is for general information only and does not constitute investment, tax, legal, medical or other form of advice. Give your garden a makeover and save money at the same time with a special Thompson and Morgan offer of 10% off. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place. 'Seal' -a taller lavendin with purple flowers (100 cm/39 in), 2. Pruning to … 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. Find out more about attracting. Pruning your English lavender every year will keep it in good stead for many a year. Native to the Old World and is found from Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, Europe across to northern and eastern Africa, the Mediterranean, southwest Asia to southeast India. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Lavender wood is very weak and is prone to splitting under snow, ice and water-rot. Visit the Saga Garden Centre to buy plants online. When to Prune Lavender This will depend on what sort of pruning. Soil – ordinary, well drained Foliage – evergreen Flowering – June to August A good pruning every year will make for a more beautiful plant with better flower and scent yields while giving you more control over the plant’s size and shape. In March, shampoos and skincare products wood, as this will help maximise flowering and keep your plants nice! Taller lavendin with purple flowers ( 100 cm/39 in ), 3 becoming woody. 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