It is best to cut back French lavender in the fall season, after the flowers have finished blooming. The lavender should be cut back to about 8 inches above the ground. You should remove any dead or diseased stems, as well as any that are crossing or rubbing against each other.
The best time to cut back is on a dry day when the temperature is above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Avoid cutting back in the spring as this can promote leggy growth. For best results, lightly trim the same area of the plants each season.
Always use sharp, clean gardening shears and be sure to wear gloves when cutting back lavender.
How do I prune French lavender?
Pruning your French lavender is essential to maintaining its beautiful shape and encouraging new growth. Pruning should be done in late summer/early autumn when flowers have finished blooming and also in early spring before new growth begins.
Firstly, cut off any dead or diseased stems with a pair of secateurs. Then, to encourage bushiness and prevent your plant from getting too leggy, trim off about ⅓ of the top foliage of the plant. Doing this will encourage new lateral stems to form and help the plant become morebushy.
It is important to make different sized cuts, some shorter and some longer, to give the plant a more natural appearance and to ensure that light can reach the inner part of the bush. When finished, give the pruned areas a light fertiliser spray to ensure that they can grow back healthy and strong.
Do you cut back French lavender in winter?
Yes, it is recommended to cut back French lavender in winter. French lavender (Lavandula dentata) is a herbaceous evergreen perennial, so it should be pruned in late winter or early spring to help keep it healthy.
Pruning encourages new growth and helps to maintain the desired shape of the shrub. It also keeps the plant from becoming overcrowded with old foliage and helps to prevent diseases like powdery mildew or fungal leaf spots.
Start by cutting off old, dead, or withered stems and removing any foliage that looks diseased. Prune each stem back to a healthy node or bud, cutting back to just above the first two sets of leaves.
This will encourage more bushy, full regrowth. If you are pruning in late winter or early spring, be sure to wait for any danger of frost to pass before pruning. It is also important to avoid over-pruning, as this can actually cause more harm than good.
Can I prune lavender in October?
Yes, you can prune lavender in October. Pruning lavender can help promote healthy new growth and prevent disease. To get the best results, you should wait until after the plant has finished flowering to do your pruning.
Lavender should be pruned back to its first set of leaves. The goal is to thin out the plant without sacrificing the current season’s growth. Make sure to remove any dead wood or woody stems, which can be identified as dry, brown stems.
Prune out these stems as far back as needed, but be sure to avoid removing any of the green growth of the shrub. An overall shaping of the shrub can be performed at this time as well. To keep the shrub compact, this pruning should occur annually.
What happens if you don’t prune lavender?
If you don’t prune lavender, it can become overgrown, causing the stems to become spindly and the flowers to get choked out. Additionally, if you don’t prune, the stems may become crowded and dense, leading to less air circulation, which can make the plant more susceptible to disease and pests.
Pruning lavender also encourages new growth, which makes for a more aesthetically pleasing plant. When you take the time to prune, this helps keep your lavender healthy and ensures that blooms will appear more frequently.
Additionally, lavender requires deadheading, which is the removal of spent flower stems and buds. This helps encourage additional blooming. If you don’t do this, the lavender won’t look as aesthetically pleasing and its blooms will become less frequent.
Does French lavender repel mosquitoes?
Yes, French lavender is known to repel mosquitoes. While there is still a need for further scientific research to confirm the effectiveness of French lavender oil specifically as an insect repellent, numerous anecdotal reports suggest that when applied topically or used in a diffuser, French lavender oil may effectively repel mosquitoes.
Additionally, numerous studies have shown that oils derived from the Lavandula species of flowers—including French lavender—contain compounds with insect-repelling properties, and can be used to safely ward off some insect pests.
If you’re considering using French lavender oil as a mosquito repellent, it’s important to note that it may be most effective when combined with other natural ingredients that have insect-repelling properties.
Citronella oil, for example, is another commonly used natural ingredient to help ward off not only mosquitoes, but other insects as well.
It’s also important to remember that even if French lavender is used as a deterrent, some mosquitoes may still find their way onto your skin. To provide additional protection, you should also use other measures, such as wearing light-colored clothing and using mosquito netting when necessary.
What to do with French lavender after flowering?
After flowering, French lavender can be trimmed back to encourage new growth. This should involve removing any dead or diseased portions of the plant, as well as any old flowers and stems. When cutting back French lavender, it is important to make sure not to cut too far down into the plant itself, as this can cause damage.
When trimming, look for the lowest set of healthy leaves and then cut back the stem to just above the leaves. Doing this encourages a neater looking plant with lots of fresh growth.
To keep your lavender looking healthy, ensure to give it plenty of sun and water. French lavender prefers well-drained soil, so adding compost or other organic material as a soil amendment will help it thrive.
As with most plants, deadheading spent flowers is also beneficial, as it redirects a plant’s energy into growing new blooms rather than developing seeds. Additionally, in winter it is important to protect your lavender with adequate mulch, as they are not cold-hardy to extreme temperatures.
Does lavender continuously bloom?
No, lavender does not continuously bloom. Lavender blooms in late spring and early summer and typically produces flowers that range in color from light pink to deep purple. After blooming, the plants will produce foliage throughout the summer and fall, but they usually won’t bloom again until the following spring.
However, some varieties of lavender will bloom once more in the fall, producing smaller but still colorful blooms. Proper care, such as regular pruning and fertilizing, can help lavender to thrive and may even encourage a second bloom.
Additionally, lavender plants can be forced to bloom early or out of season with careful manipulation of temperature and lighting.
Can you cut lavender all the way down?
Yes, it is possible to cut lavender all the way down. As a general rule, it works best to prune or cut back one-third of the old stems and leaves during the early spring months. This helps to promote new and vigorous growth, while still allowing the plant to maintain its overall shape and size.
It is important to never remove more than one-third of the plant, as this could damage the plant, and even kill it. Nevertheless, if necessary, it is possible to cut lavender all the way down to the ground.
In this case, it may be necessary to prune back more than one third of the old stems, but the remaining two-thirds should remain in place for optimal regrowth. Be sure to also make sure to remove any dead or damaged stems, as these will not produce good new growth.
Does lavender grow back?
Yes, lavender can grow back after it is cut. While there are some varieties of lavender that are not hardy enough to survive the winter temperatures, lavender is relatively easy to propagate, making it easy to bring it back year after year.
Division is usually the best way to bring a lavender plant back, as it only requires its root structure to be divided and started in different parts of the garden. If a lavender plant goes for too long without being divided or pruned, it can become too tall and top-heavy and may not survive the winter temperatures.
Pruning annually or bi-annually is a great way to help the lavender survive through the winter. Propagating lavender can also be done with cuttings, seeds, and air-layers.
Should lavender be cut back in the spring?
Yes, lavender should generally be cut back in the spring. Pruning lavender helps maintain the health of the plant, stimulates new foliage and growth, and encourages the development of large, fragrant blooms.
Pruning lavender also prevents it from becoming overgrown and unruly in appearance. It is best to prune lavender in the early spring, before new growth starts. To prune lavender, use sharp pruning shears and cut off about one-third of the height of the shrub.
Be sure to cut off any dead or damaged branches and prune the lavender in a rounded shape, never straight across. Regular pruning helps keep the lavender looking neat and encourages growth. In addition to pruning, it is important to remove spent flowers from the lavender to keep it blooming all season.
Is French Lavender Hardy?
Yes, French lavender (Lavandula stoechas) is hardy and can survive in many different climates. As noted by the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), French lavender is winter hardy in zones 7-11. This means that in these areas, it can handle temperatures as low as 0°F (-17.8°C).
French lavender is tough and will survive temperatures as low as -10°F (-22.8°C). In fact, it prefers cold climates, as it can be affected by humidity. Thus, it will do well in places that have cold winters and hot summers.
However, if you live in a colder climate, such as zones 5 or 6, French lavender might not be the best choice. It still might be able to survive in those areas, but it will most likely need to be in a slightly warmer spot and protected with a light covering or blanket during freezing or frosty nights.
It’s also important to note that French lavender prefers slightly alkaline soil and less frequent watering, so if your soil is too acidic or too moist, it might not do as well.