Thanks to its compact, lush growth and numerous, intensely scented flowers, lavender is an ornament for many gardens and balconies. However, to ensure that the plant still looks pretty and blooms vigorously even after many years, it must be pruned regularly.
Lavender lignifies with age
Lavender bushes require a vigorous pruning every year to keep them compact and continue to develop fresh shoots and flowers. On the other hand, if you let the plants grow uncut, the lower - older - branches will become woody and the lavender will become bare. In addition, the bushes literally fall apart and lose their beautiful, bushy shape. Branches that are already lignified will not form new shoots and therefore no new flowers, nor will they sprout as usual after pruning.
Rejuvenate lavender properly
You can only prevent the lavender bushes from becoming woody and thus bare by regularly cutting back the plants. This is particularly important because old, poorly cared for lavender is very difficult to rejuvenate. Since it is a subshrub (and not a perennial, as some have assumed), a radical pruning only means that the plant is very likely to die. You should therefore never cut into woody parts, because the bush will no longer sprout from it. All you can do is cut off soft branches and hope that the lavender will then sprout vigorously again.
Cut lavender
When cutting the woody lavender, do the following:
- Using a sharp and clean tool, prune any soft shoots by about two-thirds.
- Never cut into the old wood.
- Exception: you have to remove diseased or dead branches.
- You can also remove individual branches to give the bush a regular shape.
The best time for such a topiary is early spring, even before the first new shoots develop. You can do a second cut in the summer as soon as the lavender has faded. Then cut back the bush by about a third. However, this pruning should not be carried out later than the beginning / middle of August, otherwise the plant will lack the strength for the winter.
tips and tricks
When cutting in spring, you should make sure that a few centimeters of the shoots and leaves from last year remain. This will make it easier for your lavender to push through in the new growing season.
IJA