▷ Growing lavender: how to take care of it and when is the best time to prune it

Lavender has won the hearts of many Lithuanians, but for some, growing it still seems like a complicated matter. After all, with some they look great and look great, while with others they are constantly poor. What mistakes not to make and how to properly care for lavender, on the LRT show “Here is my garden” tells of a lavender farm “Lavender Village” landlady Jūratė Kregždienewho has been growing these plants in the Vilnius region for 12 years.

We teach you not to get lost among the many types of ornamental plants “Plant composition laboratory”. In these online training courses you will learn what principles should be followed when combining plants with each other and what mistakes are better not to make.

Buy seeds or grow lavender yourself

To grow lavender, you need conductive soil and a sunny location. If you have such conditions in your flower garden, half the work is already done.

The easiest way to buy lavender is by seedlings. You can also sow, but here you will need more skills. Jūratė states that the germination rate of locally grown seeds is higher than that of imported seeds.

Jūratė does not recommend another method: dividing the mature spell into parts. The owner of the lavender farm claims that it will not be possible to successfully divide mature bushes, so it is better not to risk damaging a beautiful bush.

Because the same lavender can look different

Growing and caring for lavender determines how it will look. Even those growing next to each other can be different: one is round, the other is stretched out, one is full of flowers, the other is half withered. There can be many reasons, for example:

In that place the snow remained too long after the winter,
A shadow falls from a tree or buildings,
Water constantly flows from higher places,
Not pruned after flowering – then the snow causes the inflorescences to fall,
Fertilizer has leaked from nearby fertilized plants: risk of over-fertilization.

When to prune lavender

Pruning lavender will extend its lifespan. Unpruned lavender quickly becomes woody and eventually stops producing inflorescences.

You should prune lavender at least once a year, but ideally it would be done in two stages:

after flowering at the end of summer,
adjusting the shape of the bushes again in spring.

Prune after flowering when flowers are fully open. Jūratė notes that this time is different every year. One year he cut lavender on his farm in mid-August and the next year only at the end of October. It depends on temperature fluctuations and other factors, so it is important to observe nature’s signs.

Well, prune lavender in the spring after the threat of frost has passed. If, after cutting them outdoors, the temperature suddenly drops below freezing, the cold could damage the living part of the bush and you may not get flowers that year.

If the lavender has not yet survived the frost, do not rush to immediately pull out such bushes: first check whether their roots are still alive. If you see new green shoots growing from inside the bush, cut the damaged branches low and wait patiently for the lavender to re-emerge.

How to prune lavender

Regularly cut lavender becomes more beautiful and expressive. When pruning, shape the bushes at the same time. photo Lina Lubertaitė

The owner of the lavender farm tells how lavender should be pruned correctly:

Grab the bush with one hand and use a sharp shear to cut the branches down to the woody part of the bush.
Don’t cut back too much lavender – leave a green portion of the bush to give the branches something to grow from.
When cutting the tufts, shape them at the same time, trying to give them a nice round shape. Then the lavender will become even more beautiful.
When lavender is pruned in the fall, it often produces another shoot until winter. In spring, once the danger of frost has passed, also prune the newly grown branches.

How to dry lavender

Today, many already know that lavender flowers can be dried to make tea, but did you know that lavender leaves are very suitable for flavoring meat dishes? Their flavor is very similar to rosemary, only much more delicate.

If you cut lavender to dry, pay attention to the following tips from Jūrate:

Lavender must be dry when cutting.
Remove the leaves from the branches with your hand and leave the flowers. Dry the lavender leaves separately on paper and use them as a spice in cooking.
Tie clean lavender sprigs into bunches and hang them upside down to dry.
It is important that the dryer is well ventilated and that the lavender itself does not receive direct sunlight.

Lavender is a spectacular perennial. Growing lavender is not that difficult if you know a few essential things. They really deserve to be admired, so create a piece of Provence in your plot. Thanks to Jūrate Kregždiene, who invited us to his lavender farm “Lavender Village” and in the show “Here is my garden” shared valuable knowledge!