Fall is in the air, and for lavender farmers, that means one thing: time to prune! You may be asking yourself, “Do I need to prune my lavender?” The answer is, unequivocally, yes. Read on for tips and tricks of the trade!
Why should I prune my lavender?
Lavender needs to be pruned back every year to keep the plant base compact and healthy, and give you the chance to shape it to a nice mound. If you don’t prune the lavender, it will grow misshapen, “leggy”, and split at the base as the branches get longer and heavier. Once this happens, it’s almost impossible to save the plant. The only way to keep this from happening is annual pruning.
When should I prune my lavender?
The best time to prune your lavender is in the fall, at least 6 weeks before your first frost date. In our part of the country, that means we start pruning the fields as soon as we’re done with the essential oil distillation at the end of September, with the aim of finishing by mid-October.
If you stumbled on this blog after the window for fall pruning has passed, don’t despair – you can still prune lavender in the spring! Check out our blog Lavender Care: Spring Pruning – (the basic principles are the same.)
Okay, I'm in! How should I prune my lavender?
Do not be afraid to prune! Like most plants, pruning is necessary for the health of your plant. Think of it like a lavender haircut (rather than a punishment) and don’t be timid. The only tools you need are disinfected scissors or sharp knife, and garden gloves to protect yourself from the splinters and sharp wood at the base.
Most garden blogs/advice say to leave an inch or so of green on the plant and never cut into the wood. This is good general advice, but sometimes it’s necessary to cut back a little more harshly in order to shape a plant that grew heavily on one side (usually facing the sun), or perhaps one branch that had Olympic Dreams and excelled past all the others and is reaching for gold outside your preferred perimeter. Don’t be afraid to cut the occasional section or branch back into the wood if you need to shape it. I promise you won’t kill the plant as long as you’re not lopping all of the branches off at the base.
Step 1 (prepare): To begin, cut back any old stems that you haven’t harvested (a few inches above the wood). This isn’t really pruning yet, but it’ll give you a better sense of the shape of the plant.
Step 2 (find center): Step back and above, and determine the center of the plant (it may not be where you thought.) Draw a large imaginary circle around the center of the plant. The perimeter of the circle is where you’ll prune – so leave 1-3” of stems, depending on how you need to shape it to keep it centered.
Step 3 (prune sides): Prune back/shape the plant so that the branches are evenly extended from the actual base/center.
Step 4 (prune top): Take an eye level view (on your knees), and prune the top, about 1-2” above the wood.
Step 5 (prune top edge): Finally, cut at a diagonal (ish) angle along the top edges to round the plant.
Step 6 (last looks): Step back one last time and prune any final bits and bobs to shape the plant. We recommend aiming for a gumdrop shape.
Lavender Pruning Pro Tips
Here are some tips to keep in mind while pruning.
- Stop and step back frequently as you prune, to make sure you’re still on track and shaping around the actual center of the plant.
- As a general rule we find that most home gardeners tend to prune their lavender too lightly, allowing the plants to grow too much each season. Do not be afraid to prune heavily if necessary to control the size and shape.
- Try to avoid cutting the wood itself, but again, do not be afraid if you have to cut back a section or branch in order to reshape the plant.
I just planted a tiny start this spring/summer – do I still need to prune it?
Yes! In fact, the first 3 years of life are the most important time to prune your lavender. You want to heavily prune and shape young lavender plants for two reasons: 1) It helps develop a tight, compact, shaped base that will keep the plant healthy for years to come, and 2) Pruning in the fall drives energy away from the plant surface and down into the roots, which is what you want for the winter. Young plants especially benefit from being reminded “don’t put out new flowers, now it’s time to grow your foundation.” By pruning, you are helping them grow strong and survive their first few winters until they are established.
In the picture above, compare the pruned plant in the foreground to the un-pruned plant behind it. As you can see, we give even our baby youngsters an autumnal buzz cut. As long as you aren’t cutting into the woody part of the plant (too much), you won’t hurt the plant. We promise. Now get your scissors and get out there! Your lavender will thank you.
2 Replies to “Lavender Care: Fall Pruning”
Bridget Frascella
I have just begun to grow lavender this year 10 plants with dreams to have a field full but I am sadly down to 9 and fearful that it will soon be 8 because one has died. The branches began to brown at the base and the green leaves did not continue to grow. I have another one doing the same but still has green ends at the top. I thought it was water logged but when I dug it out the roots were dry and short. Any suggestions on how to save the others ?
Rebecca Olson[ Post Author ]
Bridget – I’m so sorry to hear that! I’m afraid that I’m not sure what the issue could be. If the other 8 plants near them are thriving, then chances are your watering and soil drainage are correct. It sounds like the roots didn’t develop, but without being there and seeing the plant, it would be very difficult to know why. I’m definitely not a master gardener or soil expert. There are a few (very rare) fungus that kill lavender, and a common soil pathogen phytophthora which kills a lot of lavender (but that presents as root rot and/or crown rot, which doesn’t sound like what you have.) It is possible you just got two plants that weren’t healthy even though they appeared to be when you bought them. I would contact the nursery where you got them, and ask for their advice/opinion on what to do. Hopefully they will offer replacement plants for you. Best of luck!