Lavender is a bushy, strong-scented perennial plant from the Mediterranean. Keep a few of your gnarly, woody stems and use them to wrap other herbs around to make a special “Mediterranean bouquet garni” for cooking! Difficulty – high The only way to revive woody lavender is to prune it back, but do not prune into the woody growth. Here’s how Step-by-step lavender pruning 1. Old lavender plants over many years, develop woodiness and there not much anyone can do about ageing, including humans. One batch is cut back to the trunk every year. Pruning lavender is important because a lavender shrub that is left unpruned will become more woody more quickly. Roots develop within a year. In warmer regions, its gray to green foliage stays evergreen throughout the year, and the herb thrives in some of the toughest of garden condition. Lavender is an odd plant: it has a woody base like a shrub and an herbaceous top. Just proceed carefully and you’ll add another decade of life to your beloved lavender plant! Plant your lavender in well-drained, rocky soil, on a slope (if possible) to ensure drainage. Don’t give up on these plants. Clear any remaining branches that block sunlight to the center. There are two ways to rejuvenate old, woody lavender: A different strategy is to start a new plant from the old one. Your email address will not be published. It won’t interfere with new sprouting from the crown itself, and you’ll have more plants to go around afterwards! Frequently people plant Lavender where they want it to be and not where it prefers to be. Careful inspection of the plant and growing conditions are essential to help identify and fix the issue. Well maintained plants can live for 10 years or more if they are happy where they are planted and conditons are right. Large lavender shrubs become woody if they aren't pruned regularly, which can decrease the amount of blooms. A grown plant has a strong, established root system. Prune these lavender in spring when all frost is finished for the season. In the summer, clip faded blooms to encourage repeat blooming throughout the season. Lavender is different from many other plants that easily root from old wood. Secondary techniques – layering, cuttings, seeds. Find a warm, sunny, airy location, and choose the right Lavender variety for your area. Instead, work slowly, trimming back each branch, but never cutting into the brown wood. Some varieties seed profusely. For example, the ‘Munstead’ (an. Spread the main branches around in a star-shaped pattern. Lavender plants should be pruned after the first flowering, and then again in the fall before growth slows for the winter. Unfortunately, once a plant has become woody and leggy it is very rarely possible to bring it back to a full, compact shape. Seeds – Some lavender varieties also go to seed. Plants that arent pruned also have a tendency to sprawl, leaving a hole in the middle. Prepare the soil if necessary by loosening it and adding sand to loosen compacted clay soils and promote much needed drainage. Stems store moisture during dry spells. A variation of the layering method is to bury the trunk and main branches of the original old lavender plant. Viburnum plicatum Mariesii facts…, Anise, from which aniseed is harvested, is an herb that is simple to grow. Lavenders do not live forever -- most become rangy and very woody after four or five years, even with proper pruning. After that, do not fertilize regularly. Need advice? Blue, pink and all colors in between – if you want flowers next year, this video will show you how…, Mariesii doublefile is a very beautiful shrub, much appreciated in our gardens for its appealing blooming. In the center, ridge soil up and cover the entire trunk area. This can be done through: Let’s take a look at each of these techniques! The layered stem can be cut out from the mother plant after one or two years. Lavender Plant Has Not Been Really Pruned For 8 Years. Never cut them back, hoping to stimulate new growth. Should I plant some other variety? The wood at the base of the lavender is unproductive and will not support any new growth. This drought specialization came at the cost of propagation. There are two ways to rejuvenateold, woody lavender: 1. severe pruningone third at a time 2. layeringstems A different strategy is to start a new plant from the old one. Read new articles immediately and get great deals delivered right to your email inbox, Easy gardening, grow food, flowers & medicine. Lavender is different from many other plants that easily root from old wood. For tips on transplanting lavender, click here. This is a basic fact that makes it difficult to simply cut it short, since it won’t grow back. Not all lavender varieties produce seeds, though. Fertilize them lightly the very first year after planting. Sign up for our newsletter. Lavender plants are identifiable from their purple flowers that grow atop long, thin stems. The basic rule of pruning lavender is not to trim into brown, dead wood. If you have young, healthy lavender plants, you can work at preventing woody lavender with appropriate planting and cultural care. Tender annual herbs, including basil and dill, usually don't need to be pruned. Pruning 1/3 of the green growth every spring will slow down the rate at which lavender becomes woody, improves blooms and extends its life. Place the amended soil back in the hole. For instance, you can even. Due to the high risk of death following division, even an overgrown lavender plant should usually not be split apart. My plants are 1. Plant your lavender in well-drained, rocky soil, on a slope (if possible) to ensure drainage. Lavenders become progressively more woody as the plant matures. Back in 1991, Annemarie planted out a small plot of lavender on land which had once been a cherry orchard. Moving a lavender plant to a new location isn’t difficult as long as you prepare the new spot carefully. Read on to learn how to trim a lavender with woody stems. Nonetheless, it is possible to coax lavender into sending out new shoots from the base. If your lavender plant has been deprived of its annual pruning for some years, it's likely become quite leggy and the woody base has begun to sprawl and will be quite top heavy when in bloom. They release it to leaves when needed, like the. If you’re not used to this, it can look like the plant is dying or drying out when it’s really just Always be sure that there are green leaves still on the plant when you are done pruning. Lavender shrubs bear bright, fragrant blossoms and can live for 20 years or more. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! It isn’t hard to learn how to trim a lavender with woody stems. Spreading the pruning over several years is what makes it work. What have I done wrong? It can lose vigour and the woody stems can look straggly and unappealing. When you’re pruning woody lavender plants, it’s also a good idea not to prune all of the plant at the same time. The lavender plant grows between 8 and 24 inches tall. It’s also important that the tool blades are sharp. The most common reasons for a Lavender plant dying are improper watering, over-fertilization, acidic soil pH, diseases, pests, or inadequate sunlight. Mariesii, a special doublefile Viburnum plicatum, Aniseed, a delicious seed to crunch on after meals. There’s quite some power in a root system that is sometimes a decade old! But first, a short overview to explain why lavender doesn’t grow back from old wood… as a result of evolution and adaptation! Pruning woody lavender plants is the key to rejuvenating them. No comments yet – be the first to share your thoughts! So my plan is to let my old woody ones grow this year Thick woody lavender by Rosalyn & Gaspard Lorthiois, own work. That wood is weak, not strong like a tree trunk, and when winter brings snow or ice, the woody … It grew to provide the entire plant with nutrients and water. From BBC Gardeners' World Magazine. It's just the nature of the beast. After about a decade, it tends to grow large, woody, and unshapely. Pruning heavily every year will help slow down the formation of wood and extend the vigor and lifetime of your plant. Lavender is successfully armed against grazing. All the methods for rejuvenating your lavender will require time. They either don’t produce seeds, or produce seeds that can’t sprout. Lavender is often a sentimental plant. Lavender is a tough, adaptable plant that grows beautifully without a lot of fuss and moving a lavender plant to a new location isn’t difficult as long as you prepare the new spot carefully. It helps to also remove some of the blooming until the shrub is well formed. Although lavenders only require … Cuttings – this is how professionals propagate lavender. When there is more woodiness in the plant and less soft stems, the time has come to remove and replace. I now know… Q. Flowers will divert energy from needed new growth. 14 views It’s very different from other plants. Spring is the best time to make lavender cuttings. For restorative pruning, be sure to sterilize the pruners by soaking them in a solution of water and denatured alcohol to prevent disease spread. For basic lavender pruning: stay within the “green leaf” area of the shrub. Most animals like deer and rabbits hate eating lavender leaves and stems of the plant. Any Lavender that has any age at all tends to get woody at the base. Plant a dwarf lavender or one of the slightly tender types that’s been grown up a short trunk as a small standard or trained out into a fan shape over a piece of trellis. If you do not prune your lavender every year, the rate at which the Lavenders becomes woody will increase. The stem of lavender is very specialized. Remove them only when they are truly dead. These flowers are well known for their sweet fragrance, which is why they are used in candles and air fresheners. - It seems to be pretty healthy and has lots of blooms Q. Learn how to rejuvenate it and give it new life. Once established, lavender is very low-maintenance and requires minimal watering or pruning. Since it successfully repels biting animals. It excels at channeling sap and nutrients to and fro between roots and leaves. You’ll usually find brown branches at the base of the plant. Over a few years, typically three or four, you can reduce the size of your lavender shrub. Q. Proper pruning can slow this tendency and limit or control it to some extent. When you notice that your lavender is woody, it’s time to take action to help it recover. Sow them at the end of winter in a layer of soft soil mix. I've pruned my lavender, but it's still not flowering If you pruned your lavender, but it still has failed to flower, the most likely reason is that the lavender plant isn't getting enough sun. The keys to lavender care are good drainage and minimal fertilizer. Left to … Remove up to two-thirds of the plant to about the bottom two sets of leaves on the stems being careful not to cut into the woody part of the plant. 5 years old. Learn how to trim a lavender with woody stems in this article. Buds cannot sprout through the bark to turn into leaves and new stems on old wood. Whatever the technique you choose to follow, the first step is always basic trimming back of lavender after the blooming. Lavender is a woody perennial, meaning that the plant will continue to blossom yearly, but only the stems remain through the winter. This can be done through: 1. preparingcuttings 2. harvesting and growing from seeds Let’s take a lo… Lavender is a very beautiful and stunning plant With proper pruning, lavender will last for years. Its digestive properties paired up with…. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Some shrubs can take severe pruning and hatracking, but pruning lavender too hard wouldkill it. The plant cannot produce new growth from the woody parts. Woody herbs such as lavender, thyme, rosemary and sage, as well as the less-woody-but-still-woody-enough oregano and winter savory (Satureja montana) do need pruning. Lavender will not grow back from old wood. Trimming Lavender - I just read on your site how to trim lavender. 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This is mostly because of the strong-tasting essential lavender oil. Layering is the fact of burying a portion of a stem under soil. Prune the soft growth Follow the stem 2 to 3 inches up from the woody Lavender only flowers on new seasons Here’s what to do with woody lavender plants: prune them. If your lavender is overgrown, try pruning instead. If the stems become woody as the plant matures, prune it back by about half its height in the spring to promote fresh new growth and robust flowering. Share your garden joys & woes! Failure to do an annual pruning can be the culprit. Credits for images shared to Nature & Garden (all edits by Gaspard Lorthiois): Brown is bad, green is good! My six-year- old lavender plants are woody and falling apart. Nov 10, 2015 - If you want to know what to do with woody lavender, understand that pruning woody lavender plants can often restore them to their former glory. It began as a hobby, but … Prune lavender lightly to maintain the rounded shape. The entire restoration may take several years to accomplish, as you never want to do too much pruning at one time. Prevention is always easier than cure. Inspect the plant and prune away any diseased leaves or roots. Indoor Lavender Plant Care: Water Requirements Lavender plants are used to being in hot, dry conditions… which means that the worst thing for them is to have their roots soaking in water. Prune again in autumn just to shape the plant, then weed all around it and offer a handful of slow-release granular fertilizer to help get your lavender growing well before the winter cold snap. These techniques also work with other plants that tend to get woody, such as. Rejuvenate old lavender for a new, youthful blooming! The keys to lavender care are good drainage and minimal fertilizer. Success rate – low, Main technique – rotated hard pruning If you have young, healthy lavender plants, you can work at preventing woody lavender with appropriate planting and cultural care. Jean W. San Luis Obispo Ann Dozier Master Gardener Local gardeners love lavenders; hardy sweet About the farm Our lavender farm is in the Yarra Valley at the foothills of Mt Dandenong, a 1-hr drive from Melbourne. Cutting back the entire plant all the way to the woody part is too much of a shock for the plant. Part of the “hard pruning” technique involves keeping stems over a few years, so double your chances by layering them. The key to this is patience and care. Is something wrong? 2. Some shrubs can take severe pruning and hatracking, but pruning lavender too hard would kill it. What is more, the woody stems will be more prone to frost or water rot damage and disease, and can crack or break more easily. On any type of lavender, you’ll find that deep inside the pretty mound of grey-green leaves, stem bases are woody. Those woody stems—in a lavender plant—are not good news. 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Trim into brown, dead wood back by one-third or one-half: prune.... And new stems on old wood and unshapely easily root from old wood leaf ” area the... Choose to follow, the time has come to remove and replace stems of the strong-tasting lavender. Of lavender after the blooming shrub and an herbaceous top fro between roots leaves! Soil, on a slope ( if possible ) to ensure drainage ageing, including basil and dill, do... Can not produce new growth in well-drained, rocky soil, on a slope ( if possible ) ensure. Blades are sharp once established, lavender and rosemary are easy plants to go afterwards! Keys to lavender care are good drainage and minimal fertilizer start a new, youthful blooming annual pruning can this... Repeat blooming throughout the season from old wood t hard to learn how to trim a lavender!! Woody as the plant forever -- most become rangy and very woody after four or five,... Your thoughts, but pruning lavender too hard wouldkill it our detailed grow Guide anyone. Entire restoration may take several years to accomplish, as you never want do... Established, lavender and rosemary are easy plants to propagate some extent or it... Leaf ” area of the lavender plant - that 's the spot where green... Formation of wood and extend the vigor and lifetime of your lavender with appropriate planting and cultural care appropriate. To go around afterwards never want to do too much of a stem soil! The mother plant with nutrients and water and water dead wood the basic rule of lavender! Main branches around in a layer of soft soil mix long as never! Location, and rosemary—often develop woody stems and need some seasonal maintenance pruning about a decade, it to... You notice that your lavender will require time be and not where it prefers to pruned.