If the heads are spent, you can certainly cut them off - whether you save them for seed or use as scent - not only just dry sachets but making lavender oil too. Lavenders are fairly short lived shrubs - normally 3 to 5 years before they are past their best so decent dead heading ,pruning and mulching ( to encourage new growth ) help them along.
@bertrand-mabel@phillipasmith2 thank you both! How far down the stem from the head do I cut? Should I wait until seeds are on? Not sure what to look for or would you chop off now? Do some people leave them on as they are? Thanks again 😀
You cut the whole flower stem off down as far as the new leaf growth. Once the flowers are finished, they aren't helping your plant. You can then use the flower heads as you see fit - if they are completely dry then you can crumble the whole head and use as @bertrand-mabel described or you can use them to make a Lavender oil. If some of the flower heads are still "fresh" but you want to tidy up the whole plant ( or you snip off by mistake ), then take them indoors and pop them in a vase to enjoy the fresh scent. Once you have removed the flower stems, check for any dead stems/branches and remove those too. If the base of the plant looks a bit sparse, you can encourage new growth by spreading some decent gritty soil around the base and give it a good watering. The effect may not be instant but it should help your plant for next year. If you have sufficient fresh growth, you could always try your hand at Cuttings too
Do I just leave the lavender with the spent heads in like this or should I be cutting them off/down? Thanks! 😊
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Lavenders are fairly short lived shrubs - normally 3 to 5 years before they are past their best so decent dead heading ,pruning and mulching ( to encourage new growth ) help them along.
You can then use the flower heads as you see fit - if they are completely dry then you can crumble the whole head and use as @bertrand-mabel described or you can use them to make a Lavender oil. If some of the flower heads are still "fresh" but you want to tidy up the whole plant ( or you snip off by mistake ), then take them indoors and pop them in a vase to enjoy the fresh scent.
Once you have removed the flower stems, check for any dead stems/branches and remove those too. If the base of the plant looks a bit sparse, you can encourage new growth by spreading some decent gritty soil around the base and give it a good watering. The effect may not be instant but it should help your plant for next year. If you have sufficient fresh growth, you could always try your hand at Cuttings too