Cutting back lavender

Posts

• Martin Gardener Posts: 70

  October 2023

  
  

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• AnniD Posts: 12,585

  October 2023

  I would just cut off the obvious dead bits and flower heads, don't touch the green bits.
  To be honest l'm not sure how they will do during the Winter, if they have extremely good drainage and gritty compost that will help.
  Are they in a fairly sheltered position ?

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• Martin Gardener Posts: 70

  October 2023

  Thanks! I'll cut the dead bits and flower heads so. 
  
  I had read that you need to cut back the green bits to avoid them getting woody. Should i do this in spring? 
  
  The are in a sheltered location and I am situated beside the sea so no extremely low temperatures. 

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• AnniD Posts: 12,585

  October 2023

  The general advice is to not cut too far back into the wood as they don't regenerate. You could cut back into the green an inch or so in view of your location, but  l wouldn't go any further. See what they look like in late Spring and take it from there.
  If memory serves me right, Monty was cutting back lavenders on this week's episode of Gardeners' World, if you haven't seen it you could maybe find it on iplayer 
  

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• Martin Gardener Posts: 70

  October 2023

  Thanks. I cut away the dead bits. I also cut back some of the green to put a bit of shape back into - as it's in a hanging basket I don't want it to get any bigger. I'll see it how it performs next year, fingers crossed 😀!
  

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• Busy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043

  October 2023

  It rather depends where you live. In the north you can cut them back in the spring, leaving the growth as weather protection. In the south you cut them back after flowering. If the autumn is mild then it's OK in the south, but I think Monty cut his a bit on the late side. I cut them back to about an inch of where the new green growth starts. They don't like being cut into the old wood but you can cut out the dead looking bits, as has been said.

  Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.

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