Pruning. ... Australia Ph: 1300 133 100 Fax: (02) 9484 5111 Before you prune your lavender you need to identify which type you have planted in your garden. Uses . Pruning Lavender is Essential Chris Mulder, Barn Owl Nursery In my experience, I have found that pruning lavender plants in the spring and summer, and lightly in September, helps them to look and grow better, over a longer period of time. Although pruning lavender at least twice a year is a must, once established lavender becomes drought-hardy and requires very little maintenance. Professional growers prune lavender bushes with a sickle, but clean, sharp hand clippers are also effective. When to Prune Lavender. Lavender in the tropics Prune regularly. English Lavender; French Lavender. Is there a right time for pruning French Lavender. Camellia is a very popular plant that can really enhance the look of your garden with its beautiful foliage and magnificent blooms. It tolerates soils with a pH between 6 and 8. Red Line: Never cut down to wood base. How to Prune Kangaroo Paws. Our five year old lavender out of control in 2020. Below are three common types of lavender planted in UK gardens. They grow the healthiest in hardiness zones 9-11. If new growth has already come in by several inches, you may need to wait until harvest or risk losing many of your flowers. Australia's largest farm producing lavender oil is the Bridestowe Estate near Nabowla in the north-east of … Site selection . Favor pruning only on young, tender shoots rather than old, hard wood. Pruning lavender is all about ensuring that this perennial plant thrives year after year. PRODUCTION OF LAVENDER . Trim in early January. Pruning. Pruning Lavender Plants . As stated, prune early in the spring. Italian lavender has two brightly coloured wings at the top of each flower, while the French variety has serrated leaves. Late winter is an ideal time for pruning many trees and shrubs because they are dormant and it is easier to see what needs to be pruned. At the end of winter, prune as you wish, but follow the rounded shape of the plant. Toothed lavender is the other common name for this long-lived, trouble-free lavender, referring to the serrated leaves which makes it easy to identify. A good pruning every year will make for a more beautiful plant with better flower and scent yields while giving you more control over the plant’s size and shape. Generally the best time to prune lavender is once the flowers have faded, so now sounds good. French lavender is shorter-lived and less hardy, so more likely to be affected by frost or poor weather. How to Prune Camellia. Lavender comes in three main types, English, Italian and French. Pruning lavender in late summer to fall helps open the plant’s interior to allow good air circulation and also removes some of the branches, which can ultimately help prevent winter damage. Ideal techniques and timing will differ between varieties, however the general rules still apply. Pruning in late-August or early autumn will encourage good air circulation, which guards against rot. Prune back after flowering, avoiding pruning into old woody growth. When to prune lavender. In most parts of Australia it benefits from added lime at planting and again, when established, in autumn or spring. A light prune after the main flowering flush followed by another during late summer will encourage a bushy habit. Delay pruning, and the plant has an opportunity to form older (eventually woody) growth that won't respond as well to pruning. It’s important not to prune lavender into hard wood or it may not grow back. The oils from lavender, lavandin and spike lavender have long been used separately, and in combination . People tend to think about lavenders as a summer-flowering shrub but they flower beautifully in winter and spring, attracting bees to your garden. In New Zealand, autumn is around March to May. Autumn Your Garden mag from the library as it had this lavender all over the front page and it states that the French Lavender is always in flower so you can prune anytime. Pinch back newly planted Lavender plants. Lavender With Love was created as part of an ongoing Australian breeding program. Avoid cutting off old growth, because those branches rarely send out new shoots. Woody stems can split and shorten the life of lavender plants. There are different schools of thought on how to trim lavender plants. Prune right after the first flowering and again in late August after the last flush has faded. Lightly trim the outside, green tips for a neater, more compact look. Pruning Though this plant doesn't require a significant amount of pruning, you can pinch young Mona Lavenders regularly to help encourage branching and the growth of fuller, bushier plants. When your lavender plants are still young, begin pinching tips of new growth; the plants will respond vigorously with dense branching that will help form a good shape. Kangaroo paws are an eye-catching plant native to Australia. Mauve flowers on long stems are held above the foliage in winter and spring. Summer is the main time to prune lavender plants after the flower harvest. How to Prune Lavender Varieties. Autumn is the time of the year to take care of your lavenders. Lavender Varieties. Top Lavender Tips in the Subtropics. If you're growing lavender as a hedge, prune lightly in summer. Cut off dead flowers to help prolong flowering periods. They are known for their sword-shaped leaves and fuzzy, colorful flowers. It needs to be properly pruned yearly to maintain its appearance and avoid large woody stems. mistymorn July 19, 2005. Prune large lavender bushes back each spring to control their size, but don't remove more than one-third of the height in a single year even if the plant is badly overgrown. You can trim once per year, as long as it's a hard trim (see below for details) We think our advice to trim twice a year is the best way to keep English Lavender (L. angustifolia) looking plump and compact for years: this is how most people want it, especially for a hedge. Prune plants after the main summer flowering period to keep them looking tidy and dense. The English variety is known as true lavender and is the most popular with home growers. Excellent for warmer, humid areas. Ideally, pruning lavender in spring and fall is a great idea, if … Just be sure to do your best to protect your Mona Lavender from the afternoon sun, as this is a plant that can not thrive in the hottest months of the year. If your climate zone has mild winters, you can also trim your lavender bush in fall. The technique in this post is for English lavender, not French lavender but the method is similar. Lavenders are native to windswept areas of the Mediterranean coast so they respond well to pruning and can become leggy and woody at the base without it. In areas where lavender has died or is dying due to poor drainage or flooding, but where dry conditions are the norm, consider replanting it into raised beds as is done on lavender farms. Our lavender was one year old in this photo from July 4th, 2016. Perennials & Annuals - Australia. I would wait until after winter to prune it back when frost is not an issue. Mona Lavender can be frost tender, so best not to cut it back coming into winter, as the soft new growth will be more susceptible. 1: Full sun 2: Good drainage 3: Sweet soil pH 7-7.5 4: Prune little but often is best in place of one big prune 5: Choose appropriate varieties and species 6: Use a fertiliser high in potassium and phosphorus for good flowering The other side of our 5-year old lavender. Conduct two good prunings a year, after flowering, to cut back half of the current season’s growth.