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Post by gale w on Oct 21, 2016 4:19:54 GMT
I have some lavender plants that I planted about a year and a half ago. I have not pruned them yet but I know they need to be pruned to grow properly. I found a site that said it's not supposed to be pruned until the 2nd year. I have not pruned them this year and wasn't' sure if it's too late in the year to prune or if it's okay to do so now. The sites say to do it in early spring but in early spring they hadn't been in the ground for a year so it wasn't the "2nd year" yet. I could have sworn another site said you could also prune in late fall but now I can't find that website.
I'm in zone 5b if that matters. They are actually blooming now because of the weird weather we've been having.
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Post by KB on Oct 21, 2016 9:25:29 GMT
Hi gale w, I am not an expert  My lavender seems to thrive best when I prune it during the same time it is flowering. I noticed that you are in Indiana so I googled the care there and it is basically the same as here, in California. THIS SITE has a lot of great tips. Good luck, it is always so nice to have fresh lavender! |
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Post by kkooch on Oct 21, 2016 12:34:35 GMT
I am one of those gardener who has never followed rules and my plants have always flourished. The lavender that I have is super old now and have always just chopped it whenever it needed it which is traditionally weeks after the flowers have died off or I should say it has gone beyond when you would harvest it and all those little nubs (whatever they are called) open as flowers and then die off. That's when I prune it. So I do it a couple times a year.
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hanushka
Full Member
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Sept 27, 2016 20:54:24 GMT
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Post by hanushka on Oct 21, 2016 13:47:31 GMT
I'm in zone 5b too...like kkooch I don't usually follow the garden rules either!  I don't know what advice to give you, though. They will probably be fine whether you prune them off now or wait until early spring/late winter. I can't believe they are still blooming in mid October! How lovely! |
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Post by gale w on Oct 21, 2016 19:50:53 GMT
Thank you all. I think I will prune them and dry them somehow. I want to use the prunings for something. They smell really good and the flowers look really bright on this gloomy day.
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seaexplore
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Apr 25, 2015 23:57:30 GMT
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Post by seaexplore on Oct 22, 2016 4:17:00 GMT
We took our massive lavender plants down to the ground, only stumps left and they're back. I can't kill the stuff! Everything else in the yard dies on me but not lavender! I'm in CA and i think DH hacked it all back in very late spring,
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Post by hop2 on Oct 22, 2016 13:14:23 GMT
Lavender grows wildly here, I'm 'bad' and I hack it down whenever it annoys me. I probably shouldn't let it get so big in the first place but I'd be pruning it 3x a year and I'm lazy so it grows, I hack it off, it grows back almost faster. I have I've been doing it in spring because it's near a more tender plant and I just arrange it to protect that plant thru the winter. I get a long much better with my white lavender (hybrid) it grows much more reservedly lol. It's in its 2nd year for me now and no where near 'hacking off' so I'll gently prune a few places in spring. And it's pretty with the white color. I think it's safe to trim it in fall. But I'm no where near an expert. I just haven't killed any of mine.  |
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eleezybeth
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Jun 28, 2014 20:42:01 GMT
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Post by eleezybeth on Oct 22, 2016 13:23:06 GMT
I had a similar situation. Then summer came and they just looked mangy. I left them and waited until the ones with blooms were full bloom. I "harvested" them. That way I didn't feel so bad about not knowing if I should prune them. LOL! I hope they come back in fuller and not so leggy. Guess we will see what happens next year...
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My lavender seems to thrive best when I prune it during the same time it is flowering. I noticed that you are in Indiana so I googled the care there and it is basically the same as here, in California.
I don't know what advice to give you, though. They will probably be fine whether you prune them off now or wait until early spring/late winter. I can't believe they are still blooming in mid October! How lovely!
