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Gardening

Anyone growing Lavender?

(29 Posts)
Minty Thu 05-Sept-13 18:02:40

Now is the time to cut flowers of most lavenders,always difficult when the bees are still visiting them.
I leave one of my bushes until it gets a little cooler and the bees have finished,it is so important to allow them to carry on nectar gathering as long as possible as it has been a difficult few years for them.
When cutting back don't prune to hard as often they will not shoot from old wood, cutting can be taken now until October.

merlotgran Thu 05-Sept-13 17:04:32

You can cut off the spent flowerheads and trim the lavender to a neat shape as far back as the old wood.

Now is an ideal time to take cuttings and if you're not sure how to do it there are loads of helpful clips on YouTube.

Gally Thu 05-Sept-13 17:02:21

I have quite a number of lavender bushes at the back of my house, in fact they are all I can see from the kitchen as they have grown so huge this year. The bees have been going crazy all summer - shortage of bees? What shortage! They are still buzzing around and making the most of what pollen
is left. I have cut some bushes back already as far as the old wood. After their first summer (2 years ago) they flowered until the end November so I didn't cut them back until the following spring; last year I did it in October and it looks as if it will be earlier this year. I too am a novice when it comes to matters horticultural!

mrsmopp Thu 05-Sept-13 16:01:56

It's been a lovely summer for the lavender this year. It has been teeming with bees and I'm happy to encourage them. I love the scent and find it very relaxing in the room - I put the dried flowers in a pot pourri (is that the right word?) anyway a bowl of lavender in a room smells lovely.
When do you cut your lavender back and how far do you go? I'm wary of being too brutal with it. also, is now the time to take cuttings?
Didn't do much gardening when I was working so most is new to me.