table of contents
- Annual pruning
- Rejuvenation cut
- Clean the flowers
- Crop cut
- frequently asked Questions
Of the Coppy lavender (Lavandula stoechas) is a popular ornamental perennial in summer due to its flower shape. It has a long flowering time, which can be extended with proper care. Has your topped lavender faded? We explain the optimal pruning.
In a nutshell
- Cut back in early spring
- reduce by a maximum of 1/3 when pruning annually
- Regularly cut back what has faded
- To rejuvenate, cut back to just above lignified areas
- remove entire shoots when pruning
Annual pruning
The potted lavender is perennial if it is not overwintered too cold. It can withstand temperatures down to -5 ° C and is wintered in early spring when there is no more severe frost. After hibernating, it's time to divide and clean the lavender.
If the pruning is omitted in spring, this can lead to the plants becoming bald, which makes the coppy lavender look withered. Neglected lavender bushes also develop fewer flowers, which is why pruning should be done in spring.
Instructions for cutting:
- Clean the cutting tool beforehand
- Shorten shoots by 1/3
- Shorten deformed shoots significantly
- Completely remove diseased or dried up shoots
Do not wait too long with the annual pruning, as this will reduce the willingness to flower. The period from March to mid-April is ideal for pruning. This gives the lavender enough time to form new shoots and does not start to bloom too late.
Rejuvenation cut
If pruning is not carried out regularly, it can happen that the lower part of the coppice lavender becomes lignified and bald. If you need to rejuvenate the lavender, wait until just before it blooms. A time in early summer is ideal, because the formation of flowers is stimulated by different hormones in the plants. These hormones also encourage the formation of new shoots from the old wood.
When rejuvenating, you shouldn't cut into old wood. When rejuvenating, the lavender is shortened to just above the old wood. Also remove the flower bases that have formed so far. The radical cut is intended to stimulate the formation of new shoots from the old wood.
Note: After a strong pruning, the Schopflavender takes a long time to recover and the flowering usually stops during the season. Therefore, you must not start the rejuvenation cut too late so that the plants are strong enough again to overwinter in autumn.
Clean the flowers
Trimming out faded inflorescences extends the Lavender blooming time. With a little luck, you can extend the duration not only by a second, but even a third flower.
It is not always easy to tell when the coppice lavender really has completely faded. The distinctive "tuft" is wrongly interpreted as a flower. However, there are only several bracts, which makes the lavender more attractive to insects. The flowers themselves sit directly on the ear. These are small, dark purple to almost black lip flowers.
The topped lavender has faded when the ears are already dry to the touch. Most of the time you can still find remnants of the individual flowers, but no new buds form on the ear. Then at the latest it is time to prune, because the formation of seeds costs the plant an unnecessarily large amount of energy.
Instructions for pruning the flowers:
- Preferably use narrow rose scissors
- Clean the scissors
- Inflorescences branch up to the leaves
- shorten some shoots by 1/3 in dense plants
You should clean out the inflorescences by August at the latest and cut back a little deeper. Thereafter, at most the ears with the flower stalks are removed.
Tip: The bloomed inflorescences of the crested lavender still look very decorative. You can still dry out the inflorescences completely and use them for dry bouquets.
Crop cut
The Schopflavender is mainly used as an ornamental plant, but is also used as a herb for seasoning or dried for scented sachets or Potpourris can be used. Both the flower and the leaves can be cut off for this. For harvesting, the cut can be made between May and August at any time, but make sure that the ears are still covered with lots of fresh flowers.
If you remove leaves, shoots or flowers for the harvest, it is important to ensure that they are pruned correctly.
Instructions for the cut:
- use sharp scissors
- Preferably make cuts at an angle
- Carry out the cut after several dry days
- always remove whole shoots
When removing flowers, cut at least as deep as you would when pruning back withered inflorescences. If you only need a few leaves, remove the entire shoot anyway. Otherwise, the baldness in this area is promoted and the coppable lavender no longer looks beautiful.
frequently asked Questions
Yes, you can propagate the potted lavender using cuttings and also use suitable shoots from the pruning. A shoot should have a length of at least 10 cm and be strong or strong. be healthy. Cut the shoots diagonally with a sharp blade and remove leaves in the lower third. The shoots can be rooted either in the water or directly in the earth.
The formation of seeds always costs plants a lot of strength. If you want to propagate the French lavender from seeds, you should leave a maximum of three to four inflorescences. Usually there are enough seeds in it to propagate the lavender and it costs the plants fewer resources. Once the seeds mature, cut back the shoots.
No, you are shortening the inflorescences that have faded to the maximum. A strong pruning could cause the shoots to die deep inside. The poppy lavender is very sensitive to temperature and can be damaged even in a protected winter quarter if it is pruned too much in autumn. In addition, open interfaces in the winter quarters offer the opportunity for diseases to penetrate through them.