I was replacing mine every other year because they would die out in the center of the plant during the winter and looked terrible.

Thanks seamommy and annie. that means I'll have to dig out my old plants. Looks great still but they are well past 4 years. I do start lavenders thru stem cuttings too Annie. But this time around I want to try Provence and Grosso.

I never replaced mine. Been here at least 15 years. I cut them back heavily in the spring as they get very old and woody. The new growth comes in and they look fabulous.

Annie- You divide your lavender? I asked about that on the herb forum and was told you couldn't divide lavender, that it would be like cutting a tree down the middle. I was kind of surprised, since I figured it was probably like any other perennial...and mint divides very easily.

I have Hidcote lavender, which looks like it would divide well. Maybe they thought I had french lavender or something. I'm going to try it with one of my plants, if it's worked for you :)

Well, don't cut the main stem in half. That would be like cutting a tree down the middle.

Instead, take branches (suckers) off at the bottom IF they have roots attached. Otherwise, just take cuttings. They root in 4 weeks.

Older Lavender bushes will have more than one trunk, so when you dig them up, you find several individual plants that had just grown twisted around each other. These you can divide and replant.

Like Rita stated, in early spring, before new growth takes off, cut them back short and they will bush back out with new growth upon which you will get the blooms.

~Annie

Thanks Annie :)

I've started new lavenders from cuttings but I never knew about division. thanks Annie.

I do normally cut back my lavenders and note that I do so only after the last frost date because pruning earlier would be leaving it exposed. Lately though some have produce lousy blooms. Time to replace these.

I grew Lavender Lady from seed and that seems to come back for me better than other varieties I've tried. I have clay s*oil and lavender hasn't been easy to grow. I also cut mine back after the first growth shows or they get pretty lanky.

Does anybody grow Hidcote lavender?

I have to move them to another bed in a few weeks, so I'm going to see how many roots they have. When I planted them last year, all the pots were pretty rootbound. That's why I thought they could be divided, but I'll check, when I move them :)

Ive grown Hidcote , Munstead and Lady from seed, I would like to try some of the elegance series at some point.

All do great with a late wintersowing for me..

I have not experienced any die back in the centers, but its only been 4 years here.. I would probably just winter sow some more instead of trying anything else.. but thats me...

{{gwi:656498}}

Silverkelt

I like tall lavenders. However I'm open to getting contrasting colours. Blues on Blues. I have munstead, grosso and will get provencal... Any other lavenders I should think of.

I do the same as NewYorkRita -- I don't divide or replace, but I cut them down HEAVILY in the Spring and they bounce back with good, strong new growth.

I start my lavenders every year in winter via wintersowing. My oldest one is 8 years old and I just prune it back heavily in late winter. I have grown Lavender Lady, Hidcote and Munstead - I can't get enough of it and could never throw a plant away - lol. I think I will try some cuttings just to get more .....

Lynne

Would it be too late in zone 6 to try cutting back and old Grosso lavender bush? Can you cut it back to the ground?

Lois in PA

Lois, it's actually better for us in colder zones to prune in spring time. This is because lavenders need their branches to protect them from frost and we usually experience later frost dates compared to those in higher zones. (Right now in Ontario we have freezing tonight). Frost can kill these plants.

Don't cut the plant completely to the ground. I suggest keeping 5 inches all around. It should rejuvinate by May.

Definitely not too late to trim back Lavender. Cut it back to around 4-6 inches or bigger if you want. Within a few weeks you will see the new green growth coming up all over the center.

I have not had to replace any of mine but I think it's because I do trim it back in the spring some.

Cher

I'm conflicted because on one hand, I want to plant a 'field' of lavenders and yet I love having many other plants in the same area.... I need ideas for what kind of tree to plant amidst the lavenders. In France that's likely the olive tree which won't grow here. Other than a russian olive which is a pest tree, what other choices are there? any suggestions?

ianna~I think a small weeping tree would like nice, like weeping redbud. There is even one called 'Lavender Twist'! :)

Prairiegirlz5 -- OMG how pretty that tree is! It absolutely works. Thank you, thank you. I'll start searching for that tree now.

Ianna

well I checked on the lavender twist redbud -- unfortunately it's not going to work in my zone.. Too cold. I'm just 1 zone up.

Are there any other trees people can recommend? It obviously cannot be a full shade tree. must be small and twisty too.

Prairiegirl- That is a beautiful tree! I checked a few websites (I'm always interested in anything lavender) and both said zone 5. One even said it did well in -23 F. I'm tempted to try one in my cold area :)

Here is a link that might be useful: lavender twist redbud tree

Lavender, I had checked this out with the local garden centre and I was told this tree is borderline in a CANADIAN zone 5 which is the equivalent of US zone 4. However I also told that in my zone, it must be kept in a protected area. Unfortunately my area is quite exposed to strong wintery winds, wet wet snow and deep deep freezings. So at the cost of CAN $249 - $400+ (depending on size) it would just be too risky for me.

Oh...that keeps me out. I don't usually spend more than $20 on any plant! Even my roses :)

I just planted (in Jan) some french and spanish lavender... I wanted to have a patch of them with my roses, basically. Should I be cutting them back at some point,... or...? (do I wait 2 years...?) I'd love for them to get really big and right now they're pretty small. Sorry for what is probably a silly question, I don't know much!

should I try some other types of lavender in there, too?

I live in Southern California, SouthWestern zone 18, (zone 9-10)

Lavender, If I were you, I'd still be on the lookout for this tree. It all depends on size. Smaller is cheaper. I suspect the preice I was given was on the high end. There's nothing more satisfying when you can get a bargain.

Ianna- I agree :)

I usually look for trees in the fall, when the nurseries are getting ready to close. The selection isn't as good, but the prices are much better! Plus, in our area, the soil is warmer in the early fall (much too cold in the spring) so it's a better time to plant trees.

Lavender, instead of searching in your nurseries, look for the tree supplier. Garden centres are merely middle men looking to sell these things. You might be able to find good bargains that way. I also like going to market places where you have no idea what people would be bringing in.

Aimeekitty, -- your lavenders will grow large in no time and all you will need is yearly prunnings to keep it in shape and large. You can also propagate lavenders easily from cuttings.

Ianna- Those sound like good ideas. I'll have to see if we have either of those around here. Last year my mom got some great deals (my garden spaces weren't ready yet) at a nursery that had road construction in front all summer. They didn't sell as many plants as they had hoped, so they had a great sale in the fall! Mom got a beautiful dwarf apple tree :)

Yeah, just one of my little tricks of finding bargains. Yours is a good trick too. Look for centres that may be open for a bargain. I know people will disparage large huge box stores including Walmart, but they do get their products from the same suppliers as your local garden centres. Some garden centres like mine do put in a hefty top up on plants they sell.

ianna~Too bad. I didn't realize you were in Canada, how much do they cost in the States? Can you grow mulberry, there is a weeeping form of that, it may be hardy. I don't think the weeping one fruits.

prairiegirlz

I know what you are referring to. Seems all my neighbors have one but it's not exactly what i'd like. I like the twisty trunk shape of the plant you proposed - never mind if it flowers or fruits. anyhow, no worries. I'll figure it out. The garden centre I approached just contacted me again saying that the lavender redbud tree might be suitable for my area after all but I'm going to be cautious about this. I'm surrounded with as many as 5 garden centres and so I could approach each one to see what they think.