Growing lavender means happy buzzing bees and patches of fragrant blossoms in dusky purple. Not to mention glasses of lavender lemonade. But if your lavender is looking lush and leafy but a little light on those purple blooms, you’re not alone.
By the time June rolls around, I’m expecting oodles of fragrant purple spikes to be stealing the show. Sometimes, though, my lavender plants need a little nudge to get them going.
Here’s what I do to ensure I have plenty of lavender throughout the summer.
1. Location, Location, Location
Okay, before we go any further, I have to ask: where is your lavender planted? Because this may be the most important thing you do to ensure you have tons of blossoms.
I used to have my lavender plants in my vegetable garden along the fence. They did okay, but they would get shaded out in the afternoon, which meant fewer blossoms.
Lavender is a sun-worshipping plant. There’s really no such thing as too much sun for this Mediterranean native. It’s important to note that the recommended 6-8 hours a day is the bare minimum. If you want a thriving lavender plant with lots of blooms, it needs to be in a location that receives full sun all day.
If your lavender is in a spot where it gets dappled sunshine or gets shaded out for a portion of the day, it’s time to consider a move.
Unfortunately, there’s not a lot to be done until fall. That’s the perfect time to dig up lavender and replant it in an area that receives more sun. It’s one of the best things you can do to ensure more blooms, season after season. Granted, it won’t get you more blooms this year, but it’s worth the effort in the long run.
2. Prune, Then Don’t, Then Do Again
Lavender gets a good cleanup in early spring, just as the plant is breaking its winter dormancy. This is a great time to remove any frost damage and give it a refresh. Once the plant starts growing in earnest, though, keep your scissors to yourself.
I know it can be tempting to give it a little trim if the plant isn’t putting out as many flowers as you would wish. After all, pruning stimulates new growth, which should give you more flowers, right?
Yes and no.
If you miss the early spring window and prune in late spring or early summer, you’ll be cutting off your buds and won’t get any flowers at all.
Instead, wait until that first flush of blossoms starts to fade. That’s the time to come in with a light trim. Trimming after the first flowering can trigger a second flush.
Nothing harsh. Just imagine your lavender eyeballing you with your scissors and saying, “A little off the top, please.”
The most important thing to remember when pruning lavender is not to cut the woody growth. Only cut about 1/3 of the plant, and be sure to remove leggy growth and faded blooms. This will invigorate your lavender, and now it will produce another round of flowers.
Here’s a great article on pruning lavender in both spring and fall.
3. Put Down the Fertilizer, And Nobody Gets Hurt
Here’s the thing about lavender. Far too often, the reason it doesn’t thrive is us. We tend to fuss over plants. And let’s be honest, quite a few of them need it. I’m looking at you, tomatoes.
But in the wild, lavender is a pretty tough and scrappy plant. Just look at it. It’s a scraggly, woody shrub. The only time it looks picturesque is when we take the time to shape and prune it.
And when it comes to nutrients and soil, the leaner, the better. Lavender prefers well-draining soil, but beyond that, it does better without all the “extras” we like to add, such as compost, leaf mulch, fertilizer, etc.
Lavender doesn’t require much to thrive on its own.
If you’ve got your lavender in a location with lush soil filled with rich, organic matter, and you’re wondering why you aren’t getting many blooms, this could be the reason why. You may need to move the plant to a more suitable location, and by suitable location, I mean crappier soil. Or you may wish to mix in some vermiculite to enhance drainage.
Some of the most beautiful lavender I’ve ever seen is in my ex-husband’s backyard. The soil is mostly shale, and it’s impossible to grow much in it except for his lavender. I asked him what he did to get them to grow so well. His answer? “Oh, I don’t touch them; most of the time, I forget they’re even there.”
4. Put Down the Watering Can and Nobody Gets Hurt
I can guarantee that unless you’ve got new lavender plants in the ground or a potted plant, your lavender doesn’t need to be watered. Remember the conversation we just had about lean soil and how lavender plants are scrappy survivors?
Good. The same applies to watering lavender.
Unless you are in a severe drought situation (and even then, you’ll likely be under a water ban), lavender does best with what Mother Nature sees fit to give it.
Overwatering by too-eager gardeners is the number one killer of lavender plants. On the other side of that coin, sometimes Mother Nature can’t seem to remember how to turn the rain off, which is just as bad. In that case, the only thing you can do is wait it out.
5. Deadhead Spent Flower Spikes
This is different from pruning. You’re simply cutting off the flower spike, all the way down to the first set of leaves, once the blossoms begin to fade. This will cause the plant to put out more buds.
I know we’ve already discussed doing a post-bloom trim to induce a second flush. This is different because it’s ongoing, as the plant is in bloom. Consistent deadheading keeps the plant in flowering mode. You don’t have to deadhead every day, but once a week, while you’re tending to other plants, give your lavender a once-over and remove any flower spikes that are on their way out. You can tuck them in linen closets or dresser drawers.
If you take care of these basic needs, your lavender will do what lavender does best – make the world a sweeter-smelling place with abundant blossoms and happy bees.
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