Help with lavender bush?

Question

This year I planted a lavender bush in a large pot in the garden. It has grown really well and has flowered but in the last few weeks it seems to have grown very high and leggy, quite scraggy looking although the foliage at the bottom is still quite dense, underneath it is very brown despite regular watering and drainage. I have it on my patio which is in shade during the morning and sun during most of the afternoon. Just wondering what I'm doing wrong? Does it need an even bigger pot even though it's in a big one, or is lavender really suitable for pots or is better suited for garden planting? Also does it ever have to be cut back and if so when? Would be grateful for any help as I don't want to ruin it as it smells wonderful! Thanks!

Answer 1

I am not a gardener but I keep Lavender for the smell and also as a hedge. I keep cutting off the flower stalks for use in vases and lavender bags etc and when all the flowers are used up I cut back the wood to about 6 inches in length. Next year they all come back just like a new plant. Underneath can be very brown or dead looking but this I think is caused by lack of sunlight etc but you can cut back to beyond this. My lavenders are now 3 years old and still thriving well. They are hardy and need very little attention apart from cutting as above.

Answer 2

Lavender should really be pruned late summer in UK but still OK now unless you want to wait until the spring. Unless you prune lavender loses it's shape and goes very straggly so cut it back but don't go into dead wood as it will not regenerate - make sure there are at least a couple of shoots left. Next summer it will soon have put on growth and will reflower. I don't like to cut back too hard as being evergreen it provides some colour over the winter and if you brush against it you get that lovely lavender aroma.

Answer 3

Yep, thats what they do. Some newer cultivars do it less but they all go straggly. If it has finished flowering cut back all the stems to leave just a little bit of green at the bottom. If you cut back into the brown it will probably die. After about 3 years buy a new one, or take a cutting from it.
The smart, tidy, all green lavenders you see in show gardens are always young plants.

Answer 4

I have 2 lavenders bought at same time at Hampton Court flower show last year. One is still in its pot - the other in the ground.

I was told they like to be cut back quite hard after flowering.
That means you cut it the straggly branches down including the finished flowers.

My plants aren't particularly big and bushy so I trim to just below the existing foliage. By doing so you promote new growth which is green and also further flowers!

So don't be afraid to trim away the dead stuff! My cousin's neighbour brutally cuts her lavender back to about 3 inches of stem and although it looks like she's killed it, it always grows back beautifully!

Answer 5

Lavender looooves all the sun and heat it can get. So, morning shade is not optimum, as it takes on more moisture...especially in high humidity areas of the country.
So place it in an area that gets the most air circulation and light as you can, or just be happy with a moderately attractive, great-smelling plant. I have mine trimmed to topiary or bush-style so they get full air circulation to keep down mold and fungus issues.
Mine are all in pots as we are a high-humidity area in the South. They like well-drained soil too. Remember, they are herbs, so they do not need as much rich soil or fertilizer as you might think. They are a bit masochistic!

Answer 6

The site below has tips and techniquest that should help.

Answer 7

gotta cut em down when they die.