A Grower Perspective

 Now is the time to harvest and prune your lavender plants. What a fragrant job! For some folks this is the culmination of a year of growing and the harvest bringing in flowers, which then turn into sachets, bundles, wreaths and oils. For the home gardener it may mean filling the house with bouquets of sweet scent that will last throughout the winter as a reminder of the sunny summer days.

To prune lavender I use two tools, a hand scythe and hand hedge pruners. I harvest the flowers with the scythe and then shape

the plants with the pruners. The shape I like is similar to the top of a muffin or a half dome, not a ball. This allows sunlight to reach the whole plant and it will grow full and green without woody spots. I have pruned millions or at least thousands of plants like this and find that by pruning at this time y

our lavender has a chance to put on a new layer of growth and maybe even some more blooms and will look fantastic throughout the winter. If your plant is too woody for your taste you may cut it to the base, on most varieties you will see new growth starting at the bottom of the plant. Don't delay if you choose this action as the plant must have time to regenerate growth and prepare for the winter. I am happy to show you how to prune lavender if you need a ‘hands on' demonstration. Please come to the nursery and we will prune a plant here for you to see.

If you are ready to go on your own, grab an old sheet to fill with cut lavender and a wheelbarrow, it is heavier than you think and head to the fields to cut your bounty. It is a glorious sight, a room full of lavender bundles and the scent very heady.