lavender heads-should I pick

silly question maybe! I groe lavender cos i love the smell. The plants have flowered (obviously!) and are still on the plant. can I pick them or am I too late or it is best to leve the stalks on the plants for next year?

 

Hi, l-g. I always pick mine just as they have dried off. You can pick the flowers off the stalks for pot-pourri or do as I do and pick the whole stalk and put them in a vase or bowl and they smell fresh for months!

 

Me too, I always cut them with stalk included (I did it about 2 weeks ago) and hang them upside down in bunches in the shed.
When they are totally dry I crumble all the little flower heads into a bowl and they smell great for weeks through the winter.
I've also got a second flush of flowers on the plants so it's a winning tactic all round!
Fletch

 

That's true, Fletch, you get the best of both worlds with lavender!

 

right i must try that, my lavenders are ready to be tidied up. i just love the smell of lavender.

 

oh can anyone tell me how to harvest lavender seeds please.

 

....with water, or without? Thinking about it, without, presumably? Ignorance is showing, I'm afraid.

 

Morning, millymilly. Without water. They just become dried greyish stalks but still smell nice.

If you have Rosemary, you can cut it fresh and put it in a vase, again without water, and enjoy it also! I often use Rosemary in a vase with cut flowers as it gives a nice appearance and colour. Just strip the lower leaves off to above water level.

 

Also lavender needs an annual haircut or it gets woody and a big hole forms in the middle as the heavy branches fall outwards.

 

... a belated thank you for the info! Mine is in a big tub at the moment. Intitially, it was in the ground, then we had windows replaced and it got trampled on, so re-homed it in a tub, and now wants to re-site it again.

Any hints and tips, please? How much to prune, where to site? Thanks, again.

 

Hi millymilly! The general view is not to prune back into the hard wood but you can be fairly ruthless with it, perhaps back to the last of green bits. It prefers a dry, well-drained sunny site.

 

This year I did the wrong thing and shifted my lavendar as I wanted it nearer to a window,to get the lovely perfume.

At first I planted in a container,it did not seem to be happy.

Once in ground did perk up.

It was woody at the bottom and certainly thought I had lost it.

She is blooming for me now.
When should I cut her back?

Or do I dispose of her completly part is still woody.

Should I now take tip cuttings to try and make new plants for next year?

 

Prune back to the hard wood when the flowers fade - and yes I would take tip cuttings now

 

...thanks for all previous advice...but I am so ignorant ... what is the procedure for cuttings, please?

 

To take a tip cutting - take just the tip of a fresh shoot, the growth tip and one set of leaves below. Cut just below this. Sink into 50/50 compost and perlite so that the base leaves are pushed up. Dampen slightly and cover with a plastic bag - and put in a sheltered spot. Just check that it doesn't dry out completely - but remember that lavender does not like wet. If we get any frosts protect and watch for signs of new growth.