Lavender - what am I doing wrong?

[DeathMetalMum]

We had a lovely lavender in the back garden in a sunny spot which grew and flowered well for a few years, however it how really woody so I chopped it back - hard and it never recovered.

I decided to put another one in, this time front garden - South facing full sun and well drained. Flowered well last year and to try and prevent woody growth I trimmed it a little after flowering - cut off the old flower heads and just trimmed it into shape. It doesn't seemed to have liked this at all and seems to have died sometime between last autumn and now. Any tips? Trying to decide if it's worthwhile replacing it again or just using the space for something different.

Lavender is fairly short-lived and does get woody after a few years, so I'd guess your first plant had pretty much got to the end of it's life.

Second plant - conditions sound ideal. However, it was so awfully hot and dry last year, perhaps even a light trim was too stressful? Or just bad luck. I'd give it another try with a new plant.

Was it English lavender and not French? The latter is quite tender and is pretty much an annual.

I would say you need to trim it back each year after it has flowered but not to the dead wood, just the green bits. The upshot is it will get a bit bigger each year, eventually being too big for its space, so you then need to replace.

I have French lavender on it’s 3rd year down the bottom of the garden, I thought it had died, just left it and it has come back bigger and better than before. I have had others that have just died over winter.

I have a lavender border and it self seed like weeds. I pick out some of the seedlings each year to replace older plants. It's growing in very poor soil and gravel, in fact mostly gravel.

I've struggled a bit with lavender, but a kind friend gave me a Hidcote, and I made up a row with 'cheap', unnamed B&Q plants. 2 non productive and woody years later, have replaced those with Hidcote!

But even then, they can be hit and miss, especially seeing as, in the last 3-4 years, it rained for 3 months in early Spring one year, and frazzled in the hot sun last year!

I prune them back but not too far, after flowering. We will see what flower production is like this year!

English or common lavender - slightly silvery leaves. In a bed with a few other plants which we watered fairly regularly last yeaf and have all survived - though it is possible that it was too dry. I must have trimmed it an inch at the most and didn't cut if right back at all.

Thanks for suggestions I think I may try one last time with a different variety the hidcote looks really nice. I try my best to make sure everything I plant is good for various pollinators and lavender is so popular. So hopefully I can find one that works.

I struggled with lavender for years until I got this tip. In October dig it up and trim the roots slightly. Cut back the top leaving about 3 inches of wood stem and a bit of the green shoots. You can divide it at this stage or replant as it is. When putting it back add fresh compost to the planting hole and make sure the soil comes half way up the woody stem.

I have gardens here where the lavender is just left alone and seems to do really well but mine never has until I started renovating it in October. I have managed to save 6 of my plants this year so it has been worth it for me.

Hidcote has always grown well for me. I just leave it alone. As a pp said if yours was French lavender it’s an annual so wouldn’t survive the winter.

That sounds interesting @florentina1
So you basically bury some of the woody stem? I was just looking at mine yesterday thinking they might not last much longer due to how woody they are getting, so might try your tip in the autumn.

I have a lavender that self seeded in my gravel garden. I spent about 2 hours picking them yesterday and have potted some up so fingers crossed I get some nice new plants.

I love lavender.

I've tried a few English lavenders and have always found hidcote lavender to be the best variety. It seems to be really hardy, doesn't mind a good prune in sept-oct time and seems to come back every year. I've had my hidcote ones in pots for about five years and they look as healthy as ever. I have two other varieties in pots that will be going in the compost today as they're in terrible shape.

I had lavender in pots and it struggled. I planted it in the ground, south facing and it has flourished. It was full of flowers last year and the bees had a ball. I snipped off the dead flowers in the Autumn and it's lush and green. I only water it in passing.

Mine is in a gravel border by the house, so very dry and sheltered from rain. I have only ever watered it when it was first planted. All last summer it was never watered and was fine. It does get too woody eventually and I just replace the odd plant with self sown seedlings.
I have some French lavender that has survived for years against another wall. It too is planted in gravel which has about 10% soil.
I conclude from this that it likes dry roots!

We have masses of lavender - some in its tenth year. We garden in very dry well drained sunny chalky soil though.

I never, ever water lavender in the ground and only ever trim off dead flowers - no more.

Lavender won't re-grow if you cut it back into old wood and don't leave green leaves on the branch. Rosemary is the same, as are a lot of conifers.