There’s good reason why lavender remains a garden favourite across Britain.
Its vivid green leaves and purple flowers stay bright and aromatic throughout summer, before taking on a silvery hue when colder weather arrives.
Come September, most English lavenders will have completed their primary flowering period, with flower spikes turning brown as the plants settle into compact mounds of grey-green foliage.
This is precisely when the stems become firm at their base whilst remaining flexible at the tips.
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Gardening guru Adam Kirtland, recognised online as ‘View From The Potting Bench,’ suggests this is the perfect moment to transform regular pruning into immediate propagation, ensuring every trim creates a fresh plant.
“If you want more lavender in your garden, do this now,” he advised.
Lavender flourishes in bright sunlight and well-draining soil, withstands drought conditions once established, attracts beneficial pollinators, and handles coastal winds and mild frosts throughout much of Britain.
Displaying his remarkable collection of garden lavender specimens, Adam said: “There is so much material on an old lavender plant for you to take cuttings from,” reports the Express.
Adam emphasises that you should consistently select a robust, non-blooming shoot from the current year’s growth.
“Find yourself a healthy stem,” whilst avoiding both the extremely woody base and fragile tip by selecting the tender section.
“What we’re looking for is something with a nice soft bottom and woody stem,” preferably cut just beneath a leaf node using sharp secateurs.
Strip away all the lower leaves until you have a small stem ready for potting, and pinch off any flower buds so the cutting channels its energy into developing roots.
The gardening expert explains once you’ve prepared your cuttings, there are two approaches you can take.
You can either fill a large pot with approximately five cuttings positioned around the perimeter, or opt for a smaller pot and place a single cutting directly in the centre.
Utilise a gritty, free-draining compost, press the stems firmly into place, and ensure you provide them with a “really good watering.”
Adam cautioned: “If you don’t do this, they probably just won’t root.”
After watering, cover the pots with a plastic bag to retain moisture or position them in a sheltered spot that’s bright but protected from intense midday sunshine.
Then, “wait until you see what they look like a couple of weeks later,” said Adam.
New foliage and vibrant growth indicate successful root development, at which stage you can transplant directly outdoors or continue cultivating them in small containers.
Before long, you’ll be able to establish a “wonderful scented lavender hedge”.
The Royal Horticultural Society points out that plants propagated from cuttings will be genetically identical to the parent plant, meaning you won’t develop a new cultivar.
September isn’t limited to semi-ripe cuttings alone.
The RHS recommends collecting seeds from dried seedheads during late summer, storing them throughout winter and sowing in spring into small pots or trays filled with seed compost.
This approach may yield lavender plants that differ from the parent, which proves beneficial if you desire diverse lavender varieties throughout your garden.
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