The type and timing of pruning significantly affect a lavender plant's flower production, both in the current season and in subsequent years. Proper pruning encourages more blooms, while incorrect or absent pruning leads to fewer, weaker flowers.
Here's how different pruning approaches impact flower production:
1. Annual Maintenance Pruning (The Most Important for Flower Production)
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Method: This is the standard, yearly prune. It involves cutting back about one-third of the plant's current year's green growth, always ensuring you leave some green leaves on the stems and avoid cutting into old, bare wood. The goal is to maintain a compact, mounded shape.
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Impact on Flower Production:
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Increased Quantity: This type of pruning is essential for maximizing flower production. Lavender blooms on new growth. By removing spent flower stalks and some of the current season's growth, you stimulate the plant to produce more new shoots, and thus, more flowers the following season. Without this, the plant puts energy into woody growth, not flowers.
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Stronger Stems: It encourages the plant to branch out and develop a bushier habit, leading to more sturdy flower stems that are less likely to flop over.
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Longer Lifespan & Consistent Blooms: Regular annual pruning prevents the plant from becoming overly woody and "leggy." Woody stems are less productive, meaning fewer flowers over time. By keeping the plant productive and vigorous, you extend its flowering years.
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2. Deadheading (Light Pruning After First Bloom)
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Method: This involves simply snipping off the spent flower stalks after the first flush of blooms has faded. You typically cut just below the flower spike, above a set of leaves.
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Impact on Flower Production:
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Encourages Second Flush (for some varieties): For many English lavenders (Lavandula angustifolia) and some Lavandins (L. x intermedia), deadheading can redirect the plant's energy from seed production into creating more foliage and a second, albeit often smaller, flush of blooms later in the summer.
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Extended Bloom Season: By encouraging a second round of flowers, deadheading effectively lengthens the overall blooming period of the plant.
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Maintains Tidiness: It also keeps the plant looking neat and prevents it from expending energy on developing seeds.
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3. Pruning Young Lavender (First Year)
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Method: For newly planted lavender (especially from small nursery pots or cuttings), a light trim or "pinching back" in the first year is beneficial. You might remove any nascent flower buds that appear early on, or simply snip off the tips of new growth.
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Impact on Flower Production:
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Sacrifices Immediate Blooms for Future Abundance: While this might mean fewer or no flowers in the very first year, it forces the plant to put its energy into establishing a strong root system and developing a robust, bushy framework.
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Foundation for Future Blooms: A well-branched, sturdy young plant will be able to support significantly more flowers in subsequent years. Without this foundational pruning, young plants can become leggy and less floriferous as they mature.
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4. Hard Rejuvenation Pruning (for Old, Woody Plants)
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Method: This is a drastic, risky prune where you cut back severely into woody stems, often leaving only a few inches above the ground, hoping for new growth from the base. It should only be attempted if there's some green growth at the very bottom, and only in early spring.
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Impact on Flower Production:
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Significant Reduction in Current Year: If successful, this type of pruning will severely reduce or eliminate flower production for the current season, as you're cutting back most of the existing growth that would produce blooms.
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Potential for Future Revival: The goal is to shock the plant into producing new, vigorous shoots from its base. If it recovers, these new shoots will form the basis of a healthier, more productive plant that can eventually resume good flower production in 1-2 years.
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Risk of Plant Death: As lavender often doesn't regrow from old, bare wood, this method carries a high risk of killing the plant entirely.
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What Happens If You Don't Prune at All?
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Decreased Flower Production: Unpruned lavender plants become increasingly woody over time. Woody stems produce fewer flowers, and the plant's energy is directed more towards maintaining this woody framework rather than producing vibrant blooms.
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Leggy and Open Growth: The plant loses its compact shape, becoming sprawling and often splitting in the center. This reduces vigor and the overall number and quality of flowers.
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Shorter Lifespan: Neglecting to prune significantly shortens the lifespan of lavender, as it becomes unproductive and more susceptible to disease and breakage.
In summary, proper and timely pruning is not just about aesthetics; it's the single most important cultural practice for ensuring abundant, healthy flower production and extending the life of your lavender plant.
Lavender Farm in Door County Wisconsin. You can buy lavender products online at islandlavender.com