Today I have a tutorial for you on planting lavender cuttings. I've got 5 huge lavender plants along the front walkway and next spring I'm hoping to line them up along the east side of the house.
So first things first, the most successful way to propagate lavender is to layer it, if you start this now in the spring you will be able to cut off the rooted stems. It's much more successful and faster since the stem is still connected to the mother plant.
To layer a plant find a branch that has new growth on the end and that is close to the ground. Then take some soil, bark, moss or etc and cover the branch, keep it moist and in a few months there will be roots growing in that covered spot and you can clip it off the mother plant. This little cutting will do much better than one with no roots.
It's kind of hard to see but I just pulled back my plant and cut below the little brown roots, closer to the crown.
Once you clip the cuttings from the mother plant clip the green stems off the top, that new growth won't do well (too much moisture lost since the wood hasn't hardened yet) and it encourages a bushier plant.
Then just plant them up and mulch them well, you can do this in pots if you want but I chose a sheltered spot in the yard (no afternoon sun) where they can sit until spring. The important thing is that they don't dry out or sit in water. Some of the leaves will look wilted and dead but keep watering and as long as they don't get totally dry for too long they should be fine. If you live in a hot climate with strong sunlight I'd suggest planting them in a sheltered spot outside, but if it's cooler and the sun isn't very strong then pots will be fine but I find pots are harder to keep moist.
Next year once these get a little bigger I'm planning on moving them to run up the side of my long asphalt drive way. I think they'll appreciate the heat and they will continue the current border and frame the house nicely. Well that is if they live. I may have prayed over them :)
Next year once these get a little bigger I'm planning on moving them to run up the side of my long asphalt drive way. I think they'll appreciate the heat and they will continue the current border and frame the house nicely. Well that is if they live. I may have prayed over them :)
Kind Regards,
Linda
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