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LAVENDER GUIDES

purple flowers atop of tall thin stems of a lavender shrub covered in snow

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Lavender is a wonderful choice for many gardens and can provide us with many yields and reward through the summertime calendar month while it is in salad days .

However , being able-bodied to enjoy lavender in our garden over the summer month means understanding how to organize lavender for the colder month to come .

Lavandula angustifolia with upright green stems covered in purple flowers surrounded by bees

To care for lavender correctly in winter :

Below , we will dig just a fiddling deeper into each of these steps and see at what we should do to prepare lavender for wintertime depending on their character .

1) Determine Your Lavender Hardiness

The first affair to understand when it come to caring for lavender in winter is that not all lavenders are as hardy .

Several unlike lavender can be acquire in the UK , and these diverge somewhat in their hardiness rating .

The main types of lavender that you might grow are :

tiny purple flowers atop tall, thin stems of L. canariensis growing in a field

If you are unfamiliar with the hardiness military rating , these are the designations given by the RHS which help us to understand which industrial plant can survive wintertime outside where we live and which cannot.1Check how hardy plant are using RHS hardiness ratings.(n.d . ) . Royal Horticultural Society . retrieve April 3 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/trials-awards/award-of-garden-merit/rhs-hardiness-rating

H5 means that plant are sturdy in most places throughout the UK even in life-threatening winters .

H4 think of that plants are hardy throughout most of the UK ( -10 - 5 ° C ) .

secateurs being used to cut off the dried, dead stems of a lavender shrub

H3 means that industrial plant are only hardy in coastal and comparatively meek component of the UK ( -5 - 1 ° C ) .

“ Most lavenders are hardy but really do n’t care cold and wet soil conditions , ” say Julia Snowball , the Head Gardener at Yorkshire Lavender .

“ Good drainage is essential , particularly in winter . ”

a layer of snow covering the ground around a lavender shrub in winter

So , as you may see from the above , where you survive and which lavender you are grow will mold whether lavender can survive outside all winter or will call for to be brought into a hoar - complimentary positioning .

“ Though the species of lavender you develop will go some agency to determining the plant ’s validity , there are other broker to consider , let in the age of the flora , ” says Master Horticulturist Peter Lickorish .

“ It may be best to keep more fragile young plants containerised and contribute them under shelter , before found out in the natural spring . ”

lavender plants in purple pots growing in a row on a shelf indoors

2) Cutting Back Lavender For Winter

While some lavenders are brave enough to resist wintertime temperature fairly well , other conditions of winter , especially wintertime slopped , can still sit a risk of infection – even to the hardier metal money and hybrids mentioned above .

Pruning lavender correctly in August or September , after flowers are fade but before colder conditions arrives , can be important in cause trusted that , whichever lavender you are grow , they make it through the wintertime unscathed .

We havecovered pruning lavender in another template , so check that out to verify you are doing all you could to prepare your lilac-colored industrial plant for wintertime .

The right pruning , well before winter , can help avoid snow model on them and have hurt .

3) Provide The Right Care For Outdoor Lavender

If the lavender you are get can survive outside all winter where you live , then it is significant to check that that you have done all you may to ensure that your plants have the appropriate growing weather condition .

The most important thing is to be absolutely certain before wintertime begin that your lavender is in grunge or a grow culture medium that drains well .

“ pee needs to be able-bodied to get away from the roots , particularly in winter , ” share Charlie Byrd from Cotswold Lavender .

Do all you may to improve drainage where potential , peculiarly when grow lavender in the ground .

Make indisputable your lavender does not get waterlogged or it may not survive the winter month .

4) Pot Up And Move Tender Types Inside

If you are growing one of the more tender lavender note above or live in a very frigid location , you may have to consider moving your industrial plant indoors or under concealment over the wintertime calendar month .

plant in pots might best be moved to a drier and more sheltered spot in a greenhouse , polytunnel or cool part of your home .

During the winter , when lavender enters a state of quiescency , it should not be water at all when outside , as natural rainfall is typically more than enough .

When produce indoors , you may take to irrigate a yoke of fourth dimension through the cold-blooded months before your lavender goes outside once more .

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