Believe it or not, the TLC you give your lavender plant right after it blooms can make all the difference in keeping it thriving through the summer. Plus, with a little extra care, you might get those lovely blooms to come back for a second or even third round!
Lavender is like the superstar of the garden, bringing that chill Mediterranean vibe. This hardy perennial is a gardener’s dream. It’s low maintenance, and those tall, purple flowers not only look amazing but also release a calming fragrance every time you walk by. Perfect for planting along borders, near windows, porches, or walkways where you can enjoy its scent whenever you like.
And let’s not forget, those vibrant blooms are a magnet for pollinators like bees and butterflies, making your garden buzz with life.
By late July or early August, most lavender flowers have done their thing. But don’t worry—with a bit of extra love, you can encourage them to bloom again, and maybe even get a third show this summer.
1. Deadhead Lavender Blooms Quickly
The simplest way to encourage your lavender to bloom again is to deadhead the fading flowers promptly. Deadheading involves cutting off the old blooms, allowing the plant to redirect its energy into producing new flowers rather than trying to maintain fading ones.
When you first notice your lavender’s vibrant purple blooms starting to lose their luster, take immediate action. Using a pair of small pruners or snips, remove the flower heads by cutting back to the first set of healthy leaves. By doing this, you avoid removing too much of the plant, which gives it a better chance to produce new blooms swiftly. For more mature or larger lavender plants, you can even use sharp hedge trimmers to make the process faster.
The quicker you act, the more likely you are to see a second or even a third round of beautiful blooms. This strategy is highly effective for younger plants, which can rebound quickly from a trim and start generating new flowers almost immediately.
2. Harvest Lavender Before Full Bloom
Another smart way to encourage multiple blooms is to harvest lavender before the flowers fully bloom. Not only does this provide you with fresh lavender to use in various ways, but it also helps the plant save energy, resulting in the potential for new blooms.
Cutting lavender early, just when a few buds on the stem have opened, conserves the plant’s energy and encourages it to produce new bloom stems sooner. Once cut, you can store the harvested lavender by drying it, allowing you to use it for a variety of purposes like making sachets, lavender oil, or even culinary lavender.
Early harvesting not only helps the plant but also gives you a continuous supply of fresh or dried lavender, enhancing its versatility and utility in your daily life.
3. Prune And Shape Older / Overgrown Lavender Plants
While the younger lavender plants easily respond to deadheading for reblooming, older, more established plants often require a heavier hand. These woody stems don’t regenerate as quickly, so a more intense pruning is necessary to keep them healthy and shaped.
After your lavender has reached full bloom in the summer, check the plant’s interior structure. If you notice any lengthening of gray woody stems towards the base or a loss of vivid color at the top of the flowers, it’s time for a bigger pruning effort.
Before you begin, it’s important to avoid cutting all the way down to the wood stems, as this will damage the plant and hinder its potential for a fuller bloom. Instead, aim to cut 2-3 inches above the wood stem, leaving some leafy green stems to keep the plant healthy and ready to flourish. If the plant is severely overgrown, you can cut back more, but be aware that it will take more time to recover and bloom.
With overly large plants, this might be necessary to get them back in shape. This heavy pruning encourages fresh growth the next season, setting the stage for robust blooms. It’s best done in late summer or early fall, giving the plant ample time to heal and prepare for the next bloom cycle.
You might not get another bloom in the same year, but you’ll be setting your lavender plant up for vigorous flowering in the next season. This keeps older plants vibrant and less leggy, extending their productive lifespan.
4. Mulch with Compost, Don’t Overwater
Lavender is a bit of an oddball in the garden—it doesn’t really dig heavy fertilization. In fact, giving it too many nutrients can actually stop it from blooming. However, a little compost can go a long way, providing a slow-release of nutrients that keep your lavender thriving without overdoing it.
After you’ve deadheaded or pruned your lavender, spread a layer of compost around the base of each plant. This not only enriches the soil but also maintains its health over time without triggering overgrowth that can stifle those lovely flowers. Think of compost as a gentle, long-term energy boost rather than a sudden, intense nutrient hit, which lavender just doesn’t handle well.
When it comes to watering, less is definitely more with lavender. These plants are like the camels of the garden world—drought-resistant and flourishing in dry conditions. They’re extremely prone to root rot if they sit in waterlogged soil. You should only water them during extreme droughts, and even then, just a light sprinkle. Make sure the soil dries out completely between waterings.
