Why Your Lavender Dies Every Winter (5 Fixes to Make This Fall), by Root & Bloom Insight on YouTube. 17 min 8 s.
- Video length
- 17 min 8 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Test the drainage first. Dig a hole about 30 cm deep near the plant, fill it with water and time how long it takes to empty. If water still sits after an hour, move the plant or dig in grit.
Stop watering in early autumn. Lavender comes from dry hillsides and wants its roots almost dry going into winter. Only water if there has been no rain for several weeks and the soil is dusty.
Stop feeding after late summer. Fertilizer, especially nitrogen, pushes out soft new growth that the first frost kills. Feed and compost in spring instead.
Prune straight after flowering, not in late autumn. Cut the spent flower stems and about a third of the soft green growth. Pruning late forces tender shoots right before the cold.
Never cut into bare woody stems. Old lavender wood rarely shoots again. Leave two or three centimetres of leafy growth above the wood so the plant has buds to regrow from.
Mulch with gravel or grit, not bark or compost. A 5 cm layer of stone keeps the base of the plant dry, lets air reach the roots and holds back weeds.
Check your variety and zone. English lavender copes with cold, wet winters best, lavandin is slightly less hardy and Spanish lavender needs mild winters. If yours keeps dying, you may have the wrong type.
Fix heavy or acid soil. Lavender prefers neutral to slightly alkaline soil around pH 6.5 to 7.5. Dig in grit and a little garden lime if your soil is sticky clay.
Tips and common mistakes
Clear fallen leaves away from the base of the plant; damp trapped around the collar is the most common cause of winter loss.
Do not wrap lavender in fleece or plastic. It traps moisture, and cold is rarely the real problem.
Use clean, sharp secateurs so each cut is crisp and the stems are not crushed.
In very wet climates, grow lavender in a raised bed or a pot with a wide drainage hole.
Questions
My lavender went grey and woody after winter. Can I save it?
Scratch the bark low down on a stem. If you see green underneath, prune lightly in spring and wait. If it is brown and snaps, the plant has died and is best replaced.
Should I cut lavender back hard in autumn?
No. A hard autumn cut leaves the plant with little to protect itself and few buds to regrow from. Keep it light and save any shaping for spring, once new growth appears.
Can I keep lavender in a pot over winter?
Yes, if the pot is large, has drainage holes and stands on feet so water can escape. Move it against a wall for shelter and water very little.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
