Taking Lavender Cuttings or Hedging One's Bets
Yesterday I managed to enrage about half the bees in East Devon, I pruned back our overgrown lavender hedge. It had to be done. All the flowers had suffered from the heat and drought and besides, it was just time to do it!
As the mound of spent flowers and fragrant foliage grew around my feet it dawned on me that I should be saving the most viable branches for cuttings. I mean, have you seen the price of lavender plants when shopping at the garden centre? The multi-packs of small plants start at £7 for six little sprigs. I was standing on a small fortune!
I collected a big handful of cut lavender boughs and plonked them into a jar of water. This morning I filled a couple of deep plastic trays with compost and set to work taking cuttings. Now, I know my method isn't how a proper gardener would do it and this will send a real horticulturalist around the bend but with a little luck some of these sad little sprigs will take root.
If only a handful grow into proper lavender plants it will have been worth the time, effort, and cost of the compost.... not to mention how proud I will be to have grown my own new lavender hedge.
CLICK HERE to learn how to take lavender cuttings properly.
As the mound of spent flowers and fragrant foliage grew around my feet it dawned on me that I should be saving the most viable branches for cuttings. I mean, have you seen the price of lavender plants when shopping at the garden centre? The multi-packs of small plants start at £7 for six little sprigs. I was standing on a small fortune!
I collected a big handful of cut lavender boughs and plonked them into a jar of water. This morning I filled a couple of deep plastic trays with compost and set to work taking cuttings. Now, I know my method isn't how a proper gardener would do it and this will send a real horticulturalist around the bend but with a little luck some of these sad little sprigs will take root.
If only a handful grow into proper lavender plants it will have been worth the time, effort, and cost of the compost.... not to mention how proud I will be to have grown my own new lavender hedge.
CLICK HERE to learn how to take lavender cuttings properly.
I've never had much luck with taking cuttings, but this looks good to me! And as you say, if only a few take you will have saved a fortune.
ReplyDeleteMy luck with cuttings comes and goes. But every time it works I am thrilled! I am hoping that with a little practice, I will get better at it.
DeleteI do it in the same way, and most of them are rooting well.
ReplyDeleteIt is so satisfying when it works.
DeleteA great way to save money! I had no idea it was so easy to grow from cuttings until I accidently buried a stem under soil and got a free plant. Good luck with yours.
ReplyDeleteI hope I am as successful as you have been!
DeleteWorth a try. I am still amazed I managed to grow two rosemary plants from my cuttings. But I had no luck with hebe or lavender before. I might try again - as you say, it's so expensive to buy new plants.
ReplyDeleteI've also taken penstemon and rose cuttings. So far we have about a 50 per cent success rate.
DeleteRose cuttings?! Now you're just showing off ;) - seriously, impressive work x
DeleteLavender is one of my favorite scents. When the girls and I have "spa" night, they fill my tub with lavender scented soap, light candles, and put spa music on pandora for me. We all climb into my tub. With 3 of us in the tub, you might ask if its relaxing. Nope, but I wouldn't have it any other way! Its my fav!
ReplyDelete