David E. Ross wrote:
On 4/6/11 7:18 PM, BeTu wrote:
I live in zone 5, and wonder how I should treat Lavender before the
season starts....do I need to cut back last years growth? Thanks

Lavender hardiness depends on the species, but I am not aware of any
that will survive a winter in USDA zone 5 or even zones 6 and 7.

While pruning lavender will rejuvenate the plant, it must be done
carefully. As with other relatives of salvia -- rosemary, sage, mint,
etc -- there must be green leaves remaining below the cut. Otherwise
the branch will die back to its base. If a branch has no green leaves,
remove the entire branch. If there are no green leaves on the plant at
all, it is dead; lavender is evergreen.

we are in Zone 5, but i cannot say what
variety (or varieties) we have. i do know
they survive here and we get some offspring
from seeds.

the rest of what David says here rings
true to me. we trim either late summer/fall
or in the spring before the active growing
season hits. a very light trim of the
previous flower stalks and any dead branches.
once in a while a plant doesn't make it
and we replace it by cutting off the plant
and letting one of the seedlings take over.


songbird