Of all the lavender species, the French lavender (Lavandula stoechas) not only has the longest flowering period, but also begins to bloom at a very early stage.
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Clean out withered French lavender
As a rule, French lavender begins to open its distinctive flowers and emit an intense, characteristic scent as early as May. This scent attracts mainly butterflies, but also hungry bees and bumblebees. With good care, this species of lavender shows its flowers until September – but only if you regularly cut off the faded stems. In this way, you encourage the plant to continue to bloom, after all, it strives to form seeds.
Pruning lavender in the summer
If pruning out doesn’t want to help, pruning in the summer can help, as with other lavender varieties. This should be done no later than the end of July, if possible, although the flowers must be far from faded. For summer pruning, cut the plant down by about a third. Stay within the green shoots when pruning, as the lavender will not sprout from the woody parts. Use a clean, sharp pruning tool (such as rose shears) to avoid unnecessarily bruising or otherwise injuring the branches.
Harvesting lavender
If you want to harvest the flowers of the lavender, you should not wait until they have faded. Lavender flowers should be harvested before they have fully bloomed. You can tell when it’s the right time by the fact that some of the buds have already opened, while others remain closed. Harvesting is best done at midday when it is nice and warm and dry. Cut off the desired amount of flowers together with the stem, then you can process them according to your taste. The fresh leaves – if young – are suitable as a sparingly used spice in the kitchen, the flowers can be dried or braided together with the stems.
Tips & Tricks
Sometimes the French lavender is a bit lazy in flowering. Usually this is due to unfavorable site conditions, a wrong soil and / or not optimal care.
