Overwintering Your Lavender Plants

Lavender in the Winter

Here in Utah our winters can be cold and dry. And most plants hate that combination but there are some plants that need that hibernation time and some that at least tolerate it. Some Lavender do very well over wintering as long as their roots can stay above -20 degrees Fahrenheit (-29 C) and they get a little water. This year was a very dry winter for our area but our lavender pulled through and is doing fine.

Not all Lavender varieties are cold hardy so make sure to choose one that does well in your zone.

Believe it or not this bed has 10 healthy little lavender plants in it. They all look dry and crusty right now but if you look close you see their excited little leaves starting to bud out. Ok, maybe plants don’t get excited but I do when I see them after the long winter. It’s like my best friends have come back for a long visit.

This tiny little sprout just made my day. Even though he’s practically microscopic.

Pruning is important!

This guy was happier after we gave him a nice trim and cleaned all the leaves and grass from around his base. Lavender needs some space to breath. Don’t get too worried if your lavender looks grey and dead in the winter it will usually come back in the spring.

If by April you don’t see any little green shoots at the base of your stems take a pair of pruning shears and snip off a branch at the top of the woody part. It the branch is a little green inside give your lavender a bit more time. Usually we prune our lavender in the summer and fall. 

Checking Your Plant

You can see that the inside of this stem is pale green even though the plant looks dead. Water it and prune it back ( don’t be afraid to prune aggressively above the woody stem in a nice mound shape) so the live branches can have some growing room.If you take a snip and the branch is brown and dry inside then that part is dead. That doesn’t necessarily mean the whole plant is dead. If there are some branches that are pliable then give your plant a little more time.

Poor little lavender. He was so cute last year! If all the branches you prune are that way then you most likely have a dead lavender. I’m so sorry for your loss. But don’t give up on your lavender dreams. You can do this!

If you are worried about your winter being too cold and dry there are a few things that you can do to protect you plant. You can cover with a frost cloth to keep your plants warm in the coldest days. Or if you are worried about your winter being dry you can water your lavender in the winter as well. It doesn’t need much just a gallon every couple of weeks during the dry spells.

Do you have lavender that has survived the winter and come back stunningly the next year? Or did you have a passing in your garden family and are now in mourning? Share your experiences with us.