Lavender is one of those plants that nearly everyone has in their landscape or garden. And why not? It’s easy to maintain, the pollinators love it, and its classic scent is instantly recognizable. Not to mention, there are a myriad of ways to use it. Growing lavender is a no-brainer.
Once you figure out its likes and dislikes, you will find that it’s one of the more self-sufficient perennials to grow.
But unlike other perennials in your garden, lavender won’t last forever.
Even with the best care and annual pruning, over time, lavender plants grow woody. With each passing year, the plant will put out less and less new growth as the stems become tougher from the crown outward. In the end, these woody plants put out fewer blossoms.
Eventually, you will need to replace the plant if you want to continue enjoying the beauty and fragrance of lavender in your landscape. This is easy enough to do. Just dig up the old one and replant it with a new plant.
However, depending on how many plants you have this can get spendy, not to mention time-consuming.
Instead, you could do what many lavender farms do and propagate new plants straight off the older ones through a process called layering. This method of propagating has been done for ages. It allows you to grow innumerable new plants straight off of an older plant. You could easily fill your yard with lavender using a single plant.
And if you’re gardening on a dime, it’s a great way to grow as many lavender plants as you want, starting with a single plant. No stem cuttings required.
Why Not Do Stem Cuttings?
Stem cuttings are one of the most popular ways to propagate lavender and other softwood plants. The process is pretty simple and works well. You take cuttings of soft, new growth, put it in moist potting medium, keep it damp and let the cutting grow new roots. Once the plant is large enough, you can plant it where you would like it. (Lydia wrote up an entire guide on how to grow lavender from cuttings if you’re curious.)
But if you already have an established lavender plant, layering is easier. It yields more reliable results than stem cuttings, and doesn’t require the babysitting and extra work of propagating via cuttings.
Why?
Because you’re letting new plants grow on the old one. They get everything they need from the mother plant.
How Layering Works
If you’ve ever grown tomatoes, you know that wherever the stems touch the soil, they will put out new roots. It turns out lavender will do the same with a bit of encouragement. To propagate a new plant, all you need to do is bury a portion of the lavender stem in the soil and wait. After a while, the buried portion of the stem will produce new roots, and new growth will form on that end of the stem. Eventually, you can cut this new plant from the mother plant and transplant it somewhere else.
How to Propagate Lavender Through Layering
Tools:
- Gloves
- A clean and sterile knife
- Landscape pins or rocks
The Process
- Choose a stem from the bottom of the main plant that is growing close to the ground. This should be a stem that is older and has woody growth.
- On the underside of the stem, several inches up from the base, gently scrape away a bit of the outer bark using a clean and sterile knife.
- You want to scrape it enough to expose the white beneath the outer layer of bark but not make any deep cuts. This stimulates the natural process of the plant’s ability to heal itself. In this case, because we will be burying this part of the stem, it will put out roots at that point.
- Loosen the soil beneath the stem and press the stem into it. You don’t necessarily have to bury it; just be sure the scraped portion remains in contact with the dirt.
- Use a landscape pin or a rock to hold the stem in place so it’s in constant contact with the soil.
- Wait patiently.
After several weeks, the bit of stem that is in contact with the soil will begin to put down roots. You may see new green growth along the stem above that portion before it puts down roots. This is a good sign that the stem is doing what it’s supposed to.
This new baby plant will continue to grow and develop slowly, so it’s best not to cut the new plant right away. Let it become established and overwinter attached to the mother plant. The following spring, you can cut this new plant from the parent plant, dig it up, and transplant it elsewhere.
When to Layer Lavender Stems?
Because the new plant stays actively attached to the parent plant, you can propagate lavender at any time during the active growing cycle. Spring to summer is best. Just remember, the earlier you start, the sturdier your propagated plant will be, and it will winter over well with less cold damage.
Replacing Old Woody Plants
Layering lavender is the best way to replace old woody plants that are no longer producing enough flowers. You can propagate one or two new plants right off of the old parent plant. Then, the following spring, once you make the cut to separate the new plant from the parent plant, you can dig up the old woody plant, leaving the new ones to grow in its place.
Layering lavender is easy and a great way to grow large, bushy plants filled with fragrant blooms perpetually. Rather than replacing your plants every few years, you can grow generation after generation all from one starter plant.
Get the famous Rural Sprout newsletter delivered to your inbox.
Including Sunday ramblings from our editor, Tracey, as well as “What’s Up Wednesday” our roundup of what’s in season and new article updates and alerts.