Fall Field
Fall is upon us, here in Central Washington. The colors are amazing, and the leaves are piling up, waiting to be raked and put on gardens all over the valley. The lavender plants also need tending before winter. We shear them back to what might seem quite short, but it really does help them be ready for spring.
Shearing helps keep your plants from getting so spread out, and helps them stay in a more rounded form. If you live in an area that has significant snow, it keeps them from breaking with the added weight of snow on the branches.
video-nov-04-1-05-55-pm
Shearing can be done by hand, with clippers, just cut back the stalks to just above the brown woody branches, leaving about 1/2" of green plant material. This works just fine when you have only a few plants around your house.
We have around 900 plants to shear, so the gas hedge trimmer is the best way to get through the rows as quickly as possible. It's back breaking work that always makes me question whether I should choose another business. I'm pretty sure my husband is asking the same question!