Scented Surgery

I wish now I had snapped a photo of my oldest and hardiest lavender before giving it the most severe haircut of its 15-year life. It outgrew the garden and was hanging over the sidewalk by a good ten to eleven inches. It complicated snow shoveling in winter, which now is being done more by my kind neighbors than by me, and it was a continual magnet for dog marking.

I hated clipping it back so much. I felt as if I was removing arms and legs. But, oh, my, the aroma!!! Of all the garden work I do, I don't think anything is more pleasant than touching and inhaling lavender!

I got what I thought was this bright idea to try to root some of the clippings. I hadn't done any research at that point as to how to do it successfully. I finished my task (first mistake), then began preparing each healthy sprig for vase living. After dunking about ten vases' worth of sprigs, putting away all the tools and garbage bin, and sweeping the walk, I looked up how to root lavender clippings.

I quickly learned I'd done it wrong. I should have been preparing the sprigs and putting them in a vase as soon as I cut them. I should have cut them with sterilized clippers. I should have clipped the tips, not the entire branches, for rooting, then clip what needed to be pruned. I changed out the water in the vases with homemade rooting hormone, and I moved all of the vases into indirect daylight. Indoors, of course. It was too cold out for anything alive. I did do that part right.

I learned it is possible to root from woody clippings, but it's more difficult and takes longer.

I change out the rooting hormone each week and regularly remove dead clippings. I moisturize the live leaves two to three times a week with a gentle spritzing of clean water. I'm down to four vases now, and I'm continually cleaning up shed leaves. This experiment has not been as successful as I would have liked.

However, I have learned so much, and I expect to be far more successful next year. I have two or three sprigs that seem to be attempting to form roots. And I've had vased lavender throughout my living room and kitchen for going on three months now. My pruned front yard lavender won't be thwarting snow shovels all winter, and it should bloom as always come June. I truly cannot complain!

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