Caring for Lavender

Since plant foliage usually doesn't come in this hue, even for the namesake plant itself, and this is the first time lavender came out of winter looking alive, I didn't know if it was old growth I should prune or evergreen growth I should leave alone, so I looked up lavender care online.

There are conflicting opinions about the correct way to prune a lavender shrub, some say you should prune it after it blooms, to keep the plant bushy and compact, others that it is slow to put out new growth and trimming leafless branches sets it back and doesn't allow it to thrive.

I'm going to use my own rule of thumb, which is: if you don't know how and when to prune a plant, don't improvise. Lavender made it through millenia of evolution all by itself, I'm sure it will be just fine without my help, even if it might grow a little leggy.

I'm so excited to have perennial lavender in the herb garden, this must be the English variety, the more resilient one. The lemon balm, chamomile and thyme are also alive and well, it looks like a good maintenance regimen is all that's needed.

Today the breeze felt balmy and tropical and it carried a delicate unidentifiable fragrance. I don't want the vegetation to struggle under winter debris, so I'll speed up the cleaning schedule, spring can sweep in so suddenly.