Oh those little potted lavender topiaries are such charmers aren’t they? Planted in little pots and lined up on the table or simply tucked anywhere you want a little bit of whimsy and charm. I adore them and I know so many of you do too. And every time I share them- I get a lot of questions about how to keep them looking good. Aka- when they get a bit wild and crazy- what do you do to make them beautiful again. I gave our topiaries a trim last weekend and so, today, sharing a bit more about how to do that.
Lovely Lavender Topiaries
They really are so sweet and charming just as they are. Even when they get a few wild hairs and look a bit messy. But if you want repeat blooming and to keep a tidy little shape- they need to be trimmed.
When to Trim
When the lavender blooms are done blooming and spent – that is the time to trim.
Some folks trim heavily but I like to trim one by one to make sure any new buds that are forming stay as the new buds can be pretty tiny when starting out. They are those little white nubs on the lavender below.
How To Trim
I simply clip the spent bloom off at the foliage and keep doing that until all the spent blooms are trimmed off. If you have some sections that are dangling you can simply clip them off to clean up the shape. At the same time, you can simply clip off or clip part of some of the branches to shape the lavender to be round or oval, etc. I usually clip it right above the leaf area. I trimmed some of the blooms that were winding down but had a bit of pretty purple yet- mainly because there were a lot of new buds forming and I wanted to clean the topiaries up. You can always wait until they all dry out and turn brown before trimming if you prefer.
After trimming, the new buds will take off and start to grow giving you another flush of pretty lavender flowers on the topiaries. To note though that not all lavender blooms again- some are spring/summer bloomers and that is it so depending on what type you have- something to be aware of.
Save the spent blooms
Don’t toss those lavender blooms- save them when you clip them. They are perfect for drying out and enjoying in potpourri or just in a bowl.
For More
For more about decorating with topiaries- you can see them in these posts here:
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I love my topiaries but thd lavender is beautiful. I will need try one of these
how old are the two that you showed today. will topiaries live if kept inside? what temperature do they like best? They are lovely and do not require much space.
Hi, these on the dining room table are from this year. If you put them outside for fresh air and sunshine, etc. they can stay indoors for a bit but they do enjoy being outside- Lavender prefers warm weather and sunshine and is a water wise plant.
Beautiful! Thanks for the tips!
Whdid youmean lavender is a water wise plant? Would like to try the lavender.
Hi Nancy, that means it is a plant that doesn’t require a lot of water.
Can you also trim an outside lavender bush the same? Mine is wild and the blooms are beautiful.
Yes, we have clipped the spent blooms off our lavender bushes as well. 🙂
Lavender doesn’t like me..sadly..I tried growing it outside in large pot that had lots of drainage gravel/sand and it did pretty well for the summer (zone 5B) with me being very careful to not over water it…then in the garage it went for the winter. Yep, I did give it a drink on occasion and it did have sunlight from the windows and cold protected (stays about 40 degrees at the coldest)…it started to come back this spring then I must have not gotten it outside in time or something..it was gone.
My begonias and roses always over winter in the garage…they did well.
Lavender will be an annual here for me.
Yours are lovely!….
Are the rabbits eating your flowers? My echinachea is being eaten..
I would love to know some sources to purchase a lavender topiary. Thanks for sharing your tips with us.