Aren”t ”hardy lavender” perennial plants?

Sun., April 24, 2005

Nancy Brachey Knight Ridder Newspapers

Pruning Notes

•Most azaleas are in full bloom now. If yours have wayward branches that require pruning or you want to bring down the height, now's the time to do it.

You'll get the bonus of blooms that will last a few days in a vase. •Established azaleas that are misshapen or overgrown can take quite heavy pruning. Azaleas should billow naturally, not look tight. Do not shear the plants; that's when you cut back every stem to the same height, which produces a meatball effect.

•Cut back older branches to the next main stem, making a smooth, even cut. Don't leave a stub.

•On younger growth, where leaf buds are apparent on the stem, cut to just above them. This is where new growth will emerge. Look for dead wood, which should be apparent now, and cut it back to live wood.

•Fertilize the azaleas with a product formulated for them and similar acid-loving plants.

Q: I planted two “hardy lavender” plants last summer, and they did very well. I thought they were supposed to be perennial plants. Now all I have, I think, are two very dead plants. I recently broke off the dried stems. Will these plants grow and bloom again this year?

A: Lavender is a short-lived perennial, but it should have lived longer than yours. First, cut back the dead wood to see if any live wood exists at the base of the plant. You could be surprised. If there is live wood, it will be showing a bit of action by now. Trim away the old growth and let these new stems rise.

If you find not even a tiny bit of live growth above ground, I think it is likely the plant is dead. That is probably due to wet, clay soil. My experience with lavender in a flowerbed with good rich soil laced liberally with moisture-retaining compost is not good. It simply stays too moist. I lost many lavender plants set out during the years of drought. When the drought ended a few years ago, so did they.

I have much better results growing lavender in a pot of lightweight soil that is not heavy and drains quickly. That doesn’t mean it’s desert-arid, just never soggy. I let it dry out between watering.

In a flowerbed, I would try to raise the level of the root zone, which will let the soil dry out faster. I would also lighten the clay soil with some sandy topsoil and avoid mulch, which holds moisture in the soil.

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Q: I planted several lantana plants that stated on the pots that they were perennial. So far I have not seen any signs of life. Will they come back?

A: It depends. Some varieties of lantana come back robustly. The best is Miss Huff, sold widely as a perennial with a summery combination of yellow, orange and pink. They’re hardy to below zero, and it’s been a long time since we had that.

If you have Miss Huff, you should see signs of the plant breaking dormancy now. Look at the base of the plant for new green growth. I saw this on an established planting of Miss Huff just this week; it told me warm weather was on the way.

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Q: I have a question about Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens). I have an urge to severely whack my plant back. What is the best time to cut this plant back? What do you suggest?

A: The bloom season for Carolina jessamine is almost over, so you can safely prune this vine now.

I suspect the rampant nature of this vigorous vine brought on your desire to whack it back severely. I did that once because the thing had gotten way out of hand and was all over the place.

I really cut it back drastically, and it has come out beautifully, and tamer. This was not overnight, however, so show some patience with the plant.

However, do not cut it to the ground. Cut the main stems back to 24 to 36 inches, from which the new growth will sprout this spring and develop this summer.