Slide Show: Pruning Lavender

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This image shows the flowering lavender on the far right (still purple). To their left are several rows of lavender whose flowers have been harvested for processing – bundles are grasped with one hand, clipped with the other, then tossed into baskets to be distilled into oil. On the left, the worker is pruning the recently-harvested lavenders into compact "pillows," the perfect form to keep plants tidy.

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The goal is to create a slightly rounded puffy pillow form so maximum light reaches the whole plant. You can use hedge shears for larger plants.

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Same goes for larger lavender plants – I think of it as a "puffy pillow shape". Or maybe a "slightly rounded Junior mint". Whatever works for you!

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