There are a couple of different strategies for pruning Lavender, but you definitely don't want to cut them to the ground, as the woody growth near the base essentially acts as a sort of "sub-shrub", and the plant won't recover well if you cut into that.

I wait until mine starts showing some new growth in May, and then I prune the shoots (green parts only) back to just above that level. After the first flush of blooms fades in midsummer, I then give the new growth a little "haircut", cutting it back by about 1/3, which usually gives me a second flush (albeit sparse) of blooms in late summer-to-early fall.

the worst part of spring fever.. is not giving any plant. time to bud out.. to show/tell you .. first if its alive.. and second ... where to prune it ...

i consider my garden to be indy equivalent.. and i think you are about a month early to be out there making decisions like this ... unless you have a couple decades of experience ....

that said.. in my entire life experience in z5 ... i have never had a lavender over winter ... so it wouldnt surprise me.. if its not dead .. especially if it wasnt covered in snow all winter ... insulating it from desiccating winter winds ... [in other words.. it got freeze dried]

be patient grasshopper .... the garden will tell you when its time and how to take care of it ...

ken

ps: i cant recall right now.. why L didnt work.. other than it was soil moisture at the wrong time of year .... maybe too wet in too cold of soil type deal???? .. but what season was that???? ... which means.. if you fail at L .. you are with a great majority of us.. lol ... [and this is where the few exceptions say its the easiest plant they ever grew .. lol]

LOL Awesome, I definitely will wait a bit more to make those decisions, just trying to be prepared... I wasn't aware of how picky L was -.- Oh well, I hope it survives :)

Thank you all!

As long as you give it good drainage, full sun, minimal water, and not-too-rich soil, Lavender isn't that picky at all. It depends a little bit on the particular species/cultivar, but many are fully hardy in zone 5. I've had no issue overwintering mine for several years with no protection. It's really the poor drainage that can wipe it out over the winter and not the cold.

Yes, I am another that has never had any difficulty. L. Hidcote is wonderfully hardy and beautiful. I grow it and Hidcote Blue as well as Jean Davis.

I have great sandy loam and did not amend it since as said they do not like overly rich soil. They are planted on flat ground here but some would have better success in a raised spot to aid with drainage.

Edited to add: mine have been growing for well over a decade.

You will thoroughly enjoy them Roxana! Please let us know how they do.

I sure will update you, I am hopeful! :)

'Phenomenal' is the only lavender I'd recommend for the humid summer climates east of the Rockies. Lavenders hate hot, wet soil far more than cold temperatures. Here in eastern Washington, lavender seeds itself around almost to the point of being weedy. Our summers are extremely dry, and dewpoints generally are in the 40's to low 50's, often even lower. There are lavender farms here (to my north) where the growing season is often too short to ripen many tomatoes!

If you want to try other varieties, plant them where there is an overhang, such as under the eave of a house's south facing wall, and plant it in GRAVEL mixed with some topsoil, mounded up into a berm.

The only ones that I have had return are the ones I cover with a clay pot for the winter or up against my home on the south side facing area. Love these plants!

I can't mulch them or they will rot. So i don't. I have to be careful when mulching my garden beds. I can't even leave leaves on top. They rot so easily.

You can mulch them with gravel and they do just fine, along with the added benefit of improved drainage and reflected light/heat onto the plant. Of course, if they're in a bed where the rest is mulched with organic matter, it might look a little funny to have a couple little patches of gravel surrounding the lavender.

Well, I was mistaken. It seems ALL of mines rae going to come back, even those in the front of my home that faces north and does not get full sun until April. I am so excited.

What drive me nuts is to see that even the ones in small pots at the local nursery coem back, only covered with a frost cloth every winter. That behooves me!!

If they were so hard to grow in this area, all the potted ones they have would of frozen to death and to never make a comeback.

MIke