A row of lavender is much more affordable if you can make new plants from a shrub you already like. Cuttings allow you to keep the parent plant's characteristics, including flower colour, growth habit and scent, whereas seedlings can be more variable.
Lavender can be propagated from soft new shoots in early summer or from semi-ripe stems later in the season. Neither method requires elaborate equipment, but it does need careful handling. A cutting without roots loses moisture quickly, while one standing in saturated compost may rot.
Check which lavender you have
English lavender, French or Spanish lavender and lavandin hybrids have different levels of winter hardiness. A cutting from a tender cultivar will not automatically become hardy simply because it roots successfully.
If the plant label is available, record the botanical name and cultivar. You'll know what growing conditions the new plant will need once it is established.
Choose a parent with sound foliage and no extensive dieback. Lavender that has become very woody may produce fewer suitable shoots, so look for healthy current-season growth.
Take cuttings at a suitable time
For English lavender, the RHS lists softwood cuttings of new growth in early summer and semi-ripe cuttings in late summer. Both can work in a UK garden.
Softwood cuttings are flexible and green. Semi-ripe stems have a firmer base but retain a softer tip. Avoid very old bare wood and long flowering stems that have already used much of their energy producing seed.
Choose a mild morning and prepare your pots before collecting stems. The less time the cuttings spend lying in the sun, the better their chances of staying fresh.
Select short, healthy non-flowering shoots
Choose several shoots with bright healthy foliage. Trim them with a clean sharp knife or secateurs, taking lengths suitable for your propagation pot, often around 5–10cm.
Remove flower buds if present. A cutting trying to sustain flowers while it has no root system is under unnecessary strain.
Keep the material cool and sheltered until it is prepared. If you're taking cuttings from another garden, wrap or bag them so they do not dry out in transit.
Prepare each cutting just below a node
Trim the base neatly just below a leaf joint. Remove foliage from the section that will be inserted into compost, leaving a short tuft at the top.
The cut should be clean, not mashed by blunt scissors. Check for damaged or discoloured bases and reject them rather than planting questionable material.
Do not strip all the leaves. The cutting still needs some living foliage, but too much surface area can increase moisture loss. A balance is more useful than the biggest possible bunch of leaves.
Use a light, free-draining compost
Fill small clean pots or modules with a suitable peat-free cutting mix. Horticultural grit or perlite may be included to improve air spaces and drainage.
Water the medium gently, then let excess escape from the drainage holes. The compost should feel moist, not sodden. Lavender is especially vulnerable to problems in stale, waterlogged growing conditions.
Use a dibber to create each planting hole. This prevents the lower stem from being stripped or bent while you push it into the compost.
Insert and protect the cuttings
Set the bare end into the hole and firm lightly. Space the pieces so leaves don't overlap heavily. Label the pot with the variety and date.
Place it in bright indirect light. A ventilated propagator or loosely supported clear cover may help retain humidity during rooting, but keep plastic from pressing against the foliage.
Lift or open the cover occasionally for fresh air. If condensation continuously drips onto leaves, increase ventilation rather than assuming the plants need even more humidity.
Keep watering gentle
During rooting, the compost must not dry completely, yet persistent saturation can cause the base to rot. Check the medium with a finger and water only when needed.
Strong direct sunshine can cook a covered tray in minutes. A bright position out of intense afternoon sun is safer. A warm, sheltered greenhouse bench may work well if ventilation is available.
There is no advantage in feeding freshly cut stems heavily. They need to develop roots before they can support vigorous growth.
Watch for signs of rooting
Some cuttings will root faster than others. Look for healthy fresh growth and a stronger hold in the compost over the following weeks.
Avoid repeatedly lifting a cutting to inspect the roots. Delicate young roots can snap, even when you can see healthy growth above the surface.
If an individual cutting becomes dark and soft, remove it. Consider whether the pot was too wet, too cold or poorly ventilated before replacing the material.
Pot up new lavender plants
When roots are well established, move cuttings into individual small pots with an appropriate open, free-draining compost.
Handle the rootball carefully and maintain the original planting depth. Water just enough to settle the new medium, then allow it to drain.
Grow the plants on in good light. Gradually introduce them to stronger sun and outdoor breezes before planting permanently. A young rooted lavender needs more attention to moisture than a mature garden shrub.
How to get through the first winter
Late-summer cuttings may still be small when cold weather begins. Keep them sheltered from prolonged winter wet and hard frost, with good light and ventilation.
A cold greenhouse, frame or other suitable protected position may be appropriate, depending on the lavender type and local climate. French and Spanish lavenders may need more protection than hardy English varieties.
Don't let pots stand permanently in rainwater. Small roots can be damaged by cold saturated compost even when the shoots remain green.
Plant out in spring
Once the plants have rooted well and growing conditions are warm enough, choose a sunny well-drained spot. Spring is generally a practical time to establish young lavender outdoors.
Space them according to their mature size, not according to the height of a fresh rooted cutting. If the bed has heavy wet soil, use a genuinely well-drained raised position rather than a tiny pocket of grit.
Water newly planted shrubs while they establish, then gradually reduce intervention as they become more drought tolerant.
Mistakes to avoid
Using flowering shoots can lower success because the cutting is trying to maintain flowers. Removing spent flowerheads and choosing non-flowering side growth is a better starting point.
Keeping cuttings soaking wet is another common error. Balance moisture with drainage and fresh air, especially under a plastic cover.
Lastly, do not assume a rooted cutting is ready for a harsh outdoor winter. Protect young plants and remember the hardiness of the cultivar you've propagated.
A handful of carefully taken cuttings can give you enough lavender to replace an ageing plant or edge a border. Successful propagation is mainly a matter of choosing the correct growth and being patient while roots form.