How to keep lavatera blooming?
Lavatera grows in most well-drained soil types, including poor soil. However, it performs best in sandy or loamy soil. Similarly, this adaptable plant blooms best in full sunlight but tolerates partial shade. While annual lavatera species do exist, by far the most commonly found in gardens (and offered by Hayloft), are the shrubby types which yes, do remain in the garden year after year. Having said this, they can be relatively short-lived, and tend to need replacing every five years or so.
Do lavateras come back every year?
Perennial lavatera will come back every year, although plants are generally short-lived and are likely to last around five years. Annual varieties will flower until the first frosts in the year they are sown and then die. Herbaceous perennial lavatera will die back in winter. Leave dead material over the winter months to provide shelter for wildlife and cut back in early spring before the new growth begins. Prune shrubby lavatera, such as Lavatera maritima, in spring.How to Prune Lavatera. If the shrub is large, prune in the autumn, reducing stems by 50% to avoid wind rock. For all other Lavatera, prune in spring after all risk of frost has passed. Prune it down by around a third or half.
Where is the best place to plant lavatera?
Where to plant lavatera. Plant in a sunny location, ideally on a well-draining site. Water until established, after which this drought tolerant plant tends to be self-sufficient. Container-grown lavatera require regular watering throughout the growing season. Allow the top few centimetres of compost to dry out between soakings. Keep just moist throughout winter.
Do I need to cut back lavatera?
Also, Lavatera can get leggy and large, and to keep it looking fresh, it is best to prune regularly in the spring. Lavatera is short-lived, usually becoming very leggy and flowering less by around year 6/7, depending on conditions. It can be propagated from softwood cuttings in spring or summer. Tidy up sub-shrub cultivars (those with a woody base and tender stems) in autumn, then cut back hard in the spring. Cut back herbaceous lavateras to the base in winter. Prune lavatera shrubs with a permanent woody framework in spring. Deadhead in summer to encourage new growth and flowers.