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You can take lavender cuttings in winter, but it’s not the ideal season for the highest success rates.
While lavender typically roots best during the active growing months of late spring and early summer, taking lavender cuttings in winter is absolutely possible if you’re working with the right type of wood and a little extra patience.
Winter cuttings, often called hardwood cuttings, come from the mature, woody stems of the plant rather than the soft, green growth you’d use in summer.
If you’ve been wondering can you take lavender cuttings in winter to multiply your plants or save a struggling variety, the short answer is yes, but you’ll need to adjust your approach for the cold.
In this post, we’ll explore how winter cuttings differ from summer ones, why some gardeners swear by this method, and what you need to do to give your lavender cuttings the best chance of rooting during the dormant season.
Let’s dig into the details now.
Why You Can Take Lavender Cuttings In Winter
Lavender cuttings in winter work because the plant enters a semi-dormant state where it stores energy in its stems rather than pushing out new leaves.
This stored energy is exactly what a cutting needs to survive the long weeks before roots form.
When you take lavender cuttings in winter, you’re using hardwood that’s tougher and less likely to rot than the tender softwood of spring.
That said, rooting takes longer in cold weather, sometimes twice as long as summer cuttings, so you’ll need to keep your pots in a protected, frost-free spot.
Here are the main reasons why winter cuttings can be a smart move for lavender lovers.
1. Hardwood Cuttings Are Naturally More Resilient
The stems you’ll take in winter have had months to harden off and develop a protective outer layer.
This woody texture resists fungal diseases and rot much better than the soft, green tips you’d cut in June.
So when you take lavender cuttings in winter, you’re working with plant material that’s built to endure harsh conditions.
That makes them perfect for surviving the cold if you provide just a bit of shelter.
And unlike summer cuttings that wilt within hours if neglected, winter hardwood cuttings stay hydrated longer because they lose water at a slower rate.
2. The Plant Is Dormant, So Stress Is Lower
During winter, lavender isn’t actively growing, which means it’s not directing all its energy into leaves and flowers.
When you remove a stem during this rest period, the parent plant barely notices, and the cutting itself isn’t fighting to support new growth.
Instead, the cutting can focus all its stored carbohydrates on producing roots once the temperature warms slightly.
This is why experienced gardeners say yes, you can take lavender cuttings in winter, because the cutting behaves like a sleeping twig that just needs moisture and time to wake up.
3. You Can Get a Head Start on Spring Planting
If you take lavender cuttings in winter and keep them in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse, they’ll often root by early spring.
That means you’ll have baby lavender plants ready to transplant outdoors just as the last frost passes.
Summer cuttings usually take three to four weeks to root, but winter cuttings might need six to eight weeks or more.
Still, the timing works out beautifully because you’re not rushing to water outdoor cuttings during the hottest months.
So taking lavender cuttings in winter can effectively give you a jumpstart on your entire lavender patch for the year.
How to Take Lavender Cuttings In Winter Successfully
Taking lavender cuttings in winter isn’t complicated, but you need to follow a few key steps to avoid failure.
The biggest mistake gardeners make is treating winter cuttings like summer ones, which leads to rot in cold, wet conditions.
Here’s the simple process that will give you the best odds.
1. Choose the Right Stems on a Dry Day
Look for stems that are at least six months old, brown and woody at the base, but still flexible enough to bend slightly without snapping.
Avoid stems with any signs of disease, discoloration, or damage from frost.
Pick a dry day to take lavender cuttings in winter because wet wood is more prone to fungal issues once you pot them up.
Cut each stem to about four to six inches long using sharp, clean pruning shears.
Make the bottom cut just below a leaf node, which is the little bump where leaves used to attach.
2. Strip the Lower Leaves and Dip in Rooting Hormone
Even though winter stems have few leaves, you might see tiny green clusters near the top.
Remove any leaves from the bottom half of the cutting so no foliage sits below the soil line.
Then dip the cut end into rooting hormone powder, which isn’t strictly necessary but doubles your success rate when taking lavender cuttings in winter.
The hormone encourages root cell development even in cool temperatures.
Tap off any excess powder before planting.
3. Plant in a Well-Draining Mix and Keep Frost-Free
Use a pot with drainage holes and fill it with a mix of half horticultural sand and half general-purpose compost.
This gritty mix is crucial because lavender hates soggy roots, especially in winter when water doesn’t evaporate quickly.
Insert each cutting about two inches deep and firm the soil gently around it.
Water lightly just to settle the mix, then place the pot in a cold frame, unheated greenhouse, or even a bright, cool windowsill indoors.
The goal is to keep the cutting between 35°F and 50°F (2°C to 10°C) so it stays dormant but doesn’t freeze solid.
Check the soil every week, and only water when the top inch feels dry to the touch.
Common Mistakes When You Take Lavender Cuttings In Winter
Even when you know you can take lavender cuttings in winter, a few easy errors can ruin your efforts.
Avoid these pitfalls so your cuttings don’t turn to mush or dry out completely.
1. Overwatering the Cuttings
The number one killer of winter cuttings is too much moisture in the potting mix.
Because the cutting has no leaves to transpire water, the soil stays wet for weeks, drowning the stem and inviting rot.
When you take lavender cuttings in winter, water only sparingly, and always let the surface dry completely between drinks.
If the pot feels heavy, skip watering for another week.
2. Letting Them Freeze Solid
Lavender plants in the ground can handle deep freezes, but bare cuttings in small pots have no soil insulation to protect their delicate base.
A hard freeze will burst the cell walls inside the cutting, turning it into a sad, translucent twig.
Make sure your pots stay in a frost-free shed, an unheated garage with a window, or buried up to their rims in soil outdoors.
That last trick works brilliantly if you don’t have indoor space.
3. Cutting Too Late in the Season
If you take lavender cuttings in winter during a sudden January warm spell only to face another six weeks of brutal cold, your cuttings might give up.
Wait until the very end of winter, usually February or early March, when daylight hours are increasing and the worst frosts are behind you.
That timing gives roots a better chance to form as the soil slowly warms.
So, Can You Take Lavender Cuttings In Winter?
Yes, you can take lavender cuttings in winter, and it’s a rewarding way to propagate lavender if you’re patient.
You can take lavender cuttings in winter using hardwood stems, a cool but frost-free environment, and a well-draining potting mix to see success by early spring.
While you can take lavender cuttings in winter with lower success rates than summer propagation, the method saves space and time because you won’t have to monitor them constantly in the heat.
Remember that you can take lavender cuttings in winter only if you avoid overwatering, protect them from freezing solid, and choose stems that are fully woody.
So if you’ve got a favorite lavender bush and the winter winds are blowing, grab your shears and give winter cuttings a try, your future garden will thank you.
Hope this guide helps you feel confident about taking lavender cuttings in winter, and happy propagating out there.