Do you prune your rosemary and lavender bushes?

[Deleted]

My little bushes are getting a bit bigger.

I've read that lavender will get woody if it isn't pruned.

Do you cut your lavender back in the fall? If so, how far?

I'm wondering about the rosemary, too. Would it grow in fuller if I cut it back?

You can tell I'm new to these two.

Thanks!

[Kathy]

I didn't cut back my rosemary and it grew to almost 4 1/2 ' tall & it was in a huge wood planter!
I sort of shaped it so it had more of a holiday tree shape but never really pruned it.

I haven't had lavender bushes for a long time; for the last 5 yrs I've rented. Now that I'm settled, have a large yard & can do it; I'll be planting all sorts of shrubs, bushes & perennials.

[Deleted]

Hooray for planting! Congratulations! I got my little place just over two years ago, got too many plants, and ended up giving many away. Too much to take care of when it doesn't rain. Hauling buckets of water out of the bathtub, etc.

How long did it take for the rosemary to get that tall? I so like the smell of it, and that it's an evergreen.

[Kathy]

I bought mine in the spring of 2006, lived in AR where the temps are very warm so that may have helped. I didn't feed it anything other than worm casting tea.

It reached 4 1/2 ' by the fall of 2008 when I gave it to my neighbor because I moved to a second floor apt in IA. He says
it's still doing well.

[Deleted]

You must have a very green thumb! I've used Miracle Gro and fish emulsion. Maybe I need to feed them more often.

I don't know "worm casting tea". Could you clue me in?

Thanks.

[Kathy]

I bought my worm castings in Memphis at the farmers market but I just checked online and here's a place that sells them.

www.dirtworks.net/Buy-Worm-Castings.html

I just took about 3 cups of the castings and put it in a standard household bucket(2 1/2-3 gal ?)and filled it with water.
I stirred it everytime I went by it in the back door for 3 days.
On the 4th day, I filtered it through a cheese cloth. The stuff in the cheesecloth I put around my tomatoes and the 'tea' is what I used to water the rosemary plant.
You could just topdress around the plant I suppose but I liked to know it was getting fed regularly.

[Deleted]

Kathy, thanks very much. The worm castings look very good. I appreciate your posting that. That could be just what my plants will like!