If your lavender plant is starting to look ‘scraggly’ or ‘woody’ then it may be time to prune it, which is incredibly easy to do according to one gardener.
Lavenders are beautiful fragrant plants that brighten up any garden and are fairly easy to maintain as long as you know the proper time to prune them.
It is important to prune lavender to prevent it from becoming woody and less productive, as giving it a trim will help concentrate the plant’s energy into producing more flowers.
When should you prune lavender?
David Denyer, an expert florist from Eflorist and former gold medal winner at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, chatted with the Express and had some great advice for us all. He said that now is the perfect time to start pruning your lavender!
He explained: “The best time to give your English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and lavenderin (Lavandula x intermedia) types a decent pruning is late summer to early autumn.”
“Things are a little different, though, if you are planting French lavender (Lavandula dentata). These plants are not as hardy in severe winter conditions and are a little more fragile.
“Therefore, as soon as you notice new growth beginning in the early spring, give them a small trim. This light trimming encourages your lavender to grow bushy and gets rid of any winter die-back.”
However, it is important to prune English lavender at least six weeks before the first frost of the year if you want a bushier, larger and more robust plant next growing season.
David said: “By removing spent flower stalks, you’re preparing for a blooming season next year. And don’t forget about shape—pruning now keeps your lavender clean and compact, avoiding the scraggly, woody aspect that may make your garden appear unkempt.”
How do you prune lavender?
It is very easy to prune a lavender plant as it will only take between 15 to 30 minutes for most medium-sized plants, but a larger lavender bush may take around an hour or longer.
The key to pruning lavender is to be gentle, especially if the plant is young, so take your time to prune slowly and carefully to avoid injuring the plant.
To begin, you will need a pair of clean and sharp secateurs to remove any dead or woody parts of the stem.
David said: “You want to cut back about a third of the plant, focusing on the green, leafy parts, leaving the woody bit alone.
“For a nice rounded look, give the outside a slightly shorter trim than the middle. Don’t go overboard. A little naturalness is always charming. And remember, lavender is tough, so don’t be shy about giving it a good clip. It’ll bounce back.”
There is plenty of time to prune lavender but taking the time to do so now in late summer will give the plant more time to prepare for winter as well as help keep it vigorous and healthy.
David said: “A good prune now will pay off big time next year. You’ll notice a huge difference. Your lavender will look fuller, bushier, and healthier.
“Plus, you can expect more of those lovely purple flowers. It might look a bit bare for a while, but trust me, it’ll grow back stronger than ever.”
