If you want your lavender to stay healthy, bushy, and bursting with flowers year after year, now is the time to reach for the secateurs.
Lavender is a staple in many UK gardens, loved for its soothing scent, elegant purple blooms, and the calming hum of bees it attracts on sunny days. But while it might seem like a low-maintenance plant, a little attention at the right time of year can make a huge difference to how it grows and flowers in seasons to come.
Pruning lavender isn’t just about keeping things tidy – it’s essential if you want to keep your plants healthy, bushy, and bursting with colour year after year. And when it comes to timing, July and August is the sweet spot. As the main flush of flowers starts to fade, it’s the perfect opportunity to give your lavender a light haircut. Do it now, and you’ll help it maintain that lovely rounded shape, encourage more blooms next summer, and prevent the plant from becoming too woody or straggly as it ages.
You don’t need to be an expert to prune lavender effectively. Here’s a simple step-by-step:
- Wait until flowering is nearly done – The blooms will start to fade and lose their colour.
- Use clean, sharp secateurs – This ensures a tidy cut and helps prevent disease.
- Cut back the spent flower stems – Go just above the woody base, trimming into the green leafy part.
- Shape the plant into a neat dome – This helps it resist winter weather and grow evenly next year.
- Avoid cutting into old wood – Lavender rarely regenerates from wood, so always leave some green growth on each stem.
Bonus tip! Use the cuttings
Don’t let those beautifully scented stems go to waste! Use them in homemade potpourri, scented sachets for your wardrobe, or even in baking (yes, lavender shortbread is a thing!).
Here’s Gareth with a demo!
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