Pruning lavender can be confusing – but gardening experts have shared all you need to know about when and how to prune lavender for the best possible results
Trimming lavender can be baffling, particularly with so much conflicting guidance out there. Fortunately, horticultural specialists have revealed when and how to trim lavender for optimal outcomes. Morris Hankinson, managing director of Hope Grove Nurseries, explained why lavender plants require trimming.
He said: “Unless you are going to treat your lavender plants as a short-term project to be replaced in a few years, you will need to prune them so they thrive. Unpruned lavender plants can quickly become straggly and leggy, liable to sprawl and open up to reveal unsightly gnarled looking branches that bear few flowers.
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Once this stage is reached they can be very difficult to rejuvenate as they seldom respond to very hard pruning,” Morris added. Gardening specialists at Sky Nursery agreed, saying: “Pruning is the only regular care most lavenders will need so your lavender doesn’t get too leggy.”
When to trim lavender
Nevertheless, any time after a flower spike has completely bloomed out, it can be cut off at the base where the flower stalk meets the body of the plant. This will encourage robust, healthy growth and maintain the plants in excellent condition.
Extra trimming during early spring might prove worthwhile if the shrub has flourished extensively the previous summer. Spanish lavender can be cut back to half its height if you wish to alter the plant’s form, reports the Express.
English and French lavender types can be trimmed back more severely, to a third of their flowering dimensions. Nevertheless, spring trimming might postpone the plant’s blooming period.
Lavender struggles to regenerate from aged timber, so avoid cutting old, brown, bare stems – or the plant will perish. Mature, abandoned plants are better off being replaced. Regular annual trimming should help avoid this occurring.
What to prune
Garden enthusiasts should watch for spent blooms, flower heads that have faded and lost their vibrancy, plus any dead or rotting matter that needs removing.
During initial pruning, eliminate any weak or overlapping branches as this helps shape the plant without stems interfering with its natural growing pattern.
As a basic principle, the more severely a plant gets trimmed, the more vigorously it will develop and the opposite applies. It’s crucial to bear this in mind when cutting plants as it influences their future development.
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How to trim lavender
“If you grow French lavender, prune hard to approximately 23cm – or nine inches – after the first flowering then deadhead throughout the season.”
For those keen to keep their lavender flourishing, the specialists have a tip: “Being ruthless with your pruning will pay dividends. In fact, cutting the shoots back by a third, or to around 22cm – or nine inches – into the foliage is ideal to encourage masses of flowers.”
The lavender experts emphasised that even young plants require pruning. They explained: “This slows the growth of the wood at the centre of the plant. However, rather than cutting it, prune it by pinching the tips.”
When it comes to trimming lavender, experts from garden retailer Thompson and Morgan stressed: “What is critical when pruning, is that you need to cut to just above a group of new shoots. Go any lower and the lavender will die.”
Post-pruning, green-fingered enthusiasts can propagate new lavender from the clippings. This is an excellent method for replenishing any lavender hedges or specimens that may have underperformed or needed removal.