Lavender needs pruning the ‘correct’ way to ‘enhance blooming’ in the following season
Lavender brings a vibrant and aromatic benefit to your garden, but it needs regular pruning to avoid woodiness and keep it flowering abundantly.
Pruning is beneficial to most plants, if not all, and lavender is no exception.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, gardening expert and content editor of British Green Thumb Sarah Johnson has shared the “correct” way to prune lavender.
However, before actually pruning the plant it’s essential to know when lavender needs to be pruned.
Sarah claimed: “The best time to prune lavender is late summer, just after the plant has bloomed and the flowers begin to fade, typically around late August to early September.”
The expert explained that this timing helps prepare the plant for winter and “encourages robust growth” in the spring. A light pruning can also be done in early spring to shape the plant and remove any dead or damaged parts that have occurred over the winter.
The “correct method” to prune lavender involves “several key steps” to ensure the health and productivity of the plant, according to Sarah.
The first key step is to use the right tools that are clean and sharp. The easiest tool to use for pruning lavender are secateurs. As there are so many on the market, Express.co.uk has shared a few that have been highly rated.
Gardeners are loving this Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew by Spear and Jackson Razorsharp Bypass Secateur with Ergo Twist Handle retails for £28.99 at John Lewis.
However, if you’re in the market for something a little cheaper, you can pick up the Delux Anvil Secateurs from Gardening Express for £7.99.
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Once you have your clean and sharp secateurs at the ready, you then want to make sure to prune the plant gradually.
Sarah instructed: “Cut back about one-third of the overall height of the lavender plant. Avoid cutting into the woody base of the plant as this part does not readily sprout new growth.”
Then you can shape the lavender into a rounded mound as this helps shed water away from the crown of the plant, which can help prevent rot in damp climates.
Gardeners will also need to cut off spent flower stalks down to the first set of leaves to “tidy up the plant and encourage additional blooming” if weather conditions permit.
It’s important to also thin out the plant. To do so, remove any dead or weak stems to improve air circulation around the plant.
Sarah claimed that if gardeners follow the practices above it’ll help “maintain the health of lavender, promote lush growth, and enhance blooming in the following season”.
