Lavender is an all-time garden favourite for many British homeowners who like its fragrant and vibrant blooms. But if left to its own devices through the summer, many lavender plants can become “woody” and “ungainly,” with their usual green and lilac colour turning brown and dry. This shift can quickly turn your lavender bushes from a garden treasure to an aesthetic issue.
However, with a bit of attention now, you can ensure your lavender remains healthy and full of life next year. According to BBC gardening expert and presenter Monty Don, the key to preventing your lavender from becoming “woody” and “leggy” lies in a timely task.
He explained: “To avoid woody, leggy plants, lavender should be pruned every year. The best time to do this is as soon as the flowers start to fade.”
For most gardeners, this means acting between mid-summer and late August, depending on the variety of lavender you have.
Monty stressed the importance of not delaying this task, urging gardeners to take action now: “Do not wait for the seed heads to form or the flowers to turn brown as you want to allow the maximum amount of time for regrowth before winter.”
And pruning is not just about tidying up the plant to make it look better visually.
To truly rejuvenate your lavender, Monty advises pruning it “aggressively” while ensuring that fresh shoots remain on each stem.
These new shoots will grow rapidly, providing a fresh and healthy cover to protect the plant during winter and forming the foundation of next year’s vibrant display.
As Monty explains, these new shoots will “grow fast and provide an attractive and healthy cover to protect the plant in winter and provide the basis of next year’s display.”
Lavender plants, however, are not all created equal, and some older, more mature lavender bushes may seem beyond saving despite regular pruning. If that’s the case, Monty recommends considering a full replacement.
And if you miss the ideal window for pruning after summer, Monty suggested that it’s best to wait until spring, especially for varieties like French, Spanish, and Italian lavenders that are less hardy.
For those dealing with leggy lavenders that are past their prime, Judith Hann, author of Herbs, said: “The normal advice is to replace plants when they become leggy, usually after three to five years. But I avoid having to do this by cutting right back into the wood.”
