Early spring is the perfect time to show your lavender plants some love, and pruning is something they’d highly benefit from come summer. Gardeners should aim to cut back their lavender by one or two-thirds just before the buds begin to show. Seafood Lavender Company and Gardens has offered a quick tutorial on how to prune lavender.
In a video shared to TikTok and Facebook, the gardening gurus advised: “How to prune a lavender plant in 60 seconds”. They explained that you should prune up to a third of the height of your lavender, being careful to only snip through the stems and leaves and not into the woody part of the plant.
The expert highlights that while pruning isn’t strictly necessary, it does promote a more appealing rounded shape and encourages “lots of branches for lots of blossoms” as the season progresses.
However, if you encounter a completely dead branch identified by its brittleness, floppiness, and lack of green inside, it’s the one time you should cut into the wood.
The experts noted that younger lavender plants may require more frequent pruning than their older counterparts.
Without regular pruning, lavender can become leggy and woody, so even though it doesn’t need constant attention, neglecting to prune in spring and summer can lead to an overgrown appearance.
For lavenders that haven’t been pruned in several years, it’s best to cut them back slowly over a few seasons to avoid damaging the plant.
The golden rule of lavender pruning is to never cut back to the woody material, as the wood does not rejuvenate, and the wood is the weakest, least resilient part of the plant.
Unlike many other plants, it is not vital to fertilise lavender after pruning, but a little can help.
A sprinkling of potash around the base of plants will “encourage more prolific flowering and improved flower colour”, according to the experts at Downderry Nursery.
Don‘t add bulky manure or high-nitrogen feed, as your lavenders will grow very sappy and flop open.
