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Pruning lavender in August will encourage a second round of blooms later in the season

Lavender is a popular garden plant, but it doesn't always bloom as abundantly and spectacularly as gardeners might hope

[A smiling middle-aged woman working in her self-sustaining biodynamic garden, gently picking fresh lavender among flowering herbs. Concept of slow living, herbal medicine, and organic lifestyle]

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Lavender is often simple to grow and is known for its distinctive scent(Image: Jasmina007 via Getty Images)

Lavender is a fragrant flowering plant belonging to the Lavandula genus. Originally native to the Mediterranean region, it is now cultivated around the world and is known for its beautiful appearance, distinctive scent, culinary applications, and use in essential oils.

Lavender is a small, woody shrub characterised by narrow, silvery-green leaves, slender spikes of purple, blue-violet, pink, or white flowers and a distinctive floral and herbaceous fragrance.

Most lavender varieties flower from late spring through the summer months, although the exact flowering period varies depending on the variety and climate.

Lavender has been cultivated for more than 2,500 years and its distinctive aroma comes from naturally occurring compounds such as linalool and linalyl acetate. Lavender flowers are also edible, although they have a strong flavour and should be used sparingly, as too much can result in a bitter or soapy taste.

[the blooming lavender flowers in Provence, near Sault, France]

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A job gardeners often get wrong is pruning (Image: wjarek via Getty Images)

Common varieties

There are several types of lavender, each with its own characteristics and uses:

• English lavender One of the most cold-hardy varieties, commonly used in cooking, teas, and essential oil production
• French lavender Recognised by its toothed leaves and long flowering season, particularly in warmer climates
• Spanish lavender Easily identified by the distinctive rabbit ear bracts that appear above its flower spikes
• Lavandin A hybrid of English and spike lavender that produces abundant flowers and is widely valued for its high essential oil yield

However, lavender can be typically easy to grow, it can have some niggling issues. The plant can be surprisingly sensitive to light, watering, soil conditions, and pruning.

Most commonly, pruning is the issue with many gardeners doing the job wrong.

Correct pruning should stop the plant from becoming overly woody at its base and producing only thin, leggy shoots with sparse foliage and flowers. Regular pruning helps lavender keep its shape and promotes the plant's overall health.

Speaking on her TikTok account @mamanowwhat, gardener Lindsey, insists that now is the ideal time to give lavender a trim to encourage it to flower again.

She said, "If you're growing English lavender, giving it a trim can give you a whole second round of blooms later in summer."

"Trimming a few lavender plants now encourages fresh growth and another round of blooms later in the season."

For the pruning technique, Lindsey ties a piece of string around the whole plant to make sure she's only cutting off the flowerheads.

When should you prune lavender?

Ideally, lavender should be pruned twice a year: once in spring and once in summer. When it comes to spring pruning, timing is crucial.

The ideal time to prune lavender can vary depending on the variety and where you live, but late summer, once flowering has finished, is generally the best time to give your plant a trim.

As the flowers begin to fade, cut away the spent flower heads and lightly trim the green growth to help maintain a neat, compact shape.

However, gardeners should take care not to cut too far into the old, woody stems. Lavender can struggle to produce new growth from older wood, so pruning should be kept to the softer, green parts of the plant.

How to prune lavender properly

When pruning lavender, it's vital to avoid cutting too far back. The extent of pruning should also depend on the plant's stage of growth and overall health.

In spring, it's best to trim the lavender by approximately one to two-thirds just before the buds begin to emerge. After the summer blooms have finished, you can reduce it by half.

As a general rule, younger lavender plants require more vigorous pruning than established ones. You can cut the shoots back by as much as half to encourage bushier, more compact growth.

With older lavender bushes, however, extra caution is needed. Start by removing all dead flower heads.

Then, prune carefully and avoid cutting too deeply (around 10cm) to encourage a fuller appearance. Remember that lavender struggles to regrow from woody stems near ground level, so gentle trimming is crucial.

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