March 1, 2025 Peter van Dijk

Pruning Lavender

Lavender is a beautiful garden plant that not only smells wonderful but is also a true eye-catcher in any garden. To keep your lavender plants healthy and in full bloom, it is essential to prune them correctly. By pruning regularly, the plants remain compact and retain their beautiful shape. In this blog, you will discover everything about when and how to prune lavender for optimal growth and flowering.

When to Prune Lavender?

Pruning lavender is important to keep the plant in good condition and to encourage bushy growth. By pruning regularly, the lavender remains strong and retains its characteristic fragrance and abundant flowering. The best time to prune lavender is in the spring and after the first bloom in the summer.

Pruning lavender in the spring (March – April)

In the spring, around March or April, when the risk of frost has passed, you can start pruning. This promotes growth and ensures that the plant remains compact. Pruning too early can be harmful if frost still occurs, while pruning too late can reduce flowering. Prune the plant back to just above the woody part, but be careful not to prune too deeply, as lavender has difficulty sprouting again from old wood.

Pruning lavender in the summer (August – September)

After flowering, usually in August or early September, you can prune lavender one more time. This is a lighter pruning where you mainly remove the spent flowers and a small part of the foliage. This helps keep the plant tidy and can, in some cases, stimulate a second bloom. However, avoid pruning too late in the autumn, as the plant will then have too little time to recover before winter. Regular pruning ensures that lavender plants remain healthy and full of flowers for years. By respecting the correct pruning times, you will enjoy a beautiful and fragrant lavender garden season after season.

When to Prune Lavender for a Second Bloom?

If you want your lavender to have a second bloom, prune the plant immediately after the first flowering period in the summer. Cut away the spent flower stalks and shorten the plant slightly, but do not cut too deep. This stimulates the plant to produce new flowers and ensures a longer flowering period.

How to Prune Lavender?

Correct pruning of lavender ensures that the plant remains healthy, lasts longer, and continues to bloom profusely. Proper pruning prevents the plant from becoming woody and helps it maintain its compact shape. Follow these steps for effective and safe pruning:

Use the right tools
Always start with sharp and clean pruning tools. Sharp secateurs or hedge shears are ideal for neatly trimming lavender. Blunt knives or scissors can bruise the stems, making the plant more susceptible to diseases.
Prune into a spherical shape
Lavender naturally grows in a bushy, round shape. By pruning the plant into a spherical shape, it retains its compact structure and you prevent it from becoming bare at the bottom or falling apart.
Remove spent flowers and long shoots
Cut back the spent flowers and long shoots. This promotes new growth and can even stimulate a second bloom. Moreover, it ensures that the plant looks well-groomed and fresh.
Cut back about 1/3 to 2/3 of the plant
For normal pruning, you can shorten the lavender by about one-third to two-thirds of its length. This helps to rejuvenate the plant and stimulates the development of new shoots.
Avoid pruning into the old wood
One of the most important rules when pruning lavender is that you never prune too deeply into the woody part of the plant. Lavender has difficulty sprouting again from old wood, which can cause the plant to develop bare, lifeless spots. So always make sure to leave some green foliage.

How Short Should You Prune Lavender?

The length you prune depends on the season and the condition of the plant:

Spring pruning (March-April): Prune back about two-thirds of the plant, but make sure to retain some of the green foliage. This stimulates strong, compact growth and prevents lignification.
Summer pruning (August-September): Cut back the spent flowers and approximately one third of the plant. This is a lighter pruning that preserves the shape and potentially promotes a second bloom.
No autumn pruning: Avoid heavy pruning in late autumn, as the plant then has too little time to recover before winter.

By following these pruning instructions, your lavender will remain healthy, beautiful, and full

Pruning Woody Lavender

When lavender becomes woody, it becomes more difficult to prune it without causing damage. The plant develops a woody base and often sprouts less well. Therefore, carefully prune old, woody lavender back to just above the green part. This can help stimulate new growth, but if the plant is too old and bare, replacement may be the best option.

To prevent lavender from becoming woody, it is important to prune well annually and keep the plant young and compact. Regular pruning promotes the production of new shoots and significantly extends the lifespan of the plant.

Pruning Neglected Lavender

For a neglected lavender bush, you can apply more drastic pruning, but be careful. If the plant has not been pruned for too long, it may be heavily woody and sprout less well. Therefore, prune gradually in stages and always leave some green shoots. This gives the plant the chance to recover and develop new growth.

It can take a season for the lavender to fully recover and regain its compact shape. In some cases, however, the shrub is too old, and it may be better to plant new lavender plants for a fresh and full appearance in the garden.

Topping Lavender

Topping lavender means cutting off the top growth points to encourage bushier growth. This is especially useful for young plants and in the spring, when the lavender begins to sprout. By removing the tops, you encourage the plant to branch out more, resulting in a fuller and more compact shrub. Topping can be done several times per season, especially with young lavender plants that are still developing. However, make sure not to prune too deeply and always leave some healthy green shoots. In this way, the lavender grows strong and remains beautiful and healthy year after year.

What Happens If You Don't Prune Lavender?

If you do not prune lavender regularly, the plant will become overgrown and woody over time. This means that the lower parts of the plant become bare and new growth concentrates mainly at the ends. As a result, the lavender loses its compact and full shape and becomes less attractive.

Moreover, a neglected lavender plant will produce fewer flowers, because flowering mainly occurs on younger shoots. Eventually, the plant can become so woody that it shows hardly any new growth and regenerates less well after a late pruning.

By pruning well annually, you stimulate new shoots, keep the plant healthy, and ensure that it continues to bloom luxuriantly and fragrantly for years.