Pruning lavender should be done with clean secateurs (Image: Getty) Lavender thrives under plenty of sunshine and requires soil that drains quickly. They falter in shadowy or chilly environments over time - so can struggle in British weather conditions. Many lavender plants can became "woody" and "ungainly" if left alone for summer, according to the Royal Horticultural Society, meaning your beautiful green and lilac plant can turn brown and dry-looking.
Pruning lavender is key to rejuvenating your plants, but there are some key rules to follow. BBC 's gardening expert Monty Don has been dispensing pearls of wisdom on how UK gardeners can prevent their lavender bushes from becoming "woody" and "leggy". function loadOvpScript(){let el=document.
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addEventListener("tcfLoaded",()=>{loadOvpScript()ExpressApp.Log('[Load] OVP tcfLoaded',new Date())})}},1500)}) READ MORE: Garden plants to ‘never’ prune in August or risk ‘disease’ and no blooms Monty Don shares ‘best’ time to prune lavender to ‘avoid woody, leggy’ plant next year (Image: Getty) He said: "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.
" According to him, depending on the variant, this could fall between mid-summer and late August. Moreover, he advises against waiting and advised taking action now, adding: "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.” To achieve a pristine, well-shaped lavender bush, gardeners are encouraged to prune aggressively, ensuring some fresh shoots remain on each stem.
He warns that lavenders typically wont sprout anew from bare wood, accentuating the importance of leaving these new shoots intact. Don't miss..
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You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy Monty added: "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." For those contending with particularly ancient lavenders that look haggard despite vigorous pruning, Monty suggests going for a full replacement to maintain a garden's charm and order.
If gardeners forget to prune their lavender after summer has finished, then it's best to wait until the following spring, especially for less hardy French, Spanish and Italian lavenders. Judith Hann, author of Herbs, explained: "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.
".
