Trimming Lavender - How To Prune Lavender Properly

Pruning lavender is important in keeping a lavender plant producing the type of fragrant foliage that most gardeners seek. If lavender isn't pruned regularly, it will become woody and produce fewer fragrant leaves and flowers.

If you're wondering how to prune lavender and when to prune lavender at the correct time, have no fear. All of this information is listed below.

When to Prune Lavender

You'll start trimming lavender in the second year that it is in the ground. Newly planted or very young plants need a chance to establish themselves, and in order to do this, they need to be able to focus on growing roots.

If you cut back lavender in its first year, it will put energy towards growing leaves rather than roots and this will make it a weaker plant in the long term. Once your lavender plant has had one year to establish itself, you'll need to prune it once a year. The best time for when to prune lavender is in the spring just as the new growth is starting to come in.

How to Prune Lavender

When pruning lavender, it's important to start out with a sharp, clean set of pruning shears. Wipe down the blades of your pruning shears with rubbing alcohol or bleach to make sure all bacteria and potentially harmful germs are removed from the blades.

The next step for trimming lavender is to prune one-third of the plant. This will force the lavender to create new and more growth, which will not only keep the bush from going woody, but will also help to increase the amount of lavender available for harvest later in the season. Remove any dead or diseased branches to maintain the plant's overall health and appearance.

Properly pruning lavender will help your lavender produce more, stay healthier and more lovely. If you follow these easy tips for how to prune lavender, you can't go wrong.