Pruning lavender correctly: the simple trick for a longer life

A simple trick prevents exactly that.

Many amateur gardeners blame the weather or the soil when lavender eventually consists of little more than brown stems. In fact, one quick annual use of the garden shears determines whether the plant becomes old prematurely or flowers for two decades. Knowing the right time and method can almost double the lifespan of these lavender mounds.

Why lavender ages so quickly without pruning

Lavender is not a conventional herbaceous border plant, but a subshrub. Its base quickly becomes woody, brown and hard. Hardly any new buds emerge from this so-called old wood. This is precisely where the issue lies: many people simply allow their plants to grow until the mound splits open in the middle and becomes increasingly bare inside.

The lavender then resembles a frayed broom, with a few flowers around the outside and nothing but grey-brown branches at its centre. Anyone who prunes it drastically at this stage, cutting deeply into the old wood, risks entire shoots dying back and failing to regrow.

“Regular pruning within the green growth keeps lavender young, dense and willing to flower – for many years.”

Observations in gardens reveal clear differences: plants that have received little pruning, or have been pruned incorrectly, are often exhausted after fewer than ten years. Specimens cut properly each year in the young, green wood, on the other hand, can last 15 to 20 years. Pruning ensures that the plant continually produces new, vigorous shoots and prevents the base from becoming completely woody.

The ideal time: when lavender should be pruned

There is considerable uncertainty: too early, too late, too much? In principle, two fixed pruning dates each year are sufficient, adjusted to the region. The calendar is not the only deciding factor; the condition of the plant matters too.

The two most important pruning times of the year

• Major maintenance prune after flowering: from late August to late September, once most flowers have faded.