The absolutely best way to prune English lavender beautifully
This post will tell you how to prune English lavender beautifully.
I wrote it seven years ago. And I planted the lavender over 11 years ago. Yet now, in 2023, my lavender is still a brilliant blue. Everyone asks me how I keep it looking so good.
Yet when I first grew lavender, many of my plants went leggy and woody, although I was following all the ‘right advice’.
When you read instructions on how to prune English lavender, you’ll always see: ‘Never cut lavender back to the wood’. That’s because lavender doesn’t regenerate from old wood.
Sometimes you’ll be told to leave about one third of the new green growth. Or ‘trim lightly.’
So I used to prune my lavender rather warily. I was too frightened I’d kill it. But when I followed this advice – from 2010 to 2014, my lavender sprawled. It became leggy and never looked as good as my neighbour’s lavender.
But there are always different views and different ways of doing things. I now cut my English lavender back hard. And it comes back – looking good – year after year. Let me explain.
My lavender in 2013. It was planted in 2010. I used to trim it lightly, afraid that I would kill it if I pruned back too hard. The lavender by the obelisk went very woody and gappy by 2014. It had to be taken out.
A neighbour’s lavender – it’s been there for over 14 years. He cuts it back hard every August.
Should you hard prune English lavender or just give it a light snip?
August is the time to give your lavender its summer chop. You can tell when it’s ready because the flowers have gone grey. There won’t be any bees humming around the stalks.
The lavender specialists at Downderry say that English lavender needs hard pruning. ‘Generally, the harder lavenders are pruned, the longer they will last,’ says the company.
(French lavender has the little ears and needs different pruning).
Cut it back to 9″ high!
‘Don’t be frightened to cut it back to 9″ just after flowering,’ advises Downderry Lavender. ‘It will love it!’
I’d also noticed that an Italian gardener friend of mine cut his lavender right back, so that there was just a light frosting of green at the top of brown stems.
He cut back especially hard in any parts that were beginning to look gappy. This exposes tiny buds to the sunlight so they can spring up, almost from the base of the plant.
And although the plants looked quite brown, they plumped up with new foliage in a few months. They made elegant grey mounds for the winter garden.
If you prune English lavender back hard, you create these neat sculptural mounds in winter. It adds to the winter structure.
Lavender is a lovely sculptural presence for the garden in winter. It looks especially good in the frost. However, some varieties of lavenders are less frost hardy than others, so if you lose your lavender over winter, it may not be suitable for your weather.
The following year, I took my courage – and my secateurs – in hand. I’ve chopped back the lavender mounds down much further than I used to. I haven’t quite dared to take it down to 9″, but I have remembered that next door do cut their lavender very low.
How to prune English lavender – I’ll pin this to a Pinterest board as an easy way to remember what to do.
The experts also say that you should use good secateurs when you prune English lavender. I use these Felco secateurs, which I bought around fifteen years ago. They always cut well. (Note: links to Amazon are affiliate, see disclosure.)
So is ‘don’t prune English lavender into the wood’ a myth?
Yes and no. Look closely at your plant. You will see tiny blue-grey shoots. They are just little dots, often almost at the bottom of the stem. You do need to cut just above those tiny shoots, because if you cut the lavender down below them, it won’t regenerate. It will probably die. So wear your glasses!
So take a good thick bunch of lavender in one hand. Chop down to just above where you see those tiny little lavender shoots in the brown wood.
Can you use shears or a strimmer to prune English lavender?
In the seven years since I first wrote this post, we have experimented. We’ve pruned our lavender with both shears and a strimmer. Both made the job quicker, and it has grown back well after both shears and a strimmer. You’ll need to neaten the bushes by hand with secateurs for a really tight, sculptural finish, however.
There are several different kinds of lavender. Some may react better to hard pruning than others. However, if your lavender is looking leggy, woody or gappy, give it a good, hard trim. If it doesn’t survive, then you haven’t lost anything because you didn’t like how the plant looked anyway.
Here you can see one mound of lavender pruned to just under half its height. It looks brown and woody, but if you look closely you can see tiny lavender shoots on the lower branches.
Can you trim lavender in spring?
If you forget to trim your lavender at the end of the summer, it’s best to wait until the mid to end of spring the following year. If I have to trim in spring, I just give a very light trim.
Then I’ll cut back harder the following autumn.
Update! The lavender three years on!
The same lavender in July 2019 – nearly three years after I originally wrote this post,. The lavender is now nine years old and is still going strong, so I’d recommend you prune English lavender this way! The lavender variety is Lavender Hidcote, by the way.
And five years later in 2021!
The lavender is now nearly 11 years old. It’s still a wonderful display.
We’ve swapped the spiral topiary for a sundial at the centre of the lavender, but the lavender is flowering as well as it ever did.
And the 2022 lavender pruning update!
The lavender was cut back hard in August 2021 and once again it flowered beautifully in July 2022. But the lavender is now 12 years old, and it is getting gappy and woody. However well you prune English lavender, it is not a long-lived plant and at some point you will have to replace it.
This year we have cut back extra hard to see if the lavender will re-grow from the base. It may die. But we know we will have to replace it at some point, so it is worth experimenting.
The ‘before and after’ pic. You can see that the lavender was clipped back to the brown wood in some places last autumn, although there is a layer of lavender green still visible. The top photo shows the lavender in the summer of 2022.
And now in 2023!
Our lavender in 2023 after being cut back hard in August 2022. It is now beginning to get gappy but it is 11 years old, and that’s old for lavender!
More practical gardening tips
See this post on an easy tip for weeding without chemicals, how to plant a border like a pro, find out why compost can be easy or it can be quick (but it can’t be both) and whether you really need to dig up your dahlias.
And you can save yourself lots of time and effort if you read this about why ‘no dig’ works just as well for flower borders as it does in the veggie patch!
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When I had a garden I had a lovely lavender plant that grew so big that I divided it and I would cut it back to about 6 inches from the ground, because I didn’t know any better. They both flourished and I believe at least one plant is still there after 10 more years. Now I’m trying to grow one in a pot, so far so good. Do I still cut it down? She’s coming inside for the winter.
I wouldn’t bring a lavender inside for the winter because the light levels, even on a sunny windowsill, are too low. If you want to protect it from winter, you could pull it close to the house wall which is always the warmest spot in the garden, especially if you have a brick house. But if the lavender is very tender, you’ll need to over-winter it in a greenhouse, depending on your climate. In terms of cutting it, I haven’t grown lavender in pots so I can’t be too confident about it, but I would suggest cutting it, yes.
Hi! Thank you for the wonder article. I’m beginner and got a garden with a big no very good looking lavander. I want to prune but not sure if it’s a good idea to do it now (March) or should I wait?
Wait for the slightly warmer weather, people usually advise April. Also don’t cut as far back for a spring prune. Your lavender may be getting too old and you may be better off replacing it in the long run.
Very good article.
You never stop learning with gardening.
Thank you
I am an absolute beginner and have what may be a silly question, I planted English Lavendar “Vera” last year, looking well coming into spring, will not need pruning until end august, question is, is the 9in from the top of the soil or the top of the plant. 1 plant looks great the other looks mostly wood with shoots coming from them
There’s never a silly question in gardening. The plant which is mostly wood with shoots coming up will probably look healthy by the summer. When you prune in August, you need to cut off all the flowers and some of the pale grey leaves. People vary in how much of the leaves they cut off. I take off almost all, which keeps the plant in good shape. That may end up as 9″ from the top of the soil, but it definitely won’t be 9″ from the top of the plant.
I grow lots of Lavender Hidcote in my zone 5 gardens Latvia EU. I cut back really hard and winters can fall into minus 30c .Back in the bluest of blue every summer so must be doing something right
I’m sure you’re doing lots right!
I miss your talks dear lady .Thank you for your praise . Never have it from any one over here .Most English hate gardens and locals say its too much work for nothing? Then i recall same in England said get a hobby not waste your cash on buying trees? Some as love History and as a student it was fine but so few then liked history .Now its our Tv . Gardening only really old Garden club now gardeners world making jungles in all parts of globe . The idea is to have borders and lawns green housing hedges and statues gazebo of roses place to sit and dream . Yes it costs thousands to turn 5 acres of farm fields into English art and craft gardens but better then drinking smoking and Snooker .Gardens are the very life blood of us noble spirits
They are! And thank you!
Can I please ask – is it too late to prune now? My lavender is still bright blue and I forgot!! Many thanks
I’ve pruned mine in September before but not as late as this. I don’t think there’s a definite answer to your question – if we have a harsh winter, your lavender may suffer but if it’s mild, it’ll probably be OK. I’d be inclined to give it a trim to take the flowers off, then prune it a bit more tightly after the frosts are over. But you could cut it back harder to see what happens – the price of learning about gardening is lots of dead plants! Good luck and sorry I wasnt’ able to be more definite.
I have had amazing results hard pruning my French lavender. I saw some Feilds in France that had been cut back to about 4 inches! I tried this in early September and was stunned how well the lavender came back
Glad to hear it. We have pruned one overgrown lavender bush down to around 4″ this year (we were prepared to lose it) and it has shown new growth. There must be some other factors involved which cause some lavender to fail if it’s cut back too hard.
When we visited the Norfolk Lavender farm the majority had been cut down mechanically for harvest leaving them looking very sad. We were assured they would be just as good for the next years harc
Vest
I’m sure they’re right!
I started growing Lavender from plug plants in June this year, they are now about 10in tall. I assume I shouldn’t prune in the first year?! They haven’t flowered yet.
If they haven’t flowered, there’s no need to prune them. If they do flower, just snip the flower heads off once they’re over.
I just bought some English lavender plants and they are already all woody at the bottom and are starting to drop. When should I be pruning these if they are in the first year being planted ? I am not sure if I over watered them but the stalks are mostly all wood at this time. I am not sure if they can be revived. Can I send you pictures for advice ?
It would probably be better to send a picture to the company you bought them from – if something has gone wrong so soon, it may not be your fault. In the meantime, plant them somewhere sunny, but don’t water them unless you have more than two weeks without any rain. They may recover. Good luck.
Hi, I missed the autumn window for pruning our woody lavender and wondered when the next viable timeframe would be advisable?
I’ve just asked Downderry Lavender who hold the National Collection of Lavenders for their advice and they say that the next best time to prune your lavender is as the sap is beginning to rise. That would be late March/early April in the southern part of the UK, so generally early to mid spring. He says to cut about one third into the foliage at this time.
Brilliant, thank you for the advice. I’ve set a reminder :)
Thank you!
I planted a small hedge of young Hidcote lavender plants in June this year, they have grown well over the summer and flowered late August/September. I haven’t been able to get out and trim off the flowers and wondered if I did this now (07 November) if it might be too late as the weather is getting colder? Would it be better to leave them over the winter and then cut them off in the Spring?
I think that as you only planted them this year, I’d suggest leaving the trim until spring. Although you could trim the dead flowers off – if you’re happy to leave them on, the birds will enjoy them.
Hi Alexandra
I have the same problem except my lavenders aren’t newly planted!
They’re about 2-3 years old and in pots, I haven’t been able to prune them yet this year and am wondering if I can give them a hard prune now.
What do you think?
Best wishes,
Alexandra
I think it would be best to wait till spring. Although you could always experiment and see what happens!
Thanks for this informative post. I am extremely new to gardening, and planted 2 lavender hidcote plants into containers about a month ago. Is your advice on pruning any different for new plants in their first year? Thanks so much
When you prune them, just check that there are buds below where you cut. They will look like tiny lavender flakes. But in the first year, it will be fine to prune less severely because hard pruning keeps the shape tight. Take off about a third to a half of the green growth and cut back harder once the plants are established. There’s always a certain amount of trial and error in this, hope that helps.
I planted lavender last fall, fully grown, from a nursery.they are now flowering — in April, 2020 – and bees are having at them. I’m wondering whether pruning the flowers now will turn away the bees, interrupt their work….there do seem to be a bit fewer than 2-3 weeks ago, but they’re still there. So I don’t know what is the right course…..I’m in Los Angeles, btw.
Don’t prune lavender until after the flowers are over. You’ll know when that is as they’ll be more grey than blue, and you won’t see any bees or other pollinators buzzing around them. In my garden they are usually flowering for about a month before it’s clear that they’re over.
It’s nearly the end of September- is it too late to prune lavender ( I’m in Oxford)
It might be a bit late. I did it once in late September and was fine. But you can certainly trim all the flowers off, but leave maybe a couple of leaves above ‘the brown’. Or give it a good hard prune, then replace it if it doesn’t survive.
I purchased my French lavender plants in October and planted them out They were in two litre pots. They were in full flower and have taken very well. The flowers are still visible but not as coloured. When is the best time to prune them ?
Generally the best time to prune lavender is once the flowers have faded, so now sounds good. The technique in this post is for English lavender, not French lavender but the method is similar. French lavender is shorter-lived and less hardy, so more likely to be affected by frost or poor weather. As with English lavender, some experts say ‘never cut into the wood’ and others say ‘cut down into the wood to encourage new shoots’. I haven’t personally grown French lavender so I can’t comment, but I’d suggest clipping it fairly firmly to encourage bushy growth. And experiment a bit to find the right way for your garden and climate – although it can be annoying to buy new plants when one has died, plants do die and it’s not necessarily anything you’ve done wrong.
I planted two rows of English lavender last year either side of a large stone staircase and it has thrived this year, I’m so pleased as I’m definitely an ‘amateur’ gardener. My concern now though, as one other lady mentioned last year, is that there are still so many flowering stalks and so many bees (Sept 2nd 2017). I don’t know whether to prune but obviously would rather not because of the important wildlife value (butterflies also visit). I have started literally pruning out the spent flower stalks and areas around the flowering stalks, time consuming but hopefully the lavender won’t mind this sporadic pruning? (and the bees will appreciate!).
I have the same debate with myself, but I believe that the lavender needs the last few weeks of summer to put on a bit of growth before the winter, so I am going out into the garden today (September 3rd) to prune my lavender. But it will be with regret as I love the long grey stalks.
I too was told at some point that it wasn’t possible to cut lavender back down into the woody bit – but as mine looked so straggly, I ignored the advice one year and it grew again! Some of my plants are VERY old though, 25-30 years, and the wood is warped,splinters easily, and no longer throws out new shoots lower down, so these are probably now past hope.
25-30 years is amazing!
That’s a good tip Alexandra. I don’t think I cut severely enough. At the moment there are still flowers though, even new ones coming, it seems a shame to cut them off and I end up leaving it too late. Lavender is always a struggle down here anyway, it’s far too wet.
Yes, it’s such a dilemma, isn’t it? I think we probably need to cut now to give the plant some growing time before the winter comes, but it’s sad to cut off even a single flower in full bloom. And it does hate wet – a friend of mine has lost three lots of lavender, probably because there’s an underground spring or pond in what appears to be an absolutely dry area.
Thanks for this post. I am just about to prune an ancient English lavender bush and will be braver than usual. I too do this job sitting down, mainly so I can drink in the beautiful smell.
Hope it goes well, I rather expect to fall asleep if I breathe too much English lavender in.
Perfectly timed advice. I’m looking out at some lavender that’s ready to be trimmed, but is already starting to look a little leggy in the middle. I was just about to Google it when your newsletter popped into my inbox. So it’s secateurs in one hand, mug of tea in the other and I’ll be outside being brave in a second or two!
Great. The secateurs method does take alot longer than clipping it with shears but I briefly went back to shears this morning. Not good. You just can’t see where the little buds are, and you really need to make sure you clip as far down as you can, but leaving at least one or two buds on to create new growth. Definitely not a job I should do without my glasses!
This is a very informative post on the hows and whys of cutting back English Lavender. I always cut mine back in August/September since Jekka McVicar told me that she feels a dual cut (autumn and then a tidy up in spring) is best for the plants due to climate change. She used to cut springtime only which I think is the traditional way but found this system suited the plants best, particularly in the south of England.
Thank you – I think Jekka McVicar is indeed the ultimate guru. I haven’t quite dared add the ‘tidy-up in spring’ yet, but I will give it a try. I’m just amazed at how many plant sellers say ‘just give lavender a light prune in spring’. When I followed that advice, my lavender got very twiggy very quickly.