Several years ago I had three large beautiful lavenders that gifted me with a bowl full of lavender buds to use in the products I make. They were about 3 or 4 years old and I had never pruned them. Since I didn’t know how to prune, I thought it was better to just leave them alone. They were beginning to break and spread out due to the weight of the stems, so instead of researching how to prune them, I decided to cut them ALL the way down to the woody stems. I waited for a few weeks in the spring, hoping I would see a few new green sprigs , but no more lavender.
I replanted 3 more 2 years ago, and decided to prune them today.
After reading about pruning lavender, I found there are just a few simple rules.
1. Prune only about one-third of the plant at a time.
2. Do not cut down to the woody stem.
3. Prune after blooming.
4. You can prune a few stems at a time or use garden shears and cut strait across.Af
.
This is one of the lavender plants after pruning, and as you see there was not that much taken off (one third of plant). I also cut off any dead stems, stems that were lying on the ground, and any spent blooms. I cleaned up around the plants and mulched.
You can pitch the trimmings in the compost pile, or like I did, tie them into a bundle, and take them into the house for a wonderful smell. I placed mine on the bedside table for sweet dreams.
