It is best to prune lavender once it has stopped flowering between mid-summer and early autumn as it helps promote air circulation and sunlight to reach the plant. This can help prevent fungal diseases and keep the plant looking healthy. Avoid cutting into the lavender old wood otherwise you could risk no flowers next year. The traditional English lavender that begins needs a light all-over clipping as soon as the flowering season is over to get a “beautiful display” for longer, according to Alan. He said: “To prolong the life of your lavender plants, prune them every summer just as the flowers are beginning to fade. Go over them in July with shears, but don’t cut back too hard into old wood.” Never cut back old wood in hopes it will stimulate new growth as lavender has a limited ability to regenerate new growth on woodier stems, so it can result in a flowerless plant. Instead, make sure to only trim the foliage back by one this and make sure there are still green leaves on the lavender once you are done pruning. Alan said: “Snip back into relatively new growth, a couple of inches behind the flower, and you can keep them shapely and rejuvenated so they give a beautiful display.” Once the lavender is pruned, make sure to give it good water and check its soil conditions, as water clogged can lead to root rot and other diseases if gardeners are not careful. Alan said: “The ideal growing conditions for these Mediterranean plants are well-drained soil and bright sunshine so they don’t sit and sulk quite so much in our soggy winters.” Make sure to weed all around the plant and feed it a slow-release fertiliser to get bigger and longer-lasting flowers for next summer.
