During the summer months, new lavender plants often look their best with bright purple flowers and silvery leaves.
However, poor drainage, under-watering, over-watering, extreme temperatures and improper pruning can eventually cause older lavenders to become woody, long haired and unsightly.
A lavender expert from the TikTok account @withinyoufarm, a family-owned lavender farm in Pennsylvania, has shared how to keep lavender “looking amazing year after year” and how to keep it from “turning into a woody mess.”
A gardening expert said it is “common” for lavender plants to look good for the first couple of years before they become “woody and overgrown”.
The expert said there are five steps gardeners need to follow to ensure your lavenders look good year after year.
How to keep lavenders looking their best year after year
1. Cut lavender buds in the first year
In lavender’s first year, when buds begin to form, gardeners must cut them immediately.
Although it’s tempting to keep the beautiful purple flowers in place, it’s best to cut them off as soon as possible so that the energy goes to the roots instead of the flowers.
2. Prune lavender aggressively at the end of the growing season
The expert said the most important thing for gardeners every year is to prune plants aggressively.
He said: “At the end of the growing season, well before frost, here we do it in August and early September, is to aggressively cut lavender plants back.
“So my general rule of thumb is lavender has some kind of woody center, and you want to cut at least 3-4 inches above that, and then I shape them into nice domes, and that’s all you do for a year and you leave them there until spring. That’s the number one tip, cut aggressively .”
3. Cut dead parts in spring
In the spring, gardeners may notice dead parts of their plants. These need to be cut off to give the plant more air before they start growing.
If this is done correctly, healthy-looking buds will appear in the second year of the plant.
4. Cut lavender flowers after flowering to prevent stress
Lavender plants come into their own in the summer months and produce beautiful fragrant purple flowers.
Although it is tempting to leave these on the plants all summer and fall, the expert advised gardeners to cut off the flowers towards the end of the summer.
Leaving the flowers on the plant for too long can actually “stress the plant”. Removing the spent flower heads can allow the plant to direct more energy to its roots.
5. Cut again
At the end of the year, gardeners have to cut the lavenders again to be ready for the coming winter.
