Households with lavender in their garden urged to take 1 action in April

Gardening expert Michael Griffiths has shared an essential five-minute lavender task do in mid to late spring if the plant is looking untidy or frost-damaged

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Throughout British gardens, lavender is only beginning to emerge from its winter dormancy, and in numerous outdoor spaces, it still appears far from its summer glory. A touch of careful attention now can make a significant difference when cultivating lavender, enabling the plants to maintain their form and appear purposeful rather than weary or woody once summer comes around.

One task that gardeners ought to undertake with their lavender now is pruning, particularly if they’ve overlooked pruning the plant in late summer last year.

Speaking on his gardening TikTok account @themichaelgriffiths, Michael explained: “If you missed pruning your lavender in late summer, or it’s looking untidy or frost-damaged, now in mid to late spring, when this new growth appears, is the perfect time to prune.”

Lavender ranks as the most under-pruned plant in Britain, with people fearful of cutting into the brown wood. With this concern in mind, Michael has demonstrated the “right way” to prune lavender during this period of the year.

The gardening expert emphasised one crucial rule to observe when undertaking this job – you can prune lavender as vigorously as you wish, provided you’re not cutting into old wood and you retain some new growth below the cutting point.

Michael observed that it’s straightforward to distinguish between the old wood, which appears brown with almost white foliage, and the new growth, which displays a bright green colour at this time of year.

The gardening expert advised that pruning should be carried out just above the old wood, ensuring that a small amount of the new growth remains intact.

For anyone who mistakenly cuts into the old wood, Michael cautioned that this section “may not regrow” and “you could lose the plant”, so when uncertain, it’s best to stay above the new growth.

It’s important to note that severely pruning your lavender may lead to reduced flowering and a postponed blooming period.

British springs tend to be briefer and cooler, meaning a plant that undergoes hard pruning in April has limited time to recover before the flowering season begins.

As the UK moves into summer, it’s worthwhile deadheading your lavender. Removing the spent flower stalks following the initial flush of blooms in late June will promote a more robust second flowering in late summer.

While not absolutely necessary, as the seed heads have their own appeal if you choose to leave them, for particular varieties it does create a marked improvement to the August display.