Trim Lavender Around Late February / March

This post is a bit late for getting in a February trim, but since the weather has been fresh and plants slow to wake up, we got away with it.

Our school of thought on clipping Lavender is to do it twice a year:

• A light trim in late February / early March
• A hard prune after flowering, sometime in August

The first trim needs to be done by early March.
This tidies up your plants for Summer, removing tatty Winter growth, and encourages lots of flowers.
Leaving it later will delay flowering, reducing the total amount of flowers over the season.

Are You Telling Me I Shouldn’t Hard Prune Lavender In Early Spring?

In most of the UK, Spring isn’t the ideal time to give Lavender its hard prune, in our opinion.
But if you need to prune, then prune! Cut down to above the last leaf bud if you have to.

Gardeners in warm Cornwall and glasshouse growers often prune their Lavender Continental Style, which means to hard prune at the end of Winter, so the previous year’s flower stalks remain on the plant for winter interest.

Do I Trim New Lavender Plants?

Lavender planted last year must get the same treatement as mature plants.

It is usually fine, often preferable, to let a shrub settle in for its first year with little or no trimming.
But not Lavender. By shaping it when it’s still small, lots of leaf buds develop low down into a strong base for the future.

Pruning Lavender Every Year Keeps It Looking Nice

With Lavender, as so many plants, it is not so important how you prune, but it’s really important that you prune.
Otherwise, the plant gets loose, gappy, and flowering declines.