08/03/2026
Lavender does not need luck — it needs pruning three times a year to stop it becoming woody. 💜
Three cuts keep lavender compact and free-flowering:
Spring cut (March to April): light trim after the last frost risk has passed. Cut back only the dead winter tips to restore a rounded shape. Do not cut into green growth yet.
Post-flowering cut (June to July — the most important cut of the year): cut the flower stems plus one third of the green foliage below them. This is the cut most people skip, and it is why lavender goes bare in the middle. Removing one third of the green growth prevents the base from dying off into dead wood and forces a dense new flush of growth that produces a second flowering in late summer.
Fall cut (September): a light shaping trim only before winter. Do not cut hard in fall — leave enough green growth to protect the plant through cold weather.
The one rule that cannot be broken: never cut into the old brown woody base. Lavender does not regenerate from old wood. It only produces new growth from green stems. If you cut into the brown, that branch is gone.
If your lavender has a hollow centre with exposed dead wood at the base, the post-flowering cut was skipped for too many years. At that point the plant cannot recover and is best replaced.
Regional note: lavender flowering time varies across the US. In the South and Southwest, peak flowering often arrives in late May to early June — make your post-flowering cut accordingly. In the Pacific Northwest and Northeast, June to July is typical. Watch the plant, not the calendar.
💜 One cut after flowering. Every year. Without exception.
