Gardener Lindsey, posting on TikTok as @mamanowwhat, says August is the ideal time to trim English lavender to encourage a second flush of flowers later in the season. "If you're growing English lavender, giving it a trim can give you a whole second round of blooms later in summer," she said. "Trimming a few lavender plants now encourages fresh growth and another round of blooms later in the season."
Pruning technique and timing
Lindsey ties a piece of string around the whole plant to ensure she only cuts off the flowerheads. Lavender should ideally be pruned twice a year: once in spring and once in summer. Late summer, once flowering has finished, is generally the best time to trim, cutting away spent flower heads and lightly trimming green growth to maintain a neat, compact shape.
Gardeners should avoid cutting too far into old, woody stems, as lavender struggles to produce new growth from older wood. Pruning should be kept to the softer, green parts of the plant.
How much to prune
In spring, trim lavender by approximately one to two-thirds just before buds emerge. After summer blooms finish, reduce it by half. Younger plants require more vigorous pruning, cutting shoots back by as much as half to encourage bushier growth. For older bushes, remove all dead flower heads, then prune carefully, avoiding cuts deeper than around 10cm.
Regular pruning helps lavender keep its shape and promotes overall health, preventing the plant from becoming overly woody and producing thin, leggy shoots with sparse foliage and flowers.
