Gardening expert Monty Don has warned that time is running out to prune lavender, urging gardeners to act this week to avoid plants becoming “woody” and “leggy”.
In a blog post, Monty wrote: “To avoid woody, leggy plants, lavender should be pruned every year. The best time to do this is as soon as the flowers start to fade, which, depending on the variety, can be any time between midsummer and the end of August.”
Prune before seed heads form
He added: “But do not wait for the seed heads to form or the flowers to turn brown, as you want to allow the maximum amount of time for regrowth before winter.”
To achieve a well-shaped plant, gardeners are urged to prune aggressively, ensuring some fresh shoots remain on each stem. Monty said lavenders do not sprout from bare wood, meaning it’s important to leave these new shoots intact.
Protect plants for winter
The gardening pro added: “These new shoots will grow fast and provide an attractive and healthy cover to protect the plant in winter and provide the basis of next year’s display.”
Monty also said August is a great time to focus on tomato plants, as they are in their prime for harvesting. The expert said this flowering period can be extended by doing a couple of simple tasks.
Tomato care tips
He wrote: “The first is to strip off the bottom half of the leaves on each plant. This will let in light and air so that the growing fruits get more sun, and also the extra ventilation will reduce the risk of disease. This process can continue weekly until there are no leaves left.
“Reduce the watering unless it is very hot to avoid the fruit splitting, but keep up a weekly feed of liquid seaweed or, if you can make it, home-made comfrey feed. Both are ideal for maximising flower and fruit production.”
Gardeners can also continue to deadhead flowers to encourage blooming and sow autumn salad crops such as lettuce.
