Correct method for pruning lavender in summer will extend its lifespan

A plant and garden expert has shared her simple method for pruning English lavender to “extend their lifespan”.

Gardening expert Anya Lautenbach, also known as @anyathegardenfairy on YouTube, shared how to prune the plants “correctly”.

Anya, who has almost 7,000 subscribers, describes herself as a mum, gardener and columnist and has named herself the “Money-saving Gardener”.

Lavender plants need to be pruned in late summer once they have finished flowering.

She said in a video: “English lavender should be pruned after flowering in late summer or spring. Pruning your plants correctly will extend their lifespan and save you money.

“Pruning your English lavender hard will result in bushier plants and more flowers the following year.

“Life is simply too short for looking at woody lavender. Prune it correctly to avoid disappointment.”

Anya showed her followers how she had created a whole hedge of lavender by propagating lavender cuttings.

The lavender bush is around 11 years old and is still thriving because Anya has pruned it correctly every year.

When pruning your lavender, make sure to remove spent flower stalks and around 2.5cm of the plant’s leaf growth.

The plants usually won’t need pruning until August or September but they may need pruning earlier if they finish flowering early.

Most gardening experts recommend not cutting into old wood as the plant rarely produces new growth from the wood.

However, opinions are evolving and some experts also claim cutting it to nine inches high can help encourage new growth and help the plant last longer.

The best time to do this is in the summer once the flowers have turned from purple to grey.