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Should you cut back lavender in the fall


How to prune lavender: and when to, for the best results

Knowing how to prune lavender will keep these gloriously scented plants in good condition for years to come, and ensure their structure remains neat and dense, too.

Learning how to grow lavender from cuttings and seed is not difficult. However, if not properly pruned, the plants will become woody and unattractive after a couple of years, requiring replacement. 

‘Annual pruning will improve flowering and prevent lavender becoming woody,' says plant expert Sarah Raven , who suggests pruning lavender immediately after flowering has finished. 'Remove shoots to within one inch (2cm) of previous year’s growth,’ she says.

As well as being an essential plant for adding fragrance to the garden, lavender has long been prized for its therapeutic and culinary properties. It’s also one of the best plants for pollinators, particularly bees and butterflies, and is one of the best fly repellent plants, too. 

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Bear in mind that there is more than one kind of this aromatic herb to enjoy in your garden. English lavenders, such as Hidcote and Munstead, are the most popular, and the hardiest. 

Other European varieties – namely French and Spanish lavender – are less hardy, and so you will need to take extra care when pruning. However, if you stick to a few golden rules, you can apply them to all of your lavender plants.

How to prune lavender – an expert guide

Many gardeners are overly cautious when pruning lavender, as they worry about cutting too far into the stems, which can harm the plant. However, knowing how to prune lavender the right way will prevent this from happening.

‘Don’t be afraid to prune lavender – the plants can become leggy and woody very quickly, and effective pruning will prolong their lives,’ says gardening expert Leigh Clapp.

Follow our simple step-by-step guide, and your plants will flourish for years to come.

What time of year should you prune lavender?

There are two times of year that you should prune lavender: in fall after flowering and in spring. And though you may have heard different opinions about when to prune lavender, and how often to do it, it is best to tackle the plants in two stages: ‘Trim after flowering in fall, then prune in the spring,’ says Clapp. 

Don’t prune lavender too hard after summer ends, or the plant may struggle to survive the onset of colder weather. Instead, think of fall pruning as a way to harvest lavender for drying and scenting your home. Knowing when to harvest lavender really does depend on what you are planning to do with it; some uses require lavender to be cut as the blooms open, others as they begin to fade.

If you forget to prune your lavender during the summer, then it’s best wait until the following spring, especially for less hardy French, Spanish and Italian lavenders.

And when you do prune lavender in spring, only do so after you see new growth begin to appear.

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Where do you cut lavender?

When pruning lavender, it's important to cut it in the right place to ensure future healthy growth, and this is a smidge above side branches or leaf nodes. This part of the plant tends to be green. Go any lower and you'll be cutting at the woody part of the plant, which isn't always advised, though some garden experts say you can do this – more on that below. 

'Sometimes you may want to cut into the woody growth simply to tidy up the structure of an older lavender plant,' says Homes & Gardens' Gardens Editor Rachel Crow.

How to prune lavender in its first year

Lavender only requires a light trim in its first year, but to avoid the plants from becoming leggy in future, it’s important to get them off to a good start. Make sure you know when to plant lavender for plant health, too.

Tackle pruning new lavender during the summer, after the plant has flowered.

At this early stage, pruning is about encouraging new growth, and developing a nice mounded shape. If you have grown the lavender from seed or cuttings, then it is beneficial to pinch out new growth tips to help the plant become bushy.

There is no need to follow up with a spring prune when lavender is only in its first year.

  1. Using a clean, sharp pair of secateurs cut each stem back by up to a third, to remove the flowers and some of the green stem growth.
  2. Do not cut the plant back ‘hard’ by going near the woody base of the stem – it is essential to leave plenty of green on the stems when the plants are young.
  3. Try to make an even dome shape by leaving the stems longer in the middle, and gradually going shorter as you move to the outer edges of the plant.
  4. After trimming your lavender, you may get a second flush of flowers. Prune these the same way once finished – but do it well before the cold fall weather sets in.

How to prune mature lavender plants

Lavender plants will establish quickly, so from their second year you will need to follow a simple – but thorough – pruning regime to keep them in shape.

Start by giving your lavender plant a good trim in the summer. Prune plants by about a third into the foliage to maintain their attractive domed habit when in flower. To do this, grab handfuls of the stems and, using clean, sharp secateurs, snip them off.

‘Stems at this level are about drinking straw thickness and regenerate well if there are plenty of small nodules or shoots below the cut,' says master grower Simon Charlesworth, of Downderry Lavender . 

'By the time they go dormant in the fall the lavenders should have re-clothed themselves with fresh young shoots that will harden off before the vagaries of the winter weather.' 

Try to maintain a good rounded shape to the plant, but do not cut too close to the woody base of the stems, or the plant might struggle to overwinter.

Follow up with a harder prune in the spring.

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Pruning lavender in spring

Spring is the time for pruning your lavender harder to minimize the development of woody stems and encourage fresh new growth. You should do this early in the season, to give the plant plenty of time to reestablish itself.

However, it's vital that you do not cut the stems too far down into the old wood.

‘If you crop the entire plant back to old wood it can mean big trouble,’ says celebrity gardener Monty Don in his book The Complete Gardener .

‘If you cut into the old wood, which does not have any leaves, and new leaves do not grow, then it will not survive.’

How much wood your lavender plant has depends on the plant’s age, and how well it has been pruned in the past.

  1. Take a stem and examine it – you’ll notice it has a woody base set below the leafy section. 
  2. Using a clean, sharp pair of secateurs, cut the stem around 2-3 inches above the woody base, into the leafy section of the stem. Avoid cutting into wood below.
  3. You can prune handfuls of stems at a time, and for hedges you might find it easier to use shears.
  4. Try to create a nice rounded shape to your lavender plant by pruning the outer stems a little shorter than the inner stems.
  5. Where there are dead, frost-damaged or diseased branches, these should be completely removed.

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

How to prune lavender that is woody

When lavender is a few years old, it can develop long, ‘woody’ stems that look unsightly. However, if you know how to prune lavender like the experts, then you should be able to rejuvenate the plants.

‘‘The normal advice is to replace plants when they become leggy, usually after three to five years. But I avoid having to do this by cutting right back into the wood,’ says Judith Hann, author of Herbs . ‘I have not lost a lavender plant yet in the 20 years they have been growing in my garden.’

Though usually avoided, cutting lavender into the old wood can be a good way to renovate them. The trick is to make sure you can still see some signs of life in the form of growth nodes below the cutting point. If you cut beyond this, the stems are unlikely to recover, so examine them closely.

Bear in mind you are taking a risk, so before you attempt to hard prune woody lavender, take some semi-ripe cuttings, so if your plant dies, you can grow a new one.

(Image credit: Raquel Lonas / Getty Images)

Should lavender be deadheaded?

There is no need to deadhead lavender; if you prune lavender properly in spring and fall, you shouldn't need to anyway. However if you love a pristine border and want to encourage a few new flowerheads, deadheading won't hurt the plant. 

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

How to prune Spanish and French lavender

Spanish and French lavender are particularly attractive varieties, with distinctive 'butterfly' shaped upright flowers that may be purple, pink or even white.

The plants require full sun in order to thrive, and are not quite as hardy as English lavender. However, they are no more difficult to prune and maintain.

As when pruning other lavender varieties, simply trim around a third of the plant's growth after flowering in summer. However, do not cut the stems back too far, as this will expose them to too much frost over winter.

Follow up with a harder prune in early spring, taking care not to cut into the dead wood.

How do you cut back lavender for winter?

While you only need to prune lavender in the summer and spring, Monty Don suggests a third trim in the fall, to help it ‘hold a tight pebble shape’.

Cutting back lavender before winter will create a tidy mound that will give structure to the garden over the coldest months. Lavender is an evergreen shrub, so it retains foliage year round.

Leaving faded blooms on the plant can also provide food for seed-eating birds, so it’s not always necessary to remove the flowers straight after blooming.

It’s still best to do your first prune before the end of summer, but hardier varieties can respond well to a light fall pruning before the winter. 

Make sure there is plenty of green left on the plant, to keep it looking good over the colder months.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

How do you cut lavender so it grows back?

To cut lavender so it grows back, it's important to avoid cutting into the ‘dead’, woody growth. If you harvest lavender just as it is flowering, you might get a second flush of flowers.

What happens if you don't prune lavender?

If you don't prune lavender, the plant will quickly become leggy and woody, and won't be able to hold its own weight very well. 

This means the stems will flop over when heavy with flowers, causing the plant to spread out and exposing more of the old wood in the plant.

Lavender Care: Fall Pruning - Lavender Connection

Fall is in the air, and for lavender farmers, that means one thing: time to prune! You may be asking yourself, “Do I need to prune my lavender?” The answer is, unequivocally, yes. Read on for tips and tricks of the trade!

Why should I prune my lavender?

Lavender needs to be pruned back every year to keep the plant base compact and healthy, and give you the chance to shape it to a nice mound. If you don’t prune the lavender, it will grow misshapen, “leggy”, and split at the base as the branches get longer and heavier. Once this happens, it’s almost impossible to save the plant. The only way to keep this from happening is annual pruning.

When should I prune my lavender?

The best time to prune your lavender is in the fall, at least 6 weeks before your first frost date. In our part of the country, that means we start pruning the fields as soon as we’re done with the essential oil distillation at the end of September, with the aim of finishing by mid-October.

If you stumbled on this blog after the window for fall pruning has passed, don’t despair – you can still prune lavender in the spring! Check out our blog Lavender Care: Spring Pruning  – (the basic principles are the same.)

Okay, I'm in! How should I prune my lavender?

Do not be afraid to prune! Like most plants, pruning is necessary for the health of your plant. Think of it like a lavender haircut (rather than a punishment) and don’t be timid. The only tools you need are disinfected scissors or sharp knife, and garden gloves to protect yourself from the splinters and sharp wood at the base.

Most garden blogs/advice say to leave an inch or so of green on the plant and never cut into the wood. This is good general advice, but sometimes it’s necessary to cut back a little more harshly in order to shape a plant that grew heavily on one side (usually facing the sun), or perhaps one branch that had Olympic Dreams and excelled past all the others and is reaching for gold outside your preferred perimeter. Don’t be afraid to cut the occasional section or branch back into the wood if you need to shape it. I promise you won’t kill the plant as long as you’re not lopping all of the branches off at the base.

Step 1 (prepare): To begin, cut back any old stems that you haven’t harvested (a few inches above the wood). This isn’t really pruning yet, but it’ll give you a better sense of the shape of the plant.

Step 2 (find center): Step back and above, and determine the center of the plant (it may not be where you thought.) Draw a large imaginary circle around the center of the plant. The perimeter of the circle is where you’ll prune – so leave 1-3” of stems, depending on how you need to shape it to keep it centered.

Step 3 (prune sides): Prune back/shape the plant so that the branches are evenly extended from the actual base/center.

Step 4 (prune top): Take an eye level view (on your knees), and prune the top, about 1-2” above the wood.

Step 5 (prune top edge): Finally, cut at a diagonal (ish) angle along the top edges to round the plant.

Step 6 (last looks): Step back one last time and prune any final bits and bobs to shape the plant. We recommend aiming for a gumdrop shape.

Lavender Pruning Pro Tips

Here are some tips to keep in mind while pruning.

I just planted a tiny start this spring/summer – do I still need to prune it?

Yes! In fact, the first 3 years of life are the most important time to prune your lavender. You want to heavily prune and shape young lavender plants for two reasons: 1) It helps develop a tight, compact, shaped base that will keep the plant healthy for years to come, and 2) Pruning in the fall drives energy away from the plant surface and down into the roots, which is what you want for the winter. Young plants especially benefit from being reminded “don’t put out new flowers, now it’s time to grow your foundation.” By pruning, you are helping them grow strong and survive their first few winters until they are established.

In the picture above, compare the pruned plant in the foreground to the un-pruned plant behind it. As you can see, we give even our baby youngsters an autumnal buzz cut. As long as you aren’t cutting into the woody part of the plant (too much), you won’t hurt the plant. We promise. Now get your scissors and get out there! Your lavender will thank you.

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Wintering lavender: how to cover lavender for the winter

October 27, 2021

Lavender is a heat-loving plant that can hardly tolerate snowless cold winters. Gardeners should properly prepare the shrub for the cold to reduce the risk of freezing. Do I need to cover lavender for the winter in the open field?



Preparing lavender for winter

Among the mandatory procedures for crops in the fall are weeding, removal of plant debris, loosening, followed by mulching the soil. Loosening is necessary to increase air exchange, reduce the likelihood of root rot. Further mulching of the soil will keep the roots of the plant from freezing and drying out. Straw, needles are poured in a layer of 10-12 cm. Do not use leaf litter and sawdust, as they contribute to the decay of lavender and its death.

Lavender pruning

After flowering is over, the plant is pruned. Autumn pruning is needed not only to maintain the decorativeness of the bush, but also to reduce the risk of freezing in winter. Long shoots of shrubs are most susceptible to freezing, especially when there is insufficient shelter. Such stems are the most fragile, easily broken by gusts of wind. Cut lavender in early autumn, choosing the method you like:

1. Shaping cut. The shoots of the plant are cut to the desired height, forming a bush in the form of a ball or in another way.

2. Heavy pruning. Leave only 3-6 cm of shoot above the surface. Even with minimal snow cover, such a plant will overwinter without loss.

Late pruning weakens the bush, so you can not carry it out just before the frost.



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Lavender supplement

Lavender seedlings for the winter must be fed with compounds containing phosphorus and potassium. These substances increase the winter hardiness of the bush, increase the immunity of the plant. Nitrogen top dressing stimulates new vegetation, they can not be applied from the second half of summer. Unripe shoots are most susceptible to freezing, this will weaken the lavender bush. Top dressing can be combined with loosening, embedding fertilizer in the soil. You can use water-soluble formulations that are diluted according to the instructions and used for irrigation. The soil should be well moistened before fertilizing so that the roots do not get burned.


How to cover lavender for the winter

Some gardeners mistakenly believe that the culture does not winter in the open field, dig up the plant and grow it in a pot culture in winter. Lavender tolerates low temperatures well, but young bushes can freeze in snowless winters. Therefore, sheltering plants in the first years is mandatory.


With heavy pruning, mulch will act as cover. It will prevent freezing of the root system. With high pruning in cold regions, a cover with agrofibre and spruce branches is recommended.


Many gardeners do not know how to understand that lavender seedlings have overwintered. With weak pruning, young shoots start to grow when other plants are already in full bloom. And if a strong pruning is carried out, then the awakening of the plant will be delayed. You should not rush and dig up a bush with the onset of heat.



Successful wintering of lavender in the garden directly depends on the region of cultivation, the correct planting and care of the plant. A healthy plant in the new season will delight with lush flowering and high decorativeness. You can choose healthy lavender seedlings in the Agro-Market online store

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Keywords: Gardening

Autumn lavender - care and reproduction.

Pruning and shelter for the winter. Photo — Botanichka

In the south of Europe there are entire plantations of lavender, grown mainly for cosmetic purposes. Lavender angustifolia ( Lavandula angustifolia ), which is also called English - a frost-resistant and unpretentious plant, grows with pleasure on poor soils. Therefore, today it can be increasingly found in our summer cottages. In this article I will tell you what autumn lavender care activities should be carried out. I will also share my experience of propagating lavender in the fall.

Lavender in autumn - care and reproduction

Pruning lavender in autumn

In autumn, around mid-October, it is imperative to prune lavender. And if in the spring it is sanitary in nature (it is necessary to remove dry, broken branches), then in the fall, firstly, I shorten the branches for a decorative purpose, and secondly, so that they do not break under the weight of snow in winter. If the bush is old, then this is also a rejuvenating procedure.

I do not do autumn pruning of very young lavender bushes. Only when they reach 2 years of age.

Any mature lavender bush has woody, dry parts at the bottom and green parts at the top. I cut the branches, stepping back about 5 cm from the lignified part. The bush after such a haircut will look very modest, but it will become lush and will bloom profusely next year.

Can be cut higher, especially if you feel sorry for the bush. But remember that over time, the green parts will also become stiff and the bush will take on an untidy look. He, instead of a ball, will fall apart to the sides. Then you will have to carry out anti-aging pruning - cut the bush very shortly, 5-10 cm from the surface of the earth along lignified stems, and lavender does not tolerate this procedure.

I use pruning shears for pruning, but many people find it convenient to do this with garden shears.

I don't throw away the rest of the lavender branches. They have almost the same intense smell as flowers, so they still come in handy. I dry them. And then you can make ikebana out of them. And if you fill bags (sachets) with them and put them in a closet, then moths will not start there.

Lavandula angustifolia, before pruning. © Olga Olshanskaya Lavandula angustifolia after pruning. © Olga Olshanskaya

Soil care

The next thing to take care of before the winter sleep of lavender is the soil where it grows. Lavender likes slightly alkaline or neutral soil, loose, with good drainage. Lavender does not tolerate excess moisture, it can get sick from this and die. Therefore, you need to take care of the soil even when planting a plant. If the soil is acidic, then it is necessary to add ash, lime or dolomite flour to it in advance.

When preparing lavender for winter, I add quite a bit of compost under each bush. This will be enough for her. The fact is that lavender is used to growing on poor, stony soils. And she really does not like excess nitrogen. On the other hand, for abundant flowering, it is still necessary to apply fertilizer. Therefore, here it is necessary to observe the golden mean. Instead of compost, you can add ash or some phosphorus-potassium mineral fertilizers in the fall.

Because lavender does not like nitrogen, it should not be mulched with plant material. The best mulch for her is pebbles. In my case, this is a bit of river pebbles. When pruning and in order to add compost, I remove them, and then lay them out again. This is mulch, and drainage, and heating for lavender. After all, the stones will heat up in the sun.

Soil needs to be taken care of when planting lavender. © Snapguide

Lavender Shelter for the Winter

English narrowleaf lavender is fairly hardy, especially as mature plants. They winter quietly and without shelter. And calmly withstand frosts down to -25 ° C. The root system of lavender is pivotal and goes very deep, where it does not freeze through.

On the other hand, under shelter there is a chance that lavender will become sick because it cannot tolerate the excess moisture that can form there. For this reason, I do not cover mature plants, but only those bushes that are 1-2 years old, their roots are not yet well developed, so they need protection.

Spruce branches (or lutrasil, or something like that) can be used to cover such lavender bushes, it will create a warm air cushion for them. If you have a lot of snow all winter, then you can sprinkle the bush with snow and then it will winter well.

I cover young lavender bushes only when the air temperature is confidently around 0 ° C for several days, not earlier. I make a hut from spruce branches and tie it with a rope so that it does not fall apart.

Lavender propagation in autumn

Lavender is very easy to propagate. There are several ways to do this.

Propagation of lavender by seeds

Lavender reproduces well by self-sowing. If you leave a couple of flowers on the bush, then the seeds nearby will fall and overwinter. And in the spring, under your bush, you will find small sprouts. This is how it happens in nature.

The easiest way for summer residents is to propagate lavender by seeds, sowing it before winter. How to sow flowers before winter, including lavender, read our article.

Lavender propagation by layering

My favorite way to propagate lavender is layering. And now is a great time to do it. Before cutting the bush, I inspect it and select a few convenient branches for layering. It's just that if you cut it first, the branches will become short and it will be inconvenient to work with them.

It is better to take twigs thin, not branched, not yet strongly lignified. I tilt the lavender branch to the ground, pin it either with wire pins so that it fits snugly, or, if there is no wire at hand, then with stones, which is less convenient. I sprinkle earth on top. And so I repeat with other branches. Instead of wire or stones, you can make "slingshots" from branches. And after that I sprinkle with compost and mulch with pebbles.

Stones will become an additional load for layering, which will make their contact with the ground tighter. And that's it. In the spring, I simply separate the young lavender bushes with secateurs, carefully digging them up. The branches will already form roots, and I will transplant them to a permanent place.

My favorite way to propagate lavender is layering. © Olga Olshanskaya

Cuttings of lavender in autumn

Lavender reproduces well from cuttings. This can be done both in spring and autumn. It is even believed that in autumn the cuttings take root better. Therefore, from those branches that I have left after pruning, I choose a few - 10-15 cm in length.

I clean their lower green part from leaves by 3-4 cm. And just plant them in the chosen place. You can first make a groove, how to spill it with water, spread the branches in it, and then fill it with earth.

It has been noticed that thin twigs root better.

Lavender cuttings in a container

I live in the south. In more northern regions, autumn cuttings of lavender in the open field may not have time to develop a sufficient root system and die from frost even under cover. In this case, cuttings are best planted in containers and kept indoors.

I put shards on the bottom of the pots, or some other kind of drainage is possible. Next, I prepare a mixture of garden soil and sand in a ratio of 3: 1, moisten it a little. Wet sand can be placed on the bottom for better drainage. I put a mixture of soil and sand in pots, and again a layer of wet sand 1 cm thick on top.

Cuttings, for better rooting of lavender in containers, can be pre-treated with growth stimulants. With the cleaned tips, I stick the stalk into the pot. You can stick them 2-3 in one.

There is another technique called push-ups. For better contact of the cutting with the ground, after I stick the cutting into the ground, I grab it together with a clod of earth with my fingers and try to press the ground closer to it. It's like I'm pressing.

After the lavender pot needs to be watered and create greenhouse conditions for it. I put a plastic bag on top. But it is necessary to make a hole in it or tie loosely. And so it stands with me for a couple of months. Then I make a revision, and if the cutting has grown, then the package can be removed, and it will winter well on the windowsill.

It is believed that lavender cuttings take root better in autumn. © Olga Olshanskaya

Reproduction of lavender by dividing a bush

There is another way to propagate lavender - by dividing a bush. Lavender has a long tap root that cannot be divided. However, it very easily gives additional roots. To do this, it must be spudded.

To do this, the lavender bush is almost half covered with light soil. It is important to sprinkle the earth between each branch. Then literally every branch will give additional roots. And if you spud a bush in the fall, then in the spring each of its rooted branches can be separated from the bush and transplanted.

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