Monty Don shares 'best' time to prune lavender to avoid 'woody' and 'leggy' plant

There are many plants which can be pruned in September and autumn, and it's a way of closing the garden for winter. Lavender plants need to be pruned at the end of summer in order to ensure they grow back and thrive the following summer. Many plants can become "woody" if left alone for too long, which can be prevented by pruning.

Monty Don shared on his blog how to prevent this from occurring. 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 anytime from mid-summer and the end of September.

"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 encouraged to prune aggressively, ensuring some fresh shoots remain on each stem.

He warned that lavenders typically won't sprout from bare wood, meaning it's important to leave these new shoots intact.

Monty 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."

If your lavender looks particularly tired even after pruning, it may be best to replace the plant entirely.

If you do forget to prune your lavender when the time is right, then it's recommended to wait until the following spring.

This is especially important for less hardy varieties such as French, Spanish and Italian varieties

Monty also recommended pruning shrub roses in September, clipping away all long, straggly shoots.

He added: "In March, when you can see clearly without any foliage, you can inspect the shrub to remove any damaged or rubbing stems, but a simple shear in September is enough to keep it healthy and packed with flower next year."