Lavender plants are one of the most popular garden plants around, and it's easy to see why. Their vibrant purple colour and sweet smell makes them a lovely addition to any garden, and they're very popular with bees and butterflies.
If you want to make sure your lavender will bloom bigger next year, then you've got to put the work in now. Anya the Garden Fairy on Facebook, who has more than 800,000 followers, recently urged gardeners to do one very quick yet important lavender task. Although it takes just minutes, it's a great way to ensure bigger, bushier blooms.
At this time of year, your lavender plant should have already flowered, since most varieties tend to peak in June or July - but some can keep going until August at least. To make sure you get these lovely blooms again next year, pruning your plant this month is crucial.
Informing her followers of this essential task, Anya said: "Pruning your plants correctly will prevent them from becoming woody, extend their lifespan and it will encourage more flowers next year."
Here's how to do it.
How to prune lavender plants
Now is the ideal time to give your lavender a prune. The experts at Garden Design say this timing is 'most important' because it will neaten their appearance after flowering, and control any lanky growth.
First, look at your plant and identify where the woody base ends and new growth begins. New flowers won't grow on old growth, so make sure you always make the cuts above new leaf growth.
However, when it comes to dead stems, cut these right down to the base.
Take a sharp pair of shears and cut plants back by at least one-third the length of each stem to remove any leggy parts, cutting around two inches above the woody part of the stems.
You can remove the stems individually or a handful at a time. For bigger lavender plants, it might be more helpful to use hedge shears, as they can help you shape the plant faster.
You should aim for a dome-shaped mound by the time you're finished, which will still look natural but much more tidy.
Lavender plants need several weeks to recover from pruning, so it's best to do this in plenty of time if you want to avoid them getting any frost damage.
