Help! Lavender gone leggy - what to do

The lavender that I planted last summer has grown leggy and and appears to have lost its sturdiness.  Its not been fertilised or overwatered.  I havn't pruned it either and wondered if this would help it regain vigour and strength.

Hello Lesley 4,

It's well worth cutting back lavender regularly to keep the plants compact. Always remove old flower stems when they are past their best, by cutting them right back to their bases. As for the foliage, don't cut into the old, hard woody parts, just cut into the green/grey foliage. You can do this in late summer, after flowering or in March, or even twice a year. Just trim off about 3cm, or even less if you find there's not much foliage on your stems to cut. I would recommend giving it a trim right now. Unfortunately lavenders do tend to look sorry for themselves in the UK in winter!

Emma

gardenersworld.com team

Thanks Emma, have given them a trim and they do look a bit better for it.

My lavender is huge, but still very healthy looking. Should I prune it right back for the winter. It is very long, but not thin or woody looking and the purple flowers are looking a bit grey now. Please help, as I don't want to kill it!

Kelly McCartan wrote (see)

My lavender is huge, but still very healthy looking. Should I prune it right back for the winter. It is very long, but not thin or woody looking and the purple flowers are looking a bit grey now. Please help, as I don't want to kill it!

You should take Emma's advice above-it won't hurt to trim it back now- but also they root dead easy from cuttings-so take some of those with the trimmings.