Doctor explains how lavender oil reduces stress and anxiety

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Lavender is a fragrant hardy plant. This easy to grow, versatile, evergreen shrub will give your garden long-lasting gloriously scented flowers. You don’t need masses of outdoor space to grow this plant. Lavender can even be grown in a container on a windowsill. Here’s a guide to know when to prune your lavender.

There are various varieties of this stunning purple shrub.

Lavender originally comes from the Mediterranean, but, English lavender is tougher and more long-lived than its French and Spanish counterparts so this might be the best option for our temperamental English climate.

This may be a hardy plant but, pruning is key if you want your flowers to last.

Why is pruning so important?

Although this woody shrub appears to be soft and green, at its centre it is trying to turn to wood.

Pruning will slow down this process, which will allow your lavender to continue to flower for years.

When to prune lavender

Pruning lavender will ensure that this plant thrives year on year.

If you forget to prune your plant could fail to flower next summer.

Lavender plants can get misshapen if you do not prune them, the flowers won’t bloom and their stalks will long and woody.

You will need to prune your lavender as its flowers start to fade.

You should have pruned your lavender before its flowers have completely dried out and browned.

You will need to see some new growth appearing before you prune.

Don’t put off your pruning for too long as the plant will go dormant for winter.

Essentially this means you should prune your lavender in late August or early autumn.

How to prune lavender

First look for any new growth near the base of your lavender. cut back to around 2.5cm above this new growth.

You should never cut into the bare wood of a lavender plant as this will damage it.

Give your lavender a trim during the growing season to stop the stems from becoming too long.

Monty Don recommends on his blog not to cut lavender so hard whilst pruning that there are no green shoots remaining, as lavender cannot regrow from the plant’s woody stems.

The gardening expert recommends that you leave a few green shoots to encourage healthy regrowth next year.

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