Pruning Lavender

This past weekend I spent a good amount of time pruning back my Lavender plants.  Along the north side of my house I have 10 Lavender plants that grow like weeds.  Each one grows close to 3 ft. high.  The area gets a lot of sun in the late spring and summer months during the morning hours, but then is in shade most of the day. 

After the long winter, what I do with my Lavender is trim it back 1/3 to 1/2 of its size.  Simply take your pruning sheers and grab the top portion of the plants and cut back.  This is the second year now that I've taken such an aggressive approach towards pruning and the Lavender responded very well.  I would say that this pruning led to my plants growing more vigorously this past year.  If you do not have lavender in your garden, you should consider it.  It grows well here in New England.  It lasts well into the fall, and has a great aroma.

Also another tip for you.  I took all of the lavender clippings, bundled it together and then tied it up.  It looks and smells really good.  I left the bundle out in the area of my container garden for my wife to enjoy.