How to Trim Dormant Lavender

Lavender is both a garden ornamental and an herb. A member of the mint family, it is grown for its aromatic spikes of purple flowers. While there are different types of lavender, the hardier types go dormant over the winter and – if properly pruned -- return, lush and full, in the spring. The secret to growing a large, dense lavender plant is pruning it early in its life and on a yearly basis. Pruning is generally a task that is performed after the plant finishes flowering. If you wait until it is dormant, make sure you prune well before the first hard frost in your region.

Things You'll Need

• Pruning shears
• Pruning knife

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Push the lavender's foliage to the side so that you can get a side view of its entire length to the soil. Notice the point where the green stems turn to hardwood, toward the bottom of the plant.

   • 2

     Grab the lavender plant's foliage in one hand and, with the other, cut it to within 2 inches of the hardwood. Use pruning shears or snips for the 1 to 2-year old lavender and a pruning knife on more mature plants.

   • 3

     Use the shears to shape the remaining lavender foliage into a mound.