Lavender – Pruning

Q: My lavender is lying down and it’s become woody and not pretty. Should I trim it back for winter?

A: My experience with lavender is that it lasts a few years but eventually develops woody stems and sparse foliage. I think this could be avoided by removing a few interior branches every spring to promote vigorous new growth. That’s what I’d do in your case: wait until late March and cut a few of the older stems back to three inches long.