Lavender should be in its final flush of flowers in August, but there is a simple way to make these blooms last longer and prepare the plant for the colder weather next month. Callan Harvey, a gardening expert from Sloane and Sons, has shared that deadheading lavender will help keep it healthy and even flower some more. 

He said: “Across summer, lavender flowers may begin to fade, particularly by August. This presents an excellent opportunity to deadhead and remove the faded blooms if you haven’t already harvested them. By deadheading, you can coax your lavender plants into a new stage of blooming.”

Deadheading is the simple gardening practice of removing faded flowers on a plant so it does not waste its energy on dead foliage. 

If lavender spends too much energy on dying blooms then it will not have enough energy leftover to grow new roots or strengthen its roots before winter.

This can lead to lavender really struggling to grow in spring next year, so you are more likely to end up with a stunted plant. 

Deadheading only takes around two minutes at most to do, but will encourage lavender to keep growing, and you more are likely a second round of flower despite summer about to come to an end.

How to properly deadhead a lavender plant

All you need to do is look for any dying flowers at the top of your lavender. These should feel brittle to the touch and look a dull brown or grey colour 

Use your finger to trace the stem of the faded flower until you feel the first let of leaves.

Take a clear pair of scissors or shears, and carefully cut above the leaves. Repeat this for any faded flowers on the lavender. 

This simple method only takes a few seconds to do, but it is the best way to give lavender more energy so it will keep flowering and look incredible once autumn arrives in September. 

However, once lavender stops flowering completely, you should cut back all the old flowers as much as you can to help keep the plant tidy and healthy. Do not touch the woody stems, though, as they will not grow back and can greatly damage the plant.