Pruning English Lavender After a Harsh Winter: Timing & Technique

Don't Despair—Lavender Recovers from Winter Damage

In Berwickshire (UK Zone 8a), English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) often suffers winter dieback. Blackened twigs with green growth beneath are normal. The plant is alive and will regenerate from the base.

Correct Pruning Schedule

1. Wait until after last frost (typically April–May in your area).
2. Cut back to live green shoots – Remove all blackened, dead wood just above the lowest healthy buds.
3. Shape lightly – Maintain a mounded form; avoid cutting into old, leafless wood (lavender rarely resprouts from bare stems).

Annual Maintenance

• Post-bloom (early autumn) – Shear off spent flower stems to keep plants tidy and prevent woody centers.
• Never hard-prune in autumn – New growth would be frost-tender.

With this regimen, your hedge will stay dense, floriferous, and long-lived. Patience now; beauty later.