The aromatic shrub lavender is celebrated for its longevity and fragrant blossoms. Over time, this Mediterranean native develops a dense, woody base, causing the plant to become leggy and sprawl open. This growth pattern reduces flowering and diminishes the plant’s mounded shape. When lavender reaches this stage, it requires an intensive pruning technique—known as rejuvenation or hard pruning—to restore its vigor and appearance.
Understanding the Difference Between Soft and Woody Growth
A lavender plant exhibits two distinct types of growth that determine where a gardener should typically make a cut. Soft growth is the flexible, green or grayish-green stem material found primarily toward the tips of the branches, and it is the region where routine annual pruning occurs. This soft wood is actively growing and contains numerous visible and latent buds ready to sprout new foliage and flowers.
In contrast, woody growth is the hard, brown, inflexible material that forms the plant’s base and older stems. These woody stems are often bare of leaves and are less biologically active, which is why standard pruning guidance warns against cutting into them. Older wood lacks the easily stimulated latent buds that new growth readily produces. Violating this rule is a calculated risk, as cutting too deeply into bare, old wood may not stimulate new growth, potentially killing that section of the plant.
The Rejuvenation Pruning Method
Rejuvenation pruning is the careful violation of the “no-cut” rule to force new growth from the lower, woody structure. This procedure is designed to bring the plant back to a more compact form, but it requires patience and precision. To execute the cut, use sharp, sterilized bypass pruners or loppers, which create a clean slice that minimizes damage to the stem tissue.
The goal is to cut back severely, reducing the plant’s height and width by up to one-third of its overall size in a single season. Locate the area just above the woody base where you can still find a small amount of gray-green growth or even tiny, dormant buds. Making the cut here, slightly above a node or a cluster of existing leaves, provides the best chance for the plant to recover and send out new shoots.
Avoid removing more than one-third of the plant’s total mass in any one year, as exceeding this limit can fatally shock the plant due to reduced photosynthetic ability. Shaping the plant into a rounded, mounded form during the prune allows sunlight to penetrate the center of the plant. Increased light and air circulation stimulate the dormant buds on the lower, woody stems. This method often requires two to three seasons of repeated pruning to fully restore an overgrown specimen.
Seasonal Timing and Post-Pruning Care
The timing of this severe rejuvenation prune is a significant factor in the plant’s survival and recovery. The ideal time to perform a hard prune is in the early spring, precisely as the plant begins to show signs of active new growth. Pruning at this point leverages the plant’s natural surge of energy to heal the cuts and rapidly push out new foliage before summer heat arrives.
Pruning woody plants in the late fall or winter is dangerous because subsequent cold can destroy the new, tender shoots that emerge, or expose the cut surfaces to frost damage. The resulting trauma can cause the plant to die back completely. After the hard pruning, the plant requires specific aftercare to support its recovery.
Light, infrequent watering is necessary to prevent the root system from drying out, but avoid overwatering, as lavender is susceptible to root rot. Avoid heavy fertilization, as this can encourage weak, leggy growth prone to disease. Once the plant shows robust signs of recovery, prevent future woodiness by performing an annual soft prune on the new, green growth immediately after the main flowering period concludes. This routine maintenance, which removes only the soft tips, is the most effective way to sustain the plant’s health and maintain a dense, compact form.