How should I prune overgrown, leggy lavender without losing the flowers?

[GimmieABreakOr3]

Hello,

my lavender has gone absolutely wild this year! It’s literally sprung outta nowhere as it was nowhere nr this big a couple months ago. It’s 2 years old.

any ideas how I can tidy it up? Do I trim it? If I cut it will the flowers grow back or no? It’s very leggy

Following with interest as mine has done the same!

Don't touch it now! Lavender should be pruned once a year, ideally once it has stopped flowering usually August/September. If you miss that window you can get away with a light prune in early spring. If you give it a good tidy each year it will minimise the legginess.

Google how to prune lavender. You need to get it right.

When it’s finished flowering lop the tall stems down. It won’t flower again this year but will help it keep its shape. Don’t cut into the wood you only want to take a little bit of the top off. It’s mostly the flower stems you want to chop

This. Nothing you can do about it now without losing the flowers.

Has a cat been sleeping in it?!?

No, it’s where I had the sprinkler on… watering all the front…

Ahh, that’s a shame I can’t trim or cut it now but I totally get it. I’ll tidy it up for next year! It was tiny start of this year…

Is there a way I can get it upright at least?

Ok, we have pulled it back with string. That’ll do for now!

That looks much better.

You can buy metal crescent shaped things that go into the ground and provide support so the plant is lifted up.

This is the problem with the Old English Lavender varieties they go a bit wild and untamed. I replaced mine with Lavender Hidcote which grows in a much more compact and tidy way, more suited to path edges etc with masses of flower

AS a PP says, prune it at the end of summer. Importantly you won't be losing the flowers. You will be harvesting them, for use indoors. Chop the stems, leaves and flowers for pot pourri, shove them in a clothes drawer, or keep them as intact drying stems in a vase and pinch them for olfactory pleasure when you walk past. It's what they're for!