In article , Tiger303 Tiger303.1uqz
writes

I would love to hear your recommendations:

I've read the best way is to prune hard to 9 inches immediately after
the first flowering leaving some small shoots below cut. Dead-head for
the rest of the flowering period, with possibly just a light trim to
polish off the season, but no later than mid-September.

elsewhere i've read u trim back flower spikes as soon as they've faded,
cutting back to jsut below first set of leaves. then tidy up the
subsequent flower spikes in spring.


personally i like lavender seedheads, and want to leave pruning them
for as long as possible, especially since its very sheltered here and
frosts don't start till mid-Oct at very earliest.

Can i just leave pruning till end of sept, and if so how hard should i
cut into them? if i do this do i also need to prune again early spring?


I prune mine in late winter/early spring, once the goldfinches have
stripped the seeds. By that time new growth is happening, so I can cut
back a long way without cutting back beyond the re-growth. Cutting
lavender back too far can kill the plant as they don't shoot well from
the part of the branch which isn't actively putting out new growth.

--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"