Lavender will grow better blooms faster if you do Monty Don's 1 simple task in August

Lavender thrives in dry, stony soils and relishes hot, sunny climates, yet it's surprisingly frost-tolerant, returning as a hardy evergreen year after year. Despite being a low-maintenance addition to the garden, Monty Don suggests that lavender benefits from one particular care routine: pruning.

Without regular pruning, your lavender can become woody and misshapen as it grows unchecked. Pruning not only encourages a more compact shape but also leads to a burst of blooms in spring and potentially a second flowering in summer. Monty advised that lavender should be "pruned every year" with "the best time to do this" being when the flowers begin to fade, which varies by variety from midsummer to late August.

Gardeners are cautioned against waiting for seed heads to form or flowers to brown, as the plant needs ample time to regrow before winter sets in.

The key is to prune back firmly to maintain a neat shape while ensuring some new shoots remain on each stem, as "lavender will often not regrow from bare wood".

These fresh shoots will "grow fast and provide an attractive and healthy cover" over winter and "provide the basis of next year's display".

After pruning, don't discard those leftover cuttings from your diligent pruning; you could even propagate your lavender plants from these cuttings.

This method is an excellent way to replace any lavender hedges or plants that may have underperformed, needed removal, or simply to reduce waste.

To propagate more lavender plants, take your lavender cuttings and select the flowerless side shoots - ideally, you want one with a heel of bark, a thin strip on the lower end of the stem, still attached, as this will form the plant's new roots.

Use your knife to trim the bottom of the stem, leaving a short length of bare stem exposed. Next, insert the exposed part of the stem into the pot. You can place multiple cuttings in one pot, just ensure they are evenly spaced if you want more than one.

Water the cuttings thoroughly and position them in a shaded, humid area. This is where a greenhouse or polythene bag comes in handy.

Regularly check on them to ensure they remain healthy. By the following spring, they should have developed a robust root system and top growth, indicating they are ready to be transferred to a larger pot and thrive in your garden.