READER’S QUESTION

THE low lavender hedge we planted a few years ago flowers brilliantly every year. But over time, it has grown uneven. How can we keep a neat hedge?

LAVENDER naturally sprawls with age and your hedge will unravel unless you trim it more severely. To develop a tight, dense hedge, cut it back immediately after flowering. Grab spent flower stems by the handful and remove them by cutting down a little way into the leafy parts of the plants. Give a final light trim with shears, if necessary. The hedge may look awfully bare, but don’t worry. Healthy lavender plants usually regenerate from bare wood.