Lavender tends to get woody and somewhat unsightly over time so it is
best to take cuttings and then discard the mother plant when the
cuttings have developed sufficiently - about 18 months.

Take 3-4" cuttings of ripe, non-flowering shoots in August and insert
them in equal parts (by volume) of loam and perlite in a cold frame.
Overwinter the rooted cuttings in the cold frame and transplant to their
flowering positions in March or April.

Remove dead flower stems and lightly trim the plants in late summer.
Straggly plants may be cut hard back in late March or April to promote
bushy growth and to encourage new growths from the base.

Regards,
Emrys Davies.





"buttonsmum" wrote in message
...
Hi

Can anyone advise what is the best way to deal with a lavender plant
that is
growing out of control. It is about 3 years old and has grown quite
big.
The top of the stem has plenty of leaves and buds but the lower part
is
quite woody and bare, is this because it hasn't been cut back
properly?

Should I divide this up into smaller plants? If yes when and how is
best to
do it?

All help appreciated as I am only a novice at gardening.