SOUTHPORT, N.Y. (WETM) – Lavender is one of the most recognizable additions to your garden, primarily because of its iconic scent.

Lavender is a great plant to include in any garden because it’s so versatile. The flowers can be added to drinks like lemonade or iced tea, and the silvery leaves keep the deer at bay.

Plus, lavender is a perennial with an added bonus: it’s a two-for-one.

Late July is the perfect time to trim back the stems on lavender as its first bloom of flowers starts to die off.

“They basically want to go to seed,” said Charlie Todd of Chamberlain Acres. “So if you go and basically cut and dead-head these off, it immediately tells the plant that it needs to produce seed.”

Trimming back the flowers will prompt the lavender to produce another round of blossoms in just a few weeks.

And while lavender can be tricky to grow from seeds, it’s a very simple plant to propogate. Just snip at the base any stems that don’t have flowers (so the energy doesn’t go into producing a blossom) and strip off the leaves at the woody base of the stem.

Then, it’s as simple sticking that stem in some moist soil with fertilizer or plant food, and it should take off.