Garden shrubs – Lavender

People tend to think of this as a native plant, but its actually from the Southern Mediterranean. In the UK, long term success is ensured if you use the 'traditional' English lavenders - in particular, most varieties of Lavandula angustifolia such as Hidcote, Munstead and Vera. The French Lavender - the frilly large-flowered types which come in richer colours - are not always fully hardy, and are generally shorter-lived, especially in wetter soils.

Lavenders like well-drained soils and grow best in a sunny position, and certainly do not like to be waterlogged in the winter. A raised bed, stony ground, dry banks or containers with a gritty well-draining soil are all great places for any Lavenders as long as you give them room to grow in summer as most English varieties of English will spread to around two feet to a yard across. The soil should be loose and relatively dry, so add sand if the soil is not fine enough or you need to increase drainage and make sure the hole is big enough to accommodate the root spread. Mix a little bone meal in with the soil at the bottom of the hole if you lie, then gently spread the roots of the plant out before placing it in the hole.

They can be pruned back at almost any time of year, but as a general rule, all that Lavenders need is a hefty trim. Prune plants in early spring, or late autumn, cutting unharvested flower stems back quite hard and cutting leaves back hard enough to keep the plant compact.

Lavender photograph by Adam Mutum, used under a creative commons attribution licence

 

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