HERBS > LAVENDER
IN THIS GUIDE
LAVENDER GUIDES
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English Lavender is a truthful loyalist of garden here in the United Kingdom – and for good rationality .
With its wonderful fragrance , beautiful purple - blue bloom and power to pull out in pollinators galore , it is a heavy flora for any garden .
give the right circumstance and some simple aid , it is easy to grow and will last for years .
“ When I first started garden , I loved lavender because it is an easy works to grow in a window box and give you a lot for your money , ” shares Isabelle Palmer .
We team up up with four British lavender agriculturist to serve complement our growing advice :
“ Lavender is such a beautiful works that flower for a prospicient period , ply not only colour but also aroma and texture to a garden and the countryside , ” tell Nick .
Overview
PreferredFull Sun
ExposureSheltered
Height0.1 – 0.5 M
Spread0.5 -1 chiliad
Bloom TimeSummer
PreferredChalk , loam , the Great Compromiser , sand
MoistureWell - drained
pHAny
English Lavender , orLavandula angustifoliaas it is botanically named , is part of the Lamiaceae family and not a herb as it is often call back of , but a shrub.1Lavandula angustifolia . ( n.d . ) . Missouri Botanical Garden . Retrieved March 21 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=281393&isprofile=1&gen=Lavandula
“ Lavender is a very special bush with a longsighted history of refinement in this country , ” say Julia .
“ It ’s a plant which do good us all with its simmer down odor and culinary properties , and it is a fantastic flora for the surroundings as the bee love it ! ”
Rather confusingly , English lavender is not actually native to the UK but originates from the warmer Mediterranean.2Lavandula angustifolia ( English lavender ) . ( n.d . ) . Native Plant Trust : Go vegetation . retrieve March 21 , 2023 , fromhttps://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/lavandula/angustifolia/
It does , however , cope rather well with our climate , specially in the south of the country .
“ Our soil is very stony so it was crucial to find a harvest that suited our land eccentric , ” say Charlie , when discourse why he started growing lavender on his farm .
“ Our farm is near 1,000 feet above sea grade , which makes quite a difference to our mood . On ordinary we are 2 - 3 ° C cooler than nearby towns because of the ALT .
“ Lavender has really boom here and has been an interesting harvest to mature . ”
A hardy and drought - broad bush , it can tolerate temperatures down to -10to -15 ° C , unless grow in heavy grime prone to water - logging .
Varieties
The most well - known diversity of English lavender areL. angustifolia‘Hidcote ’ andL.angustifolia‘Munsted ’ .
Both widely grown in the UK , they are hardier than the English hybrid such asL.×intermediaand their French and Spanish counterpartsL. stoechas – thus a more reliable choice for farm here , especially in the due north of the country .
Both ‘ Munsted ’ and ‘ Hidcote ’ are relatively compact varieties growing to an eventual height of roughly 50 atomic number 96 .
The main difference between the two is that the slightly great ‘ Hidcote ’ produces a darker purple flower compared to ‘ Munsted ’ , which is lighter in colouring material and less compact .
Other English lavender motley are available and can include those which produce pink and even white flower in summer .
Planting Lavender
“ The most important care agent is positioning , ” say the Butlers .
“ Lavender like to be in full Lord’s Day and will not thrive in the shadiness . ”
English lavender grows well when plant directly into the soil or in a pot or container , and boom in sunshine , so a south or westward - facing pip is idealistic .
lavender in world-wide are rather fussy when it comes to the soil though .
“ moisture metrical unit vote out lavender quicker than anything , so dependable drain is essential , ” explain Charlie .
“ Soils here at the farm drain naturally , which is one of the reason we select to develop lavender . On clay dirt , it is significant to desegregate backbone or grit into the soil to create an open grime construction . ”
With this in mind , they require a free - draining mix that is not too acidic and will seriously struggle to make it through the year if planted in soil with wretched drainage .
When preparing a site to institute English lavender , crushed rock or horticultural grit can be added to the bottom of the maw and potting mix to increase drainage level , mime its Mediterranean origins as far as possible .
In really wet area , imbed on a small mound or ridgeline can prove good as well .
English lavenders are readily usable during the spring and are most ordinarily trade in 1 - 3L pot sizes , quick to plant out .
However , small lavender plug plants have become more far-flung and are a cheaper way of buying turgid measure of plants , yet will need to be originate on first before planting out .
English lavender can grow up to 0.5 m in height with a 1 metre spread , so call for to be spaced consequently when constitute out .
English lavender can be a capital plant for an informal low hedgerow in the garden .
If plant for a hedge , it is advisable to space the plants 30 - 45 cm apart depending on the variety .
To give unexampled plant the best chance of ground , it is strongly recommend to plant them out in spring when the soil is warming up and they have the summer months to go down in and grow before the winter arrives .
When planting , industrial plant at the same depth as they were previously in their batch .
“ Once planted in the flat coat , lavender will need watering for the first few weeks , ” explain the Butlers .
“ Once the root have taken , you should not need to irrigate the plant , even during the dry time of year . ”
English Lavender Care
If the aspect and grease conditions are correct for lavender , then they necessitate little on-going care .
“ Lavender is a Mediterranean plant , so prove to give it conditions as near as potential to its natural plate , ” explain Julia .
“ The plants prefer a sunny location with well - drained , poor , sandy dirt and they do not like to be overwatered . ”
Once established , lavender will need little watering , unless when develop in a pot or container , which will dry out out more quickly .
Lavender does n’t tend to be a hungry plant as they wish nutrient - misfortunate soil , so feeding is n’t usually required , as Charlie shares :
“ It ’s important not to overfeed lavender .
“ Do n’t let them maturate too big too quickly , as they will not be potent enough to stomach themselves when their foliage have plastered in the summertime . ”
Plants in containers or pots are more susceptible to hard Robert Lee Frost due to their lack of insulation .
Therefore , it is advisable to provide a bit of security to any containerised plants if severe weather is forecast .
Pots can either be convey in to overwinter under a porch or in an unheated nursery , which will not only provide some protection from low temperatures but the cold-blooded rainfall as well .
English lavender incline to only involve an annual prune , which can either be done in spring or fall .
However , if rationalise in the fall , they can look a bit neater over the winter months .
“ Pruning is ideally done at the end of the summer after the plant has terminate flowering and before the cold conditions set in , ” say the Butlers .
Once flowered , the flower stalks and about 3 atomic number 96 of immature growth can be taken off .
“ In other September as soon as florescence has cease , I use a sharp pair of shears or , in the caseful of extended miserable hedge , a sharp hedge trimmer , to shorten back the lavender as described , ” shares Master Horticulturist Roy Nicol .
“ The industrial plant then has time over the fall to grow tonic leafage which search good and protect it over winter . ”
Lavenders do not easy regrow from honest-to-god Ellen Price Wood , so some unripened development must be left on for the plants to regrow well .
Lavender works tend to inhabit for an norm of 10 - 15 years , although some may hold up considerably longer .
Over time , the plants can become leggy , peculiarly if not pruned correctly , but thankfully , lavender is easy to distribute from cuttings , so replacements are not unmanageable to provide .
English lavender incline to be fairly trouble - free if give the veracious condition .
That being tell , they can be rather susceptible to the rosemary beetle , which is alas now far-flung here in the UK.3Rosemary beetle . ( n.d . ) . The Wildlife Trusts . Retrieved March 21 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/beetles/rosemary-beetle
The rosemary beetle and their larvae provender on the foliage of rosemary plants , but also on thyme and lavender .
The shiny unripe and imperial beetles are easy to spot on the leaves , which they can reduce in length to well-nigh nothing .
Yet the damage done is often small in compare to the sizing of the plant and is of little aesthetic or health consequence .
For this intellect , is it encouraged to allow small numbers and find fault them off by manus if necessary .
However , pesticides are available if penury must , but can prove more good when hold to the larva rather than the grownup beetles .
