How to grow Lavender

Lavender is a shrubby, small to medium perennial. Typically evocative of an English summer, lavender comes in shades of blue, lavender, white and pink and is highly scented. Like all aromatic plants it is attractive to bees.
Like so many plants, Lavender is easy to grow in the right conditions, and hopeless in the wrong conditions. To do well, Lavender needs sun, well-drained soil. It dislikes wet conditions, especially winter wet, which it will not tolerate. The cold may kill lavender, but it is much more likely winter wet will. 

Thought of as a quintessentially English plant, Lavender is part of the genus Lavandula with about 25 species many found in the Mediterranean and warm climates.

 Given its origins, Lavender needs good drainage and a sunny spot. If the ground tends to be wet select one of the hardiest varieties of lavender, see below. Lavenders do well in dry spots, ideal for Mediterranean planting schemes, gravel gardens. This also makes lavender ideal to grow in containers on a patio or balcony, always provided there is sun.

To plant Lavender, dig a hole about 3/4 inches bigger than the plant you have purchased and tease out the roots. This means using your hands to loosen the roots. Plant at the same level so that the soil from the potted plant is the same as the earth. Water well and firm it in so it's secure with no air pockets. If the soil is heavy, dig a large hole and mix with horticultural grit, to aid drainage.

Grown in the right conditions, Lavender needs little care. It does not need feeding or frost protection. The only pruning required is a trim in late summer cutting off the spent flowers and to create a good shape for next year. This will also help to prevent the plant from getting leggy.

If you miss this window, or like me are sometimes reluctant to trim lavender after flowering as the fading flowers look good, you can prune in April. Pune in the  same way, (not too early or the frosts can damage the pruned stems) just trim off the old flower heads and pruning into a nice shape. It is best to avoid cutting into the old wood, unless it is looking very bare when you may want to prune away old wood to improve shape and appearance.

Lavenders which are commonly grown:-

1. Lavandula Angustifolia, known as English Lavender, shown in the above images left and right L. ( and below) varieties such as Hidcote and Munstead which are H5 which is down to-10-20.  Within this group are varieties in shades of blue, lavender, pink and white, and many sizes. 

2. Lavendula x intermedia group of Lavenders, also known as English Lavender. This group are hardy in most UK winters, and tend to be larger than L. Angustifolia ideal for hedging.  

3. Stoechas, known as French lavender and fat head lavender, is  described as H4 -5-10 but in reality is more borderline and may need winter protection, illustrated above centre. 

 English Lavenders are all described as H5 hardy (explanation about hardy plants) and the French lavender is also described as H5, but it is much more border line in areas of cold and wet winters. 

 Lavender plants are a short-lived perennial; up to 10 years in perfect conditions, but they often become leggy, woody and with bald spots after a few years in less than ideal conditions.