Check out our latest magazine... Read Online

Blooming Times: The Beauty of Lavender

Thursday, 2 July 2020 17:39

By Flo Whitaker

Some plants manage to look good in any setting. Whether your garden has a traditional or contemporary design, be sure to include some lavender

Lavender, that quintessential cottage garden plant, is not, in fact, indigenous to the British Isles.

Many modern-day varieties are descended from lavender angustifolia; a type widely found throughout Spain, Italy and France. It’s likely the Roman occupation bought lavender (and much else besides) to our shores.

By the 12th century, it was a staple feature of the monastic herb garden and was used to treat all manner of ailments.

Lavender was also utilised for its moth and fly-repellent properties. Although humans love its swoony scent, many insects give lavender a wide birth.

In former times, prized fabrics were carefully stored with dried lavender to protect from moth damage and a lavender-filled pillow was thought to aid restful (and flea-free!) sleep.

The lavender family is a large one. From a general gardening perspective, they can be divided into two groups; hardy and non-hardy.

All types dislike shade and heavy, water-retaining soil, so take care when choosing their place in a border.

Select a well-drained, brightly-lit spot and add plenty of horticultural grit to the planting hole. Lavenders are useful for arid sites such as the base of a wall or adjacent to paving slabs.

Concrete mortar contains alkaline particles that slowly wash into the surrounding soil – lavenders prefer alkaline conditions and will thrive where other plants struggle.

Lavender angustifolia, with its historical connections to our gardens, along with its ability to cope in damper soils, is often labelled ‘English lavender’.

Most varieties with angustifolia in their parentage are fully hardy here.

‘Hidcote’ (rich purple, silver/grey foliage, approx. 45cms high), ‘Munstead’ (soft mauve, 45cms or less, compact grower, ideal for edging a path) and ‘Nana’, (deepest purple/violet, approx. 60cms) are all tried and tested varieties, but there are dozens to choose from, including some white and pink forms.

Lavender also does well in containers. Grow in terracotta pots to create a classic, timeless scene.

Alternatively, look out for flea market bargains; lavender paired with upcycled zinc/galvanised containers gives a vintage-style charm.

Incorporate plenty of sharp grit with the potting soil to ensure free-draining conditions: grit should be approximately 1/3rd of the mix.

This is a great way to grow frost-sensitive forms as pots can be moved into a cool greenhouse to overwinter.

Some non-hardy varieties produce long petals (quaintly known as ‘bunny ears’), while others bear multiple branching flower heads.

A few non-hardies have unscented flowers. Instead they produce highly fragrant leaves that are often serrated at the edges; unlike the smooth, needle-like foliage of English lavender.

All types of lavender should be lightly trimmed immediately after flowering. Removal of old growth allows sunlight to penetrate into the plant. This encourages the formation of new shoots that will flower the following year.

Share

More from Homes and Gardens

  • Home Style: Modern Outlook

    Downsizing couple Pauline and Bill chose practicality over space, but didn’t compromise on their love of mid-century style

  • Blooming Times: Dahlia Mania

    Inexpensive, hardworking plants with blooms in a vast array of colours and shapes - no flower is perfect, but dahlias come pretty close, says Flo Whitaker

  • Home Style: Time to Heal

    After losing her husband, Tracy Nors threw all her energies into renovating a period terrace in the pretty town of Rye

  • Blooming Times: Spring into Summer

    Say the word ‘bulb’ and thoughts of spring immediately come to mind - but there are some bulbus characters to plant now for summer colour. Flo Whitaker selects a few of her favourites

  • Home Style: Farm Stay

    While living in a tiny cabin on the family farm, Freddie and Katie Pack saved up to build their dream house on a plot a few fields away

  • Home Style: Romantic Vision

    Tim and Jenny Backshall rescued a derelict timber-framed hall house, respecting its history while future proofing for generations to come

  • Homes Extra: Dining Style

    Sara Whatley is singing the praises of the dining table and looking at different styling options for it

  • Blooming Times: Spring Fever

    February is often labelled the cruellest month in the horticultural calendar. However, Flo Whitaker suggests there is still plenty of opportunity for growth

  • Home Style: Forest Idyll

    Moving the kitchen became the start of a much bigger project for the Buckinghams, as it created opportunities to change their new home

  • Blooming Times: What's in a Name?

    Botanical Latin may seem daunting, but it’s designed to be helpful and informative, says Flo Whitaker

  • Gardening: The Benefits of Hedges

    Gardeners are a flower-obsessed lot, greedily seeking out the latest, brightest blooms. That’s all very well, but ephemeral flowers need a stage to perform on. Plant a hedge - they add structure, benefit wildlife and look good all year round.

  • Home Style: Treasure Trove

    The interior of a quaint, white-washed cottage in Sussex has been transformed into a colourful home full of character by a couple of keen collectors.

  • Blooming Times: Awesome Alliums

    Easy-going and beloved by bees - now’s the perfect time to plant allium bulbs for a spectacular display next year. Flo Whitaker picks some of her favourites.

  • Homes Extra: Truly, Madly, Deeply

    Fall in love with your soft furnishings again this autumn and make it the season to snuggle up in style, says Sara Whatley

  • Home Style: Clear Vision

    Jacqui Elliott Williams has relished bringing this elegant Victorian house back to life with confident ideas, stylish choices and creative flair.

  • Homes Extra: Parasol Power

    Pretty parasols are enjoying their moment in the sun and making our outside spaces spin with style, says Sara Whatley.

  • Blooming Times Garden Lore - Fact or Fiction?

    The horticultural world abounds with bad advice and old wife’s tales, but some pronouncements are scientifically sound, says Flo Whitaker, as she asks, “True, or false?”

  • Home Style: Beaming with Happiness

    Lisa and Matthew Good wanted a property to add value to, sell and move on – but they ended up so enamoured with their renovation that they decided to stay put.

  • Sussex Homes: Transforming a dark and unloved cottage into a Greek Escape

    Helen Robinson has transformed a dark and unloved cottage from 1837 into a bright and inviting space with a Mediterranean feel in St Leonards-on-Sea.

  • Sussex Homes: Transforming a once unloved oast into a colourful and funky family abode

    Sam Fallon, who works in advertising and husband Nick, who works in publishing have transformed a once unloved oast into a colourful and funky family abode near Tunbridge Wells for themselves and their daughters Tilly and Isobel.

© Sussex Living and Aiir 2024 | Unit 4 Regent Business Centre, 6 Jubilee Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9TL