Lavender is a Mediterranean evergreen shrub, a member of the mint family, Lamiaceae, grown for its fragrant summer flowers, on wiry spikes above silver-grey or grey-green foliage. They are easy to grow, popular, aromatic, drought-tolerant garden plants, which bees love.
There are hardy, half-hardy and tender species of lavender to choose from. The type of lavender you grow will depend on personal choice, including flower colour and shape, plus the shade and fragrance of the foliage. Whichever variety you choose, grow your lavender in full sun in well-drained soil.
English lavenders are known for being long-lived and hardy border plants. Other lavenders, including French lavender and Spanish lavender are slightly less hardy and lavenders from areas including Portugal, Madeira and the Canary Islands can be short-lived so need replacing every few years.
Although you’ve probable heard of Lavender, have you heard of Lavendins? These are hybrids with English lavender as their parents. They are more robust and therefore more tolerant of wetter soils and colder winters. They're larger in habit than English lavenders and flower for a longer period, providing more flowers for you to enjoy and more pollen and nectar for bees.
Popular lavendins include Lavandula x intermedia 'Edelweiss' and Lavandula x intermedia 'Grosso'.
Hardy lavenders (Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula x intermedia types) can cope with temperatures down to about -15°C, and can be left in the garden all year round. Lavenders are the plant of the month for August, because you prune them after flowering, typically in August, to around 30cm from the ground once the flowers have gone grey, to prevent the stems becoming woody. Cut back to just below the flower stem but not so far as the bare wood, as this can reduce flowering potential the following year. Be careful not to remove green shoots as this can kill the plant.
Half-hardy lavenders, such as Lavandula stoechas, flower for a long season but may not survive winter. Prune after their first flush of flowers have faded but avoid pruning any later than early September. They need a sunny, sheltered spot.
If growing the more tender lavenders, such as Lavandula denata, deadhead and prune only if the plants become scruffy. These are best in pots so that you can take them indoors in winter.
According to Gardner’s World, great lavenders to grow are:
Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote - one of the best known of all lavender varieties, for good reason. It's a compact variety of English lavender with mid-purple flowers and is ideal for planting in borders or as dwarf hedging.
Lavandula angustifolia 'Little Lottie' – a dwarf variety of English lavender, growing to around 30cm in height. It has pale, purple-pink flowers held above green-grey foliage.
Lavandula angustifolia 'Lady Anne' - a compact variety of English lavender, growing to around 45cm in height. The flowers are pale pink and have a slight fragrance. Good for combining with purple-flowered lavenders.
Lavandula angustifolia 'Lullaby Blue' - rich, purple-blue flowers. Reaching around 60cm in height, it's a good choice if you're after a more substantial lavender hedge. Like all lavenders, it's great for pollinating insects.
Lavandula stoechas 'Willow Vale' - a vigorous variety of French lavender with gorgeous spikes of purple flowers. Like most lavenders, it has large and distinctive bracts. Deadhead the flowers once they're past their best.
Lavandula stoechas 'Fathead' - a vigorous variety with a good scent, so it's good for drying. French lavenders are best grown in sunny, sheltered areas. Lavandula x intermedia 'Edelweiss' - a larger, more robust variety, with broader leaves and longer flower stalks. It has pure white blooms and makes an excellent cut flower.
Lavandula x intermedia 'Gros Bleu' - a large, attractively branched variety with pale-purple blooms. A lovely choice for borders, as a hedge and for cut flowers.
Lavandula x intermedia 'Grosso' - considered by many to have the best scent of all lavenders and is often grown for use as a cut flower. Looks good planted with rosemary and thyme which enjoy similar growing conditions.
Lavandula x christiana - one of the rarer lavender hybrids. It's hardy and has beautiful feathery foliage and tall purple flower spikes.
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