Planting DesignDiscover the right plants for your garden.
Sweet Romance ® lavender . picture by : Proven Winners
Although it hails from the Mediterranean , English lavender was so named because it has long been a staple in English herbaceous plant garden and is utterly contented growing in cooler climate . In addition to being one of the most cold-blooded - large-minded lilac variety , it is also one of the most attractive . The soft gray - green foliation and dainty purple flowers make it a good companion for many other garden flora . And its airy , bush - like form lends itself to both formal and cozy preferences .
“ Gardeners who limit their use of English lavender to the herbaceous plant garden should enlarge their thought process , ” says Jeff Cox , source ofPerennial All - Stars . “ Few thing are as jolly as a large belt of English lavender in full rosiness . ”
On this page : Basics|Planting|Care|Varieties|Harvesting & Preserving
BASICS
Botanical name:
Lavandula angustifolia
Plant type:
Woody perennial
Zones:
5 - 9
Exposure:
Full sun
Size:
1 to 3 feet tall , 2 to 4 foot wide
Bloom time:
Early to later summer , with the flush lasting 2 months or longer .
Foliage:
Narrow and lance - mould , up to 2 1/2 inches long . Silvery to gray-headed - greenness in color , remain evergreen in warmer climate .
Flowers:
Typically shades of lavender or rich purple , although some cultivar have light pink or livid bloom
Special attributes:
Toxicity:
Lavender contains a small amount of linalool , a compound that may be toxic to blackguard and cats , allot to theASPCA , especially if ingested in orotund measure .
PLANTING ENGLISH LAVENDER
top : Although English lavender will endure summer heat , it grow poorly in climate that have passing hot , humid summers , favor more temperate conditions . If you garden in the Deep South , consider plantingSpanish lavender(Lavandula stoechas ) , which is more liberal of high heat and humidness ( seeCommon Types of Lavender ) .
When to plant:
In the spring after the soil has warmed up and the threat of Robert Lee Frost has pass . If planting in the fall , give flora prison term for their roots to show before wintertime .
Where to plant:
In a site that receives full sun ( at least 6 time of day daily ) in loose , degraded - draining , sandlike land . fend off constitute in heavy clay soils and in low spots prostrate to standing water . Because proficient drainage is essential , consider growing your plants in mounds , call forth bed , or on slopes . Arock gardenis also an fantabulous fix for this drouth - tolerant plant .
How to plant:
Lavender is often grown from nursery - started flora . Seeds do best when started with bottom heating system , and may sometimes have down in the mouth or planetary germination . outer space plants about 2 to 3 human foot part , depend on their breadth at maturity .
Growing in containers:
If your winters are harsh or your soil is heavy and dense , consider growing English lavender in containers in a in high spirits - quality potting mixture with good drain . In wintertime , bring your container plant indoors and place them in a sunny window where they will receive four to six hour of bright , direct sunlight daily . Learn to grow lavender in tidy sum .
ENGLISH LAVENDER CARE
exposure by : Ienic / Shutterstock
Watering:
Thanks to its Mediterranean ancestry , English lavender is drought broad once established and only involve supplemental lachrymation during prolong dry spells . However , new flora should be water regularly ( every other day for the first workweek after planting , then once or twice a calendar week until roots become ground ) . reckon on your location , lavender may necessitate some watering during winter , peculiarly if in containers .
Tip : Watering English lavender too ofttimes can cause etymon and crown decompose and is the most common cause plants snuff it . For naturalized industrial plant , it ’s best to mistake on the side of underwatering rather than overwatering .
Amendments and fertilizer:
Do not use any amendments , peculiarly compost or other constitutional matter when constitute . Plants grown in pathetic , sandy , or rocky soils will be healthier and longer - subsist than those grown in hummus - rich soil . alimentation is generally not necessary . Over - fertilise plant will often bring forth few prime .
Pruning and deadheading:
Prune lavender back by 1/3 to 1/2 its height in saltation after new leaves emerge to arouse growth and keep plant from looking scraggly . Make the stinger just above the new foliage growth rather than cutting into the woody base , since lavender will not acquire back from old Grant Wood . ( The exception is utter or damage stems , which should be removed right on down to the fundament of the flora ) . Another luminance dress in midsummer , powerful after the first kick of flush , will often boost repeat flowering . See more onpruning lavender .
Overwintering:
In climates where temperature dip below zero degrees Fahrenheit , isolate your flora with a winter mulch of evergreen boughs , shredded leave of absence , or shuck , especially if there ’s a lack of coke covering fire . Proper grease drain is also all-important to plant survival in area with cold , deaden winter .
Propagation:
From bow cutting take from novel growth in early summertime .
Pests and diseases:
Lavender has few pest or disease trouble , but is susceptible to Phytophthora antecedent and crown rot , particularly if the grunge around the floor of the flora remains soused for retentive periods of clip . Septoria leaf topographic point , a fungal disease that infect the surface tissues of the plant ’s leaves , can also be a job . The best control measures are to avoid overhead lacrimation and provide skillful breeze circulation around your plant .
ENGLISH LAVENDER VARIETIES
Photo by : Proven Winners
Sweet Romance ® —Buy now from Proven victor
Height and spread:12 to 18 in improbable and wide
One of the shorter lavender varieties , with vivid purplish - purple flower topping sizable mounds of silvery unripened foliation . Begins to flower a piece earlier in the season than other varieties , with the flower often last into early twilight . Clusters of lilliputian blossom appear at the leaf nodes , in increase to the last efflorescence , adding colour all along the stem .
Photo by : Walters Gardens , Inc.
' Hidcote '
A compact form with slender spike of tightly bunch together , dark dark - majestic flowers . For stunning contrast with the recondite purple blooms , plant with Dominicus - loving perennial with lily-livered peak , such as ‘ Coronation Gold’yarrowandblack - eyed Susan .
' Munstead '
Height and spread:18 to 24 inches magniloquent , 24 to 36 inches wide
One of the erstwhile and most pop lavender varieties , respect for its sweetly perfumed purple - blue flowers and rattling herbal flavor in culinary applications . idealistic for use as a abject hedge or to create gorgeous drifts of coloring in aggregative planting . showing greater heat allowance than some other types .
exposure by : Apichart Vanthin / Shutterstock
' Ellagance Snow '
Height and spread:12 to 14 inch marvelous , 10 to 12 inches wide
A nice alteration - of - pace from the traditional purpleness - flowered lavender , with thick spikes of whitened blooms held above silvery hoar foliage . A beautiful gain to amoon garden , bringing a hint of fragrance to the even aviation .
Photo by : Rock Giguere / Millette Photomedia
' SuperBlue '
Height and spread:10 to 12 inches tall and wide
One of the most thick lavender , with dark lavender flowers complementing silvern unripened foliage . obtusely take flower spikes have fewer gaps than most cultivars , make for an acute colour show . achieve only 12 inches at maturity , it is a gross choice for edging a paseo or growing in containers .
pic by : J Need / Shutterstock
' Miss Katherine '
Height and spread:24 in tall , 18 column inch wide
An exquisite pink - flowering lavender , load with showy spikes of wan pinkish flowers held on tall , good stanch above hillock of gray - gullible foliation . The blooms hold their color well even in hot climate .
TIPS FOR HARVESTING & PRESERVING ENGLISH LAVENDER
In increase to its many culinary habit , English lavender is often reap for both novel and dried floral musical arrangement , sachets , and potpourris , make it a suitable plus to acutting garden . To continue the perfume and colouring of your clippings , follow these harvesting tips .
