Lavender is a delight in any garden, not only looking very pretty, but boasting an amazing fragrance too. It’s also beloved by bees and other pollinators so in high summer, your lavender will always be surrounded by a gentle, dreamy buzzing.
There is still time to plant some lavender, if you’re quick, but Simon from Walking Talking Gardeners has some key tips that will make all the difference.
He explains that all lavender originate in the Mediterranean basin, “which is lovely and warm, the winters aren’t too cold.” Consequently lavender will require a lot of TLC to make it thrive in our less forgiving climate.
Some of the more specialist types of lavender (from southern Spain or the Canary Islands for example) aren’t hardy, so cannot be left outside over winter.
Simon’s key tip is to ensure that your lavender seedlings get plenty of drainage. Stressing that it’s important to get yourself some properly sterilised compost, he says that adding Perlite will really help with the drainage.
Perlite is a lightweight white granular material that might look like little balls of polystyrene, but is actually made from expanded volcanic glass, baked at a very high temperature until it ‘pops’ (like popcorn) to many times its original size.
If you can’t get Perlite, similar materials, such as vermiculite, will do much the same trick.
But another important detail to get right is buying the right lavender in the first place: “If you are growing lavender here in the UK you have to buy seed that will survive our winters.
The kind you need to look out for is called “English” lavender, even though it’s not strictly English at all.
The ideal planting time is in May or June, but you can get away with the first week of July at a pinch: “You can’t sew lavender at any time of year,” he explains, “and there’s good reason for this”.
“The root system of your lavender needs to become established in its final position to a point where it’s strong enough to survive our English wet cold winters,” he says.
“If you plant them in too late, or have them in a pot for a long period of time, then plant it in the ground at the end of the season, chances are you’re going to struggle to keep that plant going through the winter.”
Simon stresses that lavender can be quite a delicate plant in its early stages, and it’s important to not only buy properly sterilised compost, but to make sure all your tools are thoroughly cleaned before use.
It does best in poor, dry or moderately fertile soil, including chalky and alkaline soils. Lavender will struggle in heavy clay soil or any soil that becomes waterlogged – hence Simon’s recommendation of adding some Perlite to your compost.
If you’re opting for a container, make sure you pick one with with large drainage holes, mixing in in lots of Perlite or coarse grit – up to a ratio of 25% to make sure you get that all-important drainage happening.