Lavender is popular in British gardens since it is so easy to grow, but it can easily wilt or even die at this time of year if it is not in the right place in your garden. It might be like common sense to keep lavender next to your other herbs, but Andy Connolly, an expert from Little Flower Cottage, has shared that it can be one of the worst places to keep lavender, as it cannot grow properly next to green leafy herbs like basil plants.
Andy said, “It seems logical to plant herbs together, but basil needs rich soil and frequent watering, exactly what lavender hates. My kitchen herb garden taught me this lesson when my basil thrived, but the neighbouring lavender developed root rot from the constant moisture.”
Lavender is a Mediterranean plant, so it needs to be kept in dry and alkaline soil in order to stay healthy, while leafy herbs like basil need moist and slightly acidic soil.
In summer, basil needs to be watered a lot in order to stop it bolting and turning bitter, and the constant moisture can cause lavender to begin rotting.
Both lavender and basil simply have wildly different growing conditions, and if placed in the same soil, both will become stunted and unhealthy.
If you keep your herbs in pots, make sure lavender is placed out of the way when it is time to water your basil, so you do not spray any moisture, and it will also not like any humidity.
Lavender greatly prefers dry air, and leaving it next to plants that need to be watered regularly will shorten its lifespan as it will be under constant stress.
It should be noted that lavender should also be kept away from other leafy herbs like parsley, chives, cilantro and mint as they all have different soil needs as well.
Instead, it is much better to keep lavender around other Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary, oregano, sage and thyme, as they all have the same watering schedule.
Mediterranean herbs love the sun and enjoy being in hot environments, so having these plants together will not create any humidity.
These plants also enjoy being left in poor soil and do not need a lot of fertilisation, so they are brilliant if you want to create a herb garden that does not need a lot of maintenance.
If you grow lavender alongside other herbs that prefer drier conditions, it will continue to bloom because its roots stay dry, which will result in more flowers and a much healthier plant.
