lavender

kellso81

I was hoping to do a small border with some lavender, is it too late to plant out now, most texts i can find say around april/may time?

tara m

Fine to plant now really - will like the warm soil and recent rain will help it settle in. Just keep an eye on it for watering over the summer, check it once a week or so I'd say - plant with a john innes compost if you can rather than multipurpose, and trim the plant each spring to an inch above the old brown wood to stop it going lanky and collapsing in the middle.

Sonnenblumen

Lavender is a beautiful plant and with so many varieties from which to choose, be careful to select the type that suits your requirements. Many can grow quickly and out of control resulting in plants being good for nothing after 3 years. With proper maintenance, lavender can grow for many years.

I prefer the trade off for fewer flowers and less scent for a more compact growing type. My simple regime involves removing the stems of faded flowers in late August and within 3-4 weeks to trim the foliage and reduce plant size by 30%.

The results are a very attractive dense, compact and well rounded plant, which is healthy and full of vim.

Nothing worse in a garden than a scraggly lavender.

Tip- if you hang cut faded stems upside down for a few weeks in a dry place, you will have an attractive scented bouquet for a small vase.