Just as many early to mid summer plants start to look a bit tired, the lavender bushes send up their beautiful blue spires with their unmistakable old-fashioned fragrance to lift the whole garden out of the doldrums. What a treat this plant is, easy care and totally reliable, it is also extremely drought tolerant which seems to be what everyone is talking about these days.
Lavender is one of the mediterranean herbs that thrives in almost any soil except wet sticky clay. It needs good drainage and as much sun as it can get, but will be ok in a slightly shady spot. The leaves have a blue-green tint to them, some with a silvery sheen due to the tiny hairs on them which help reflect the sun. It is a sub-shrub, the leaves remain on the bush all year round so it makes an excellent informal hedge. It can be clipped right after flowering to tidy it up, and this will reward you with a second flush of flowers towards September or October.
The flowers are generally shades of lilac to deep purple, with some pinks and a lovely white. Especially decorative are the French or Spanish lavenders with their elongated top petals which look like tiny butterflies hovering over the plant. This works very well as a specimen plant – try it in one of those wonderful big terracotta pots for a choice garden feature.
Lavender grows readily from seed and will be in flower next summer if you sow them now. eSeeds.com is featuring several selected varieties of lavender at 50% off until the end of June.