Lavender
Lavender is a plant that has fascinated people for centuries. It has a lovely scent with a Mediterranean feel, a beautiful colour and multiple uses. Lavender has been used as a spice, a medicine, a perfume, a soap and to colour fabrics. It has also symbolised love, purity, peace and happiness. Lavender has inspired artists, poets and writers, such as Vincent van Gogh, William Shakespeare and Virginia Woolf. Learn more about how to grow lavender in your garden or on your balcony.
Caring for lavender
Lavender doesn’t require much once it has established itself in a location. The plants need well-drained soil and appreciate a sunny position. By planting in a south-facing position and mixing gravel or sand into the soil, you can improve the conditions yourself. Lavender copes very well with drought, the roots risk rotting if it is too wet. Only water if the soil is dry. Lavender doesn’t need much nutrition and you can do more harm than good if you add too much nitrogen. However, a little compost in spring is good to add.
There are several different varieties of lavender. Lavender hidcote is popular with silver-grey leaves and purplish flowers that bloom for a long time. Other common varieties are:
- Munstead – compact with light blue flowers and green leaves
- Rosea – unusually tall with pink flowers
- Nana alba – short with white flowers and silver-grey leaves
If you want a variety that grows taller, lavandin could be an option. It is a genus based on a cross between true lavender and spike lavender. However, lavandin is not as hardy in our climate. Here it is safer to grow true lavender.
How to prune lavender
You may need to cut back lavender to increase flowering or affect the shape. The most common is to prune the lavender once a year. Do it either in early autumn or in spring, when there is no longer a risk of night frost. You can use the cut parts as cuttings if you want to grow lavender in another location or if you want it to spread over a larger area. Lavender can also be pruned in spring and autumn.
Lavender is suitable as a hedge plant
A lavender hedge can mark a plot boundary and provide privacy or act as a divider. It can also make the garden feel either neat and park-like or romantic, depending on how you cut the hedge.
Grow lavender in a pot
You don’t need to have a garden to grow lavender successfully. For example, you can grow lavender in pots on the balcony. Indoors, the air is a little too dry for lavender to thrive. However, you can overwinter lavender in a cool place indoors and sow it in spring if you have lavender seeds.
Here’s how to succeed with potted lavender:
- Choose a reasonably sized pot with drainage holes, the water must be able to drain out so as not to damage the roots.
- Use ready-made ‘Mediterranean soil’ or mix ordinary potting soil with sand.
- Place the pot where it gets as much heat and sun as possible, preferably next to a wall that reflects heat.
Overwintering lavender
Overwinter the lavender in a cool and bright place, such as a garage, cellar or conservatory. Make sure the temperature is between 5 and 10 degrees. Put the lavender in a sheltered spot in spring when there is no longer a risk of frost.
Author: Johanna Damm
Fact-checked by Erik Hoekstra
Last updated 2023-12-11