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| Lavender Field Sutton by Kemal Atli |
Place lavender plants in a sunny spot with good drainage for best results. If you have clay soil give your lavender a head start by providing some additional drainage. Dig a hole double the width of the size of the pot and three inches deeper. Add three inches of pea gravel to the bottom of the planting hole. Mix a good soil, some of the excavated soil and additional pea gravel for the fill. Rest the bottom of the plant on the pea gravel and gentle pack the soil mixture around the sides. Don’t drown the plant when you install but do give it a gentle watering to settle the soil around the roots. If you mulch use a “reflective” mulch such as gravel or shells. Avoid shredded bark mulch or other organic mulches that may cause rot around the plant’s base.
Remember:
lavender is really a shrub so give it a light trim after the flowers
fade. Save the clippings to make sachets
or other natural home products. Over
time, with consistent trimming, a lavender shrub will become woody with
beautiful gnarled branches that add additional interest to the garden, particularly
in winter. Think of the beautiful old
olive trees of Italy and Spain. Then
think of your lavender as a bonsai of these ancient trees. Trim only the soft material. Leave the woody branches untouched unless
there is dead material that must be removed.
Within
the lavender family there are lots of cultivars and hybrids. There are even “white” lavenders. In fact there are over thirty types of lavenders in the family though only three varieties are in common use in modern gardens. Some links are provided below so you can see
the vast choices available. There’s one
for everyone, even the lavender hater.
If you run into one please let me know.
I want to call the folks at Guinness.
Ok, Maybe grumpy Uncle Hollingsworth from Cincinnati. But he hates everything anyway. Remember
that Christmas he went on and on about Julie Andrews?
ENGLISH, FRENCH OR SPANISH? OR GO TRILINGUAL?
Lavendula Angustifolia – English Lavender, I Say.
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| lavandula angustifolia in variety. Photo by Sten Porse. |
English lavenders bloom a bit earlier than their
French cousins with flower spikes shaped a little more like a small
barrel. They are very high in essential
oils so make a good choice for cooking and perfumes. They look a bit more ragged in winter than
the French varieties but are all excellent garden plants. Despite their winter look they actually cope
with humidity and winter wet better so they are often the first choice for
gardeners. Popular varieties include hidcote and munstead. Those are named after of two of the finest estate gardens in the UK.
Lavendula x Intermedia – French Lavender, Bien Sur
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| lavender intermedia. Photo courtesy of High Country Gardens. |
Commonly called lavandin, French lavender produces a large amount of essential oil infused with camphor, creating a powerful aroma when the plant is touched or brushed by. Place it near a path so you can enjoy the fragrance as you pass by. It is the most common variety used for commercial lavender production. Since they are hybrids they have an extra dose of hardiness and look a little better in winter than angustifolias. They are sterile so there will be no unwanted seedlings. Propagate from cuttings. Flower stems are tall and spiky. Some of the most popular cultivars are Provence, Grosso and Phenomenal. Grosso lives up to its name. It can easily grow to three feet and makes a really impressive specimen in the garden. Lots of extra cuttings too!
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| lavender stoechas growing wild in its native Spain. |
Spanish lavenders make up in beauty what they lack
it hardiness. Gardeners above USDA Zone
6 (and probably 7A too) should consider them annuals but they are well worth
adding to the annual budget. A lot of garden centers sell them now even in colder regions. Just be aware that the plant you take home probably won't make it through a tough winter. Spanish lavenders are particularly fetching grown in containers. The
blossom is pinecone shaped and range into the violet shades.The foliage has a hint of eucalyptus. These lavenders are often called butterfly
lavenders. Remove faded blossoms to keep
the plant in flower all summer.
SOME LAVENDER RECEIPES
For the Kitchen
Easy
Lavender Syrup
Bring six cups of water, two cups of sugar and a
half cup of dried lavender blossoms to a boil.
Boil for five minutes. Turn off
heat and let cool completely or for several hours. Strain into a clean bottle and store in the
refrigerator. Use syrup to flavor cold
drinks (lemonade, iced tea, club soda) or add to cake, cupcake or cookie batter
before baking.
For the Pantry
Natural
Lavender Cleaner
Bring one quart of water to a boil, add two cups
dried lavender and boil for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool completely or for
several hours. Add one quart distilled
white vinegar. Strain mixture into a
clean plastic jug for storage. Lavender
cleaner is a natural disinfectant. Use
to clean floors, cabinets, windows and other hard surfaces. Mixture can be further diluted for minor
cleaning tasks.
SOME LAVENDER SOURCES
The best source for plants is a reputable, local
nursery where you can pick the plant yourself but there are a number of good sources to buy plants online. Online may be the best way to shop if you
want an unusual variety. Plants purchased online are generally smaller but
lavenders grow quickly. (A 4.5 inch pot
is a container that is approximately two inches square so that should provide
some guidance to the size of plant you will probably receive.)
High Country Gardens
With plants grown in Denver and Santa Fe, this online nursery has a big selection of lavenders because they do so well in the xeric (low water) Southwest.
Forest Farm
Located in
Oregon, this nursery is one of the finest sources of plants by mail. They grow a vast number of plants, many of them
rare and unusual. Lavender link is below
but no doubt you will leave with more than a few items in your cart.
Greenwood Nursery
Located in
Tennessee, this nursery has a fairly large selection of lavenders and a
generally good reputation for quality plants and good customer service. Full disclosure: I have not personally
ordered from them. However, they have good
ratings with Dave’s Garden, the online social media site where gardeners share
their experience and exasperations too!
Copyright 2015
Lyle Steele Custom Gardens. All Rights Reserved. For copyright permission please write to lylesteele@lylesteelecustomgardens.com. Lyle Steele Custom Gardens is a design and
landscape firm based on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, NYC.
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