Lavandula "Lavender" Margaret Roberts

Lavandula is the genus name for what we all know as Lavender. A wonderful hardy plant that is actually related to the mint family and is mostly endemic to countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. They are loved for their fragrant leaves and beautiful flowers and have a wide variety of uses from scenting products to herbal remedies and cooking.

Lavenders like to grow in the sun with sufficient air movement around them. They prefer to grow in well-drained soil to which well decomposed compost has been added. They require regular watering when first planted but once the plants are established, they are water-wise. Be aware of over watering as this will cause rotting and they could die.

To keep a Lavender bush tidy prune back lightly, up to a third after flowering. Do not allow it to become overgrown and woody and then attempt to prune back as you could lose your plant.

Lavenders have a wonderfully long flowering period which makes them good garden subjects. They generally start flowering from early winter through spring and into summer and its best to remove faded flowers to encourage new flowers. The flowers make excellent cut flowers and are often used in dried arrangement too. Lavender flowers are butterfly magnets and the shrubs are known to be buck & rabbit resistant which make them great from farm yard gardening.