About lavender

Lavender is a popular plant in many gardens around the UK and is perfect for pollinators. It originated in the Mediterranean and is thought to have been brought here by the Romans. There are many different species of lavender but the most popular in this country are Lavandula Angustifolia (the typical English lavender), Lavandula x Intermedia (the hybrid known as lavandin) and Lavandula Stoechas (also known as French lavender) with the butterfly ears on top. Only the first two are really grown as a crop and most of the pictures you see of commercial lavender fields will be one of two cultivars.

The essential oil of L. Angustifolia 'Maillette' is favoured by the perfume industry and the lavandin L. x Intermedia 'Grosso' is grown widely because it has a much stronger scent and produces four times more oil than the Angustifolias. We grow both of these as well as the early blooming L. Angustifolia Folgate, plus Hidcote and Munstead (which we leave for the bees). We also have a ‘show bed’ which is rapidly filling up with a variety of different lavenders.

To grow lavender successfully, it must have free draining soil as it hates wet feet. Some growers get round this by adding grit or planting on a mound or a slope. It prefers alkaline soil but will cope with a slightly acidic environment. Lavender needs full sunlight to thrive and it will tolerate drought. Being hardy perennials they overwinter quite well in the UK. In the first year, it is best to trim the buds off which allows the plant to put down more roots and bush out. This means more flower stems the following year. New lavender plants will need watering in their first year but after that they only need attention during times of extremely hot weather. After flowering, and before the frosts arrive, all lavender needs pruning hard to stop it going leggy - but it must never be cut below the last two nodes of green as it will not regrow from the woody part.

Lavender is an extremely versatile crop which can be cut fresh, dried for bunches and wreaths, used as a culinary herb, or made into oil for aromatherapy and cosmetics such as soaps and hand creams. We love it!