Lavender is one of the most versatile plants to grow in the garden.
Fill your garden with the relaxing fragrance of lavender. Super easy to grow, the lavender plant is a fabulous addition to have in your garden when you need to de-stress as the scent is calming and relaxing. For maximum impact position lavender near paths and seating areas on patios so you get the full benefit of its delicious fragrance, and watch the butterflies and bees enjoy the lavender flowers.
Lavender is an evergreen water-wise perennial that will grow happily when planted in well-drained soil in full sun. The plant grows to approximately 60cm in height, forming a small/medium bush with spikes of grey/green leaves topped by the flowers. Colours of lavender vary from blue, white, lilac and pink, depending on the variety.
Lavender is also very useful when grown as a companion plant for roses as it can repel aphids, whitefly and other pests. ‘Margaret Roberts’, with its dark blue flowers, is one of the best varieties to use for companion planting owing to its very strong scent. Also very effective at deterring pests on roses is the Lavendula Augustifolia ( English lavender), available in shades of blue, purple, lilac and white.
Ideal for container planting is the Lavendula Stoechas (Spanish lavender), with a choice of purple, pink or white flowers or the Dentata (French lavender), which has blue/mauve flowers.
The Stoechas variety of lavender tends to have a longer period of flowering as they will be in bloom from late winter through to summer.
After flowering all lavenders need to be cut back on the green stems only, so try to avoid pruning back on woody stems, which is the old wood, as new growth won’t grow on these stems.
Top Tip! A bunch of lavender, tired with string and hung upside down by a door or window will help keep flies at bay!
You’ve just got to love lavenders!
More advice and articles :
We at village gardens have a knowledge of all of your local edible plants here in South Africa. We can happily plant up your garden with edibles of all varieties from Mediterranean herbs and local indigenous edibles. We are surrounded by such stunning hardy indigenous plants, let’s get back to nature and have our own garden of local goodness.
