Lavenders are generally used for edging or specimen planting in pots or in the ground, singularly or in clumps. But what about a dedicated, specialist Lavender bed, border, island or rockery…
And it’s not just about the flowers – some plants (tulips, rhododendrons, magnolias etc.) look magnificent for the short time they are in flower but then, as soon as they are over, look miserable and bedraggled. No such problem with Lavenders thanks to their magnificent –and varied – all-year foliage.
Tempted? Here are a few pointers:
COLOUR
Lavenders come in a deceptively broad palette of colours, yet they are universally compatible. Lavenders do not clash.
FRAGRANCE
As for colour, so for fragrance. Every Lavender variety has a distinctive fragrance but because everyone is recognisable as Lavender, they blend. And, of course, they flower at different times.
FLOWERING TIMES
Lavenders flower at different times from late spring to early autumn. With a little planning, your Lavender bed can be in bloom for a good 20 weeks of the year.
HEIGHT
The key factor for planning any bed is, of course, the height of the constituent plants – I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that the taller plants go at the back of borders and in the middle of islands! Here’s a guide to the ultimate height (i.e. with flower spikes) that different varieties can achieve:
Lavender Alba
90-100+ cm
Lavender Grosso
90 cm
Lavender Twickel Purple
60-70 cm
Lavender Maillette
60 cm
Lavender x chaytoriae Sawyers
50-60 cm
Lavender Dwarf Blue
50 cm
Lavender Hidcote
50 cm.
Lavender x chaytoriae Richard Gray
50cm
Lavender Imperial Gem
45-50 cm
View Our Lavender Plants
