Guide to growing Lavender - Lavandula
The Hardy perennial lavender is a beautiful, fragrant and useful plant to grow in the garden.
Lavandula reaches from 30cm to 90cm in height depending on the species and carries tubular lavender (or blue or purple) flowers from the end of spring to the summer.
It is a great plant to grow in the herb garden. To harvest the flowers of lavender for culinary use remove them just as the buds are opening, remove the flowers from the stems, and keep them in a dry place for a few weeks.
How to grow Lavender
It is best to sow Lavender seeds either before the last frost of spring or in the autumn. Once sown lightly cover the seed. They should be grown in a sunny are of the garden that has good drainage. They prefer a poor soil and fertilizing the plants will result in less fragrant lavender flowers!
You can grow lavender indoors (for transplanting later or keep indoors) first. The seeds should be imbibed by placing the seeds (within soil) in a black plastic bag, then placing in the fridge for five weeks. Keep the soil at 12 to 18 degrees Centigrade following refrigeration; it should take two weeks to three months to germinate. The lavender should then be planted in the garden with a spacing of 40cm.
Caring for Lavender plants
Once growing in the garden the lavender plants should be pruned heavily at the start of spring, and flower stalks removed once they have died. If you require more plants then they can be had from cuttings in spring or summer.