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Planting
Lavender can be planted singly, when the full beauty of its dome-shaped habit
can be appreciated, or as a hedge. You will be rewarded with two or three
months of summer colour, and attractive foliage throughout the year.
For a hedge, allow 12-18 inches (30-45cm) between plants, depending on
the variety.
If the soil is at all acid, use lots of lime when planting and then an
annual top dressing. On heavy soils, line a deep trench with shingle
for better draining and add plenty of sand to the soil.
Feeding
Most plants enjoy a little manure, and it will certainly help to establish
healthy plants quickly. High potassium feed promotes flowering, but too
rich a soil may result in limp, over-leafed plants.
Pruning
Cut back well after flowering – at least to leaf level – to maintain a
compact and tidy bush.
We strongly advise against pruning lavender during the spring.
Propagation by seed
When ripe, the fine, black seeds of lavender can be collected from the flowers
as the bushes are pruned; they are also available from seedsmen. Germination
is erratic and plants produced by this method are most unlikely to be true to
the parent plant. In one sowing there may be plants of different sizes
and colour – interesting for the plant breeder, but not good for a tidy
hedge.
Propagation by layering
Long stems of lavender may be bent down into the soil and held in place with
a stone or a wooden or wire peg until they have rooted (this may
take several months), when the rooted stem can be cut from the
mother plant and replanted.
Propagation by cuttings
The best method of propagation is to take ‘heel cuttings’ from your own
plants in spring or autumn. Select a non-flowering young shoot and pull
it sharply downloads so that it comes away with a ‘heel’ at the bottom.
Dip this into a hormone compound and plant it in a light, sandy compost.
Keep it just moist and protect it from frost. Spring cuttings are usually
quickest to root. One-year old plants should be cut back after flowering
to encourage bushy growth, and if necessary transplanted to allow more
room for growth. At about two years old the plants can be put in their
permanent positions.
How to treat a neglected Lavender
Firstly, take cuttings just in case. Then, once they have rooted, you can
take drastic action.
Using large pruners, cut the thick woody stems down to two or three
inches (5-8cm) from the ground. The plant should then make new
growth from the base. This is best done in spring when the danger
of frost has passed. An old floppy plant might also be suitable
for layering.
Pests
The only pest on lavender is the green capsid bug or cuckoo spit.
This is unsightly but harmless.
Many people believe that strongly aromatic plants like lavender keep
garden pests away, and plant them among fruit and vegetables –
greenfly certainly seem to dislike it.
Disease
Shab is the only killer disease. It was this that wiped out the old
lavender fields in southern England. Spores of Phoma lavandula appear
on the stems as minute black spots and cause the flower stalks to
corkscrew and turn brown. Then parts of the bush die. There is no
cure for shab, so if it does appear it is best to get rid of the
plant completely. Most modern hybrids are resistant to shab,
but ‘Munstead’ and occasionally ‘Loddon Pink’ are susceptible.
If a bush has died, it may be because of a hard frost, or because of
the unwelcome attentions of dogs.
Tender varieties
Tender varieties may be grown in large posts in a conservatory in winter.
The best potting mixture is two parts coarse gritty sand to one part loam.
Once the danger of frost has passed, plants are much better left outside.
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