Various lavender varieties are commonly used in landscaping, from the gorgeous lavender hedges you see edging gardens or driveways, to potted bushy lavender plants gracing patios or terraces. Landscaping with lavender is a sure way to enhance your garden, be it an outside cottage garden or balcony space.

Lavender is a popular garden plant for many reasons:  the shrubs are fast-growing, pretty, fragrant, easy to maintain and lavender attracts bees and other pollinators to your garden.  Most types of lavender are also fairly drought tolerant, and the plants need little, if any, watering.  All lavender varieties love sun.

This article provides some tips and tricks for using lavender in your garden.

• How to use lavender in landscaping
• Lavender in winter
• Watering your lavender plants (and feeding the bees)

How to use lavender in landscaping

We cover hedges, garden borders, cottage gardens and also growing lavender in containers or pots.  We’ll provide information on the best lavender types for each use, and some tips and tricks for planting and maintenance.

• Lavender hedges
• Garden borders
• Cottage gardens and flower gardens
• Lavender in containers or pots

Lavender Hedge

When you think of landscaping with lavender, you probably imagine those long lavender hedges which are beautiful to look at: rows of vibrant purple flowers atop green foliage, usually accompanied by butterflies and other garden pollinators. They are a great way to line a driveway, define an area and attract bees and other pollinators that will benefit the rest of your garden.

Plants used for hedges should be large, long-lasting and easy to maintain.  You want lavender varieties that are hardy and can handle both cold winters, and the heat of summer.  The best species for a lavender hedge are English lavender varieties, for example the Munstead, Hidcote Grosso and Vera.

All of the varieties we recommend reach maturity in 2 to 3 years or growing seasons.  The exact time it takes for a lavender plant to mature to full height varies, and depends on what is planted (seed or plant) and how warm the soil is. When planting a lavender hedge, you will likely use small plants, which cuts down on the growing time significantly.  If you have a lot of time or are planning well in advance, growing from seed is an option (more information about how to grow lavender from seed here).

Each lavender type listed below can last for 15 years, even up to 20 years if cared for properly.  Maintenance requirements are the same – prune it once or twice per year.  We have more information on how to maintain a lavender hedge here.

Species to use for your lavender hedge

For a stunning lavender hedge, we recommend on of the following plants:

Name	Photo	Mature Height
Munstead		60cm
Hidcote		50cm
Vera		1m
Grosso		1m

Lavender hedge planting should be carried out when soil has warmed up after winter, so anytime from mid-spring to late summer.  The warmer the soil, the faster the roots will grow.

When choosing where to plant your lavender, keep in mind how big the spread is (generally similar to the height).  You’ll need to allow 50cm to 1m for spread but do check the label on the plants you buy.  If your soil is very dense, add some grit or sand to help with drainage. 

Lavender is easy to plant, just carry out the following steps:

1. Use a gardening fork to loosen the soil.  Add sand if your soil is stodgy or dense.
2. Dig holes for your plants, 50-100cm apart, making sure that the hole is bigger than the root of the lavender that will be planted (check the label for spacing guide).
3. Take the lavender plants out of their pots and loosen the roots a little before placing into the holes.
4. Fill the hole and press the soil around the base of the plant.
5. Water each plant regularly until they are established. Aim for the soil around the part, not the plant itself.

For the first growing season (or until the end of summer), you may need to water the young plants in dry weather. You’ll soon see if they need water.

That’s it!  Now just sit back and wait for your beautiful lavender hedge to grow. 

To learn how to care for lavender plants, click here.

Lavender garden borders

Lavender looks great as a garden border or short hedge.  As an added bonus, lavender flowers attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators which will benefit the rest of your garden.

For a smaller border, you need dwarf lavender varieties.  We recommend:

To be finished.

Lavender flower gardens and cottage gardens

Every flower garden (or cottage garden) needs lavender.  Lavender is pretty, it adds colour, attracts bees and smalls amazing!

You can use any lavender variety in your flower garden, but do consider the following:

• Plant size – lavender grows quickly and you need to think about the mature height and spread of the lavender variety when you plant it.
• Flower colour – lavender comes in many shades of purple (or lavender, if you like), but also comes in pink and white.  Choose a plant species that will work well with the rest of your garden.
• Foliage colour – lavender foliage isn’t just green.  It can be bright vibrant green, dark shiny green, greyish, almost silvery green.  Decide which colour will work best for your garden.
• Uses – do you need your lavender for anything else?  Different types of lavender lend themselves to different functions – including culinary, oils / fragrances, crafts, cut flowers.  Choose a lavender species that will not only look pretty, but be useful too.
• Companion plants – lavender grows well with most other plants but look for plants that thrive in similar conditions and colours that go well together.

For flowers, consider echinacea, roses, yarrow, Daisy varieties, Zinnia, Marigold, Calendula,

Pics and links

Herbs grow well with lavender, and as a bonus they are useful in the kitchen!  Try rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage and oregano.  These all grow well in similar conditions and have compatible watering needs – they don’t need much.

Pics and links

Growing lavender in containers and pots – when space is limited

There might be many reasons you are thinking of growing lavender in pots. If you prefer the look of plants in containers, potting lavender will work. If you are renting a house and need a garden that can ‘move’ with you, potted plants are an excellent idea.  A lavender pot is a great addition to a balcony garden, small urban garden or generally where space is tight. Landscaping with lavender doesn’t necessarily mean you need a lot of space!

If you are planning on growing lavender in a pot or container, you need to consider a smaller variety that does well in those conditions.  Almost all lavender will grow in pots, however the larger varieties can easily get out of control if not maintained.

We recommend:

• Thumbelina Leigh – this is gorgeous and a very popular choice.  It has two-tone flowers, a long blooming season and short spikes.  Perfect for pots.
• Super Blue – more of a wild look, with fragrant blooms that are close together, showing more colour.
• Melissa Lilac – purple flowers and silvery-green leaves, a more soft look – great for containers and patios.
• Vera – another popular choice, with dark blue flower spikes and a noticeable smell.

Links to pictures and buying.

Tips and trics

If you want to grow lavender in pots, you need to be aware of:

• Pot size – a potted lavender grows to be the size is of a small shrub, so take care not to select a pot that is too small.  If you choose a small pot, be prepared to spend some time repotting lavender as it grows.  A good size is 10 – 20 inches diameter for a round pot.  Of course, other shapes are also great.  You’ll want a depth of 6-12 inches.  Lavender has a shallow root system so the pot doesn’t need to be too deep.
• Soil – lavender needs well-draining soil, so make sure you use a good quality soil with a high sand or grit content (about a third grit / sand / gravel).  If you want to be super specific, the pH should be slightly alkaline rather than acidic, but if you have a soil with some sand and pebbles that drains easily and is aerated, lavender should grow well.

soil ads.

It’s best to plant young lavender in spring, at the start of the growing season.  You can give it a little prune at the start of Spring (just as new growth starts) and at the end of summer.  It’s possible to prune lavender into shapes, but generally when the plant blooms, it sends out stalks with flowers on the end, and looks shrubby anyway. See the photos below for some shape and potting ideas.

Photos

You can theoretically grow lavender indoors, but you’ll need to place your pot in a very sunny spot, and it may not live as long as an outdoor plant.

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