Lavender Plants - How far apart to plant?

Lavender guide

Planting distances

Always a tricky subject, and it is of course desired effect and how long you can wait for your border edge or hedge to grow.

This is my very quick guide

Compact lavenders & dwarf lavenders
Varieties - hidcote, rosea, twinkle purple, lodden blue, little lottie

Generally these varieties will have a spread of around 25-30cm (30cm in ideal conditions) - so you will be looking at just over 3 per metre or 1 every foot.

Upright lavenders
Varieties - munstead, all the hybrids (edelweiss, grosso, provence, grappenhall)

These varieties all have potential to grow quite tall, so are larger plants in the long term - they all can be kept to a border edge size by hard trimming every autumn. Planting distance should be slightly further apart than compact varieties. It is worth cheacking spread on individual listings on the popular plants website. 3 per metre, or 1 every 16-18in would be ideal, but you could go further apart, although it would look sparce for the 1st year or so.

Larger lavenders

Varieties - Melissa Lilac, grey hedge and in some cases old english - so vera (dutch lavender clone)

Big plants, with large spreads, and tall flowers - these can be spaced out quite far apart if you are just leaving to grow. Melissa lilac has a potential spread of up to 75cm - however would not recommend letting the plants grow that big - annual trimming recommended, as they look good as well kept small bushes. I would still be looking a 2 - 3 plants per metre, or 1 every 18inches - but it is to taste, and depends how big you want them to grow - a well kept lavender hedge will look tidy. The Old english varieties can be trimmed into nice mounds every autumn, and can be kept as almost topiary shapes - best variety for filling borders. The old english reaches it's potential size relatively quickly,so for instant effect this is the ideal variety.

more information will follow over the year - when it is a bit quieter.
Chris
www.popular-plants.co.uk

Lavender Hidcote Plants

Lavender Hidcote Blue

The King of dwarf Lavenders???

The lavender hidcote is by far the most popular and best selling lavender in the UK. This dwarf and compact favourite is ideal for border edges, or low level hedges. Blue flowers adorn the plant from early summer to early autumn and offer great aromatic qualities. As with all lavender plants you are also offering bees their daily nectar as well...

The full name is Lavandula Augustifolia Hidcote. The 'augustifolia' is a general word to distinguish that this is an English variety of lavender. Lots of varieties of lavender fit into the augustifolia bracket, and generally this means they are hardy varieities.

Lavender Hidcote has obtained many awards, include an RHS award of garden merit. The award was obtained for being a reliable and good performing plant in ideal conditions.

Lavender Hidcote - The stats

Potential height of 50cm in ideal conditions, but it is not unusual for some hidcote plants to only grow to 20cm. A potential spread of 30cm is achieveable in most circumstances, however potentially it is possible for a spread of 45cm in ideal conditions.
Flowers are blue, and generally quite a dark blue most years, but you must be aware weather conditions can possibly change the colour darker or lighter some years.

Best Places to Plant

Generally lavender hidcote is planted as a border edge or low level hedge. It is seldom seen as a stand alone specimen, or grown in pots. If you are planning to grow in a large patio pot please only plant one plant in each pot - they are not keen on sharing pots.
This is probably also the most popular lavender varieties as table centre pieces at weddings, and is ideal for this job as being dwarf they tend not to stop conversations across the table. Other suggestions would be lavender hidcote pink, or rosea.

How to plant & How Far Apart

Best to plant in well drained soil, in a sunny or partial shady spot. The planting area must be a hot place in the garden as well as being dry away from any standing water all year round. Do not be afraid to add sand to the planting area before planting as this will help drainage and over wintering the plants.
Hidcote will spread to 30-35cm in most circumstances - so 3 plants per metre will surfice. 9cm potted lavender hidcote will take around 1-2 years to make a joining hedge or border. 13cm (or 1 litre) potted lavender will take significantly shorter.


Be sure to read more guides on the popular plants blog

Lavender Plant 2013 Guides

Lavender Plants

A Quick Guide to Lavender Plants from Popular Plants


Lavender plants are extremly popular plants, and are seen in many gardens across the UK and the world. The best way to understand plants is to start by learning where they originate from and then try to re-create (as best as possible) the same environment.

Lavender plants originate from hotter climates than the UK and, without digging the current weather, a lot drier climates. It is thought that they were introduced from the Meditteranean so climate wise a good few degrees better than here. Also take note of the soil - drier soil, and a lot finer - almost dusty in some areas. It is actually amazing where lavender will grow - happy in the poorest quality soil ever, but beware of heavy or clay soils...

General rule of thumb - not to do...

• Never plant lavender in clay or heavy soils
• Never plant lavender in shady areas (partial shade will be OK)
• Never plant lavender in areas which may become waterlogged
• Never water lavender plants in the winter

General rule of thumb - best practice

• Plant lavender in the sunniest spot in the garden or the hottest spot
• Plant lavender in well drained soil
• Add sand to soil to help drainage

Tip

Lavender can be planted in raised borders, or on mounds created on top of your existing ground. It is always advisable to add some sand to the soil when creating these man made additions to your garden, as this will help drainage, and also sand will keep the lavender roots just that little bit warmer during the winter months.

Trimming Lavender Plants

Lavender plants love being trimmed back, and if you want your plant to last more than a couple of years it is an essential annual task.

The best time of year to trim back lavender plants is late summer or autumn - once the lavender plants have finished flowering. Trim the flower stems right back into the plant - clear away any dead or brown pieces from the plants at the same time. Do not be afraid of cutting the lavender back harder than this if you wish to, but avoid cutting too far into the woody part of the plant as it may potentially not recover. If you have a lavender plant which is looking leggy, or there is not growth on the bottom half of the plant trim back harder than usual to encourage new growth.

Keeping Lavender Plants in Pots

Lavender plants can be kept in patio pots and grown as lovely specimens which can brighten up areas which may seem a bit dull - they will also add amazing aromatic qualities to sunny patios and really make it a joy to sit early evening with the bees buzzing around doing their work. Also keeping lavender in patio pots does give you the option of bringing inside in severe weather.

When keeping lavender in pots the 'over-wintering' period will offer slightly different challenges. Some people advise wrapping the pots in bubble wrap, or fleecing the plants - I would not bother with either, and let the plant decide whether to survive or not. Some of the best lavender I have grown have been left outside over winter, and it really does seperate the strongest from the weakest. French lavenders are unlikely to survive outside in the winter, so they will need to be brought inside. When keeping lavender in polytunnels or glass houses over winter, please be aware that they must be kept as dry as possible during this period - and also only water in the morning if needed otherwise on a frosty night the water (and roots) will just freeze.

Making Sure Your Lavender Plants Flowers

When you buy lavender plants they will more than likely be planted in plastic plant pots, the age of the plant will distinguish the size of pot and plant. English lavender needs to be over-wintered to flower the following year (French varieties not the case), so be aware that smaller lavender in 9cm pots may not always give a full bloom in the 1st year. To guarantee buying a 9cm potted lavender that will flower in year 1 I would recommend buying early season (march/april) where nurseries are selling stock they have been growing since late summer /early autumn the year before. Lavender plants in 9cm pots bought in june/july or later are probably stock grown from march of the same year.

Best Lavender Varieties for you

This is a very basic guide, and I will write a more comprehensive guide in the near future



Hedging - best to stick with English varieties such as

• Lavender Munstead
• Lavender Old English
• Lavender Vera
• Lavender Grey Hedge

Border Edges - Difference between border edge and hedge is the height, although dwarf lavenders do not grow high, they offer more compact plants, which in time will offer a thick line of lavenders.

• Lavender Hidcote Blue
• Lavender Hidcote Pink
• Lavender Rosea
• Lavender Twickle Purple

There are lots more lavender varieties which are described as dwarf or compact - above are just a few examples

Best French varieties (stoechas)

• Lavender Rocky Road
• Lavender Tiarra
• Lavender Devonshire Compact (more than one variety)

More Information to follow, we look forward to your next visit

Spice up your Salads with Herbs

Herb Plants Best Used in Salad Dishes

Just a really quick blog to give a brief insight into the best herbs for salad dishes. Some are well known salads, some you may well have not heard of before. The list is done in order of popularity (in my opinion) of the salad dish.
These are lists of what can go with each dish - do not put all in and hope for best - sure there are recipes on-line, or you can try...

Salad (general)
Basil, bergamot leaf, bergamot flower, borage flowers, calendula petals, chives, cress, mints, nasturtium leaf, nasturtium flower, parsley and thyme (lots of flavours can be used)

Potato Salad
Basil, caraway seed, cayenne, chives, fennel leaf, oregano, tarragon

Rice Salad
Calendula petals, cayenne, chives, dill leaves, garlic, parsley, rosemary and tarragon

Tomato Salad
Basil, cayenne, chives, fennel leaf, oregano, parsley, rosemary, tarragon

Tuna Salad
Cayenne, chives, dill leaf, fennel seed, horseradish, parlsey

Egg Salad
Cayenne, chives, horseradish, nasturitium leaves, parsley, summer savory

Flower Salads
Bergamot petals, borage flowers, calendula petals, dandelion petals, nasturitium flowers, lemon thyme flowers

Bean Salad
Garlic, parsley, summer savory, common thyme

German Potato Salad
Chives, dill, parsley

Mushroom Salad
Basil, cayenne, chives, parsley, sage

Dressings

Mayonnaise
Basil, cayenne, chives, horseradish, oregano, tarragon, lemon thyme

French Dressing
Basil, chives, parsley, summer savory

Herb Butter
Chives, garlic, parsley, rosemary, summer savory, tarragon, thyme common and thyme lemon

Vinegars
Basil, cayenne, chives, dill, garlic, ginger, horseradish, mint, rosemary, tarragon, thyme

 

Plants which you may not know - explained

Cayenne - otherwise known as chilli pepper or red pepper
Calendula - otherwise known as marigold
Bergamot - just a herb which is readily available, but not that well known - only for use in cold dishes, and to be honest doesn't taste too great
Borage - excellent annual herb which re-seeds inself, lots of kitchen uses - and a long history (one day I will blog it ...)
Nasturtium - otherwise known as Indian cress. Not always the easiest herb to source - very short availability period in the UK. Lovely flowering herb

Oregano - What food guide - popular plants

Oregano

What an excellent plant, and probably one of the better herbs on the market. Should be available throughout the year - unless nurseries run out... Generally a hardy plant, and can handle our British weather - it is very prone to bugs and when selecting at garden centres or nurseries just have a quick check - main intruder is the white fly!!!

There are lots of different varieties of oregano  - here's a few easily sourced varieties

• Oregano green or common
• Oregano greek
• Oregano Golden
• Oregano Country Cream
• Oregano hot and spicy
• Probably lots more, but these are the main ones

The oregano plant has a very close relative in marjoram. Often these are confused, and there is no obvious difference in the look for the untrained eye, smell as well can be deceptive in the colder months - as both oregano and marjoram only let of their smells when dry or in hotter conditions. Think the rule of thumb (ed) marjoram tends to have smaller and pointed leaves (going to regret that comment, will wait to be corrected in your comments section...- ed)

How to use oregano?
Well cooking wise I would stick to the two main varieties - greek or green / common. Both have larger leaves  than the other varieties so easier to work with. The oregano can be chopped up, or put in whole leaves as required. My recommendation is to add later in the cooking process - it will not flavour oils like the rosemary or garlic herbs.

Recommended to use with - meat, fish, vegetables, egg dishes, soups and stews. Can also be used in salads, vegetable dishes and vinegars.

Popular plants recommends you use this in Pizza - make you own pizza toppings, then get a good handful of oregano - wow very fresh. Also popular plants recommends it in pasta dishes - if you are doing a cheese bake or similar - add oregano on top for the last 10 minutes of baking.

Oregano will not tolerate high levels of heat when cooking - turn down heat when adding to frying pan or heat from beneath a pan.

We offer a large and diverse range of oregano in the Popular Plants online shop. Happy to answer questions or queries - and always happy for comments - never stop learning.

Lavender - Where to plant

Popular Plants - Lavender guide (part 2)

Where to plant lavender

As with most plants, lavender is all about location, location, location for best results.

•  full sun
•  Well drained soil
•  Avoid clay soils, or use a raised bed or large containers
•  Pebbles, sand, mixed lime and composted manure are all suggested additions when planting lavender - especially in bulk.

Lavender is traditionally a mediterranean plant, so be aware it will appreciate a spot which offers full sun. Lavender is a fan of dry heat, and once established will need very little care and attention, and also very little watering once established.

The actual art of planting lavender is quite simple, however the distance to plant lavender is always a tricky decision for every gardener. Of course there is no right or wrong answer, and it would also depend on variety, the size of the lavender plant you are planting, and the reason why you are planting it. For hedges I would recommend leaving a foot between each plant (9cm plants - 2 year hedge, 1 litre - 1 year hedge). Specimen lavender (in pots larger than 3 litre / 18cm) will be near their full growth, and are easier to estimate planting distance.

lavender - water and care guide

Popular-plants lavender guide (part 1)

Water and Care guide

When you receive your lavender plants they will be in plastic nursery pots, it is advised to water well, and let them soak for at least 45 minutes before planting. Create holes for the plants to be placed into, and lightly cover the roots with soil, trying not to leave gaps (air holes) but also not to compact the soil too much so the roots can develop.

 Lavender doesn't mind somewhat dry soil once established, too much water can cause root rot. Spread mulch around the base of your lavender plants to help keep weeds from growing. In the autumn, two to three weeks before the estimated hard frost, prune back one third of each lavender plant. This will help to prevent overgrown branches which can break and will ensure a nice full healthy plant the next spring. Do not use insecticide on lavender. It does quite well as long as it is kept well drained, due to its naturally strong essential oils which deter deer and many insects.

 Also very importantly, do not use grow more, or other common feed - lavender will not appreciate this, and will most probably not survive such treatment.