The Best Lavender Plants for a Hedge, Edge or Clump
Lavender plants give you great flowers, attractive
evergreen foliage, a scented garden and a life time supply of
fragrant cuttings with very little hassle. There are lavender
plants that will let you choose from the full spectrum of colours
here to create a uniform lavender hedge or
a wild collection of different shades. Lavender plants make
an excellent edge to a rose border or herb or vegetable garden.
They soften the lines of hard landscaping such as terraces or
paths and wherever it is planted lavender brings colour, structure
and scent to your garden. Lavender plants are tough as old boots,
beautiful from spring to autumn and tidy up nicely for the winter.
During summer, they produce masses of flowering stems and a
lavender hedge becomes a banquet for bees. Always check plant
sizes when buying - our lavender plants are all two years old
and covered in flowering material. They come in 1 litre pots
and will flower profusely from from May to August/September.
Pruning lavender
How to Prune Lavender Plants: Cutting back
the flowering stems as soon as the flowers start to fade will
encourage a stronger second flush but is not essential - we
think that the spent flowers still look quite nice. The consensus
about pruning lavender plants is that the leafy,
green stems should be cut down to two or three buds above where
it becomes hard and woody (i.e. leave some of this year's new
growth). There is a bit of a phobia about cutting back
lavender. In our experience, it is best not to cut
lavender back hard. Pruning lavender gently each and every year,
as descibed above, will keep it compact and stop it getting
leggy, so you will never need to be fierce. However, we do not
agree that cutting into the woody parts automatically spells
the end of your plants. If you have an unruly lavender plant,
we advise you to cut it back in stages over two or three years,
taking cuttings first to prepare for the worst. Use spotlessly
clean instruments, and remove up to a third of the old growth
relatively early (we recommend) early September).
When to Prune Lavender Plants: Whilst you
can deadhead the flowering stems one by one on individual plants,
if you have a lavender hedge then it is easiest
to just shear the lot in autumn, trimming the leafy stems as
you do so. Prune the leafy stems again in spring, as soon as
the frosts have passed in your area. If you are cutting back
lavender hard, timing is important - frost will damage exposed
wounds and leaving it too late won't give your plants time to
heal. It is best to hard prune them earlier, keep an eye on
the weather forecast and cover them if frosts are on the way.
Planting Lavender
The Lavandula family needs at least half
a day of full sun and a well drained soil
that isnt too acidic. It is essential that your lavender plants
don't get "wet feet" in winter - they hate it. However,
they will thrive in both clay and poor, sandy soil, they are happy
by the sea and in other windy places and grow very well on chalky
soil. If your soil isn't very fertile, mixing in a good amount
of well rotted compost and/or manure will certainly help your
plants along. Planting a lavender hedge: 4 plants
per metre will give you a lovely thick hedge that will reach 60-80
cms.
Pricing and Delivery: Depending on the weather,
we start shipping your lavender plants in March or early
April until the end of July. Prices start from £3.56
for a two year old plant and there are discounts on
larger orders, click on each plant for details.
Delivery information: Orders placed outside
of the season will be delivered at the beginning of the following
season. Your card will not be charged until your lavender plants
are about to be shipped. You will receive an e-mail to notify
you of the delivery date, your plants will come with full planting
instructions and we use a 24 hour courier service to deliver
your lavendar plants in top condition. You can contact
us on 01963 359 444 or info-at-ashridgetrees.co.uk
if you have any questions or suggestions. |
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