lavender
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Perfect plants for pollinators
There’s nothing quite like the lazy thrum of bees on a sunny day. Dipping in and out of the tubular echo chambers of a foxglove flower, settling on fragrant spikes of lavender or buzzing heavily skywards, pollen sacs laden with golden dust. Bee on Hidcote lavender But bees and other... -
Over the garden gate
Every May some of my neighbours open their gardens for local charities. It’s not National Garden Scheme or anything grand, just a friendly initiative to garner a few quid to buy street trees or plant up a roundabout abandoned by the local council. It’s a pound to get in and... -
Hurray for herbs...
I love the geometry and neatness of Elizabethan knot gardens, the manicured symmetry of low box hedging filled with a tangle of flowers and greenery. The best, I think, are those planted with fragrant herbs such as rosemary, cotton lavender, marjoram, thyme, lemon balm and chamomile. On a hot day... -
It’s still cold out there
February had snow and a heatwave, March with warm and cold spells, April has begun with lovely blue sky sunny days but also frosts at night. As I’ve written before, weather is a preoccupation, if not an obsession, as planting, covering, putting seedlings out and so on is so important... -
They call me mellow yellow
I used to have a serious problem with yellow. As a colour for clothes, for home decor and – most of all – in the garden. Even daffodils were banned. Somehow it seemed too cheery, too bright and, by association, just a little bit tacky and common. I was a sunshine snob. It’s... -
Lavender - a truly eclectic plant
Lavender is a herb, a flower, a medicine, a deterrent. Its uses are many and varied, probably more than any other plant I know. Lavender looks great, smells even better and despite being of Mediterranean and North African provenance is a classic English staple of cottage gardens, as well as... -
Goat's cheese, pear, walnut and lavender honey salad
Honey where the bees have mainly collected pollen from lavender plants has such a beautiful flavour that we didn't want to spoil it by mixing it with anything. Instead it is drizzled on top of its perfect partner – goat’s cheese, to make a simple, but delicious salad. The perfect way to ease yourself into eating lighter foods as the temperature warms this spring.
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Urban gardening: Softening transitions in your garden
Designers will often talk about ‘softening’ edges or marking transitions in your garden. A solid structure can often lead to harsh boundaries, right angles and edges. Well thought out planting will not only soften these edges but bring them alive, turning the edge to a key focal point in the garden.
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Why Lavender is my firm favourite
I was once told by a successful artist that choosing a poor frame for a picture, is the equivalent of getting exquisitely dressed up for a party and not wearing any make-up. The frame is the piece to the puzzle that makes your picture standout and chosen correctly can massively enhance a painting.
I think this same analogy can also be used for a garden. Lavender is a beautiful framer for any border and enriches the colours and plants it surrounds.
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For the love of lavender
English lavender – fragrance, colour,
wildlife value, and versatilityThere are very few gardeners who fail to fall for the many charms of lavender – what is that you love about this beautiful, heavenly-scented and versatile plant?
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) has long been recognised for its numerous uses, medicinal ones in particular.
The Egyptians used it in the embalming process; soaking the shrouds in lavender infusions helped to preserve the mummies. The Ancient Greeks used it as a remedy for a huge number of ailments, and they were the first people to discover its sedative attributes as a cure for insomnia.
The Romans praised it for its antiseptic qualities, and used it in bathing and washing clothes. And it has been used in battles as a dressing for wounds – in the First World War it was included in soldiers’ first aid kits.
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