💜 Lavender

Lavender is a classic scented shrub that is also edible, with flowers and leaves used in baking, preserves, teas and drinks. It thrives in hot, sunny, dry spots and is a magnet for bees and butterflies, making it useful in any garden.

English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is the hardiest and best for cooking, with a sweeter flavour than French lavender, which is more camphor-like. Plants are best replaced every 8–10 years.

Varieties to try

Hidcote (compact, deep purple, culinary)Munstead (early, compact)Imperial Gem (deep purple, good for drying)Folgate (soft purple)Lavandula × intermedia ‘Grosso’ (large, strongly scented)

Plant in spring or early autumn in full sun in poor, free-draining soil; it hates wet roots. Add plenty of grit or plant on a raised bed or slope on clay. Space plants 40–60 cm apart, or 30 cm for a hedge.

Pots work well with gritty, loam-based compost. Do not enrich the soil, since too rich a diet gives leafy plants with few flowers. Water until established, then rarely.

Top tips

• Plant in the sunniest spot.
• Improve drainage with grit.
• Don't feed.
• Space 40–60 cm.

Trim immediately after flowering in August, cutting back the flowering stems and about 2.5 cm of green growth, but never into old wood, which rarely regrows. A light trim in spring helps too. This keeps plants compact and prolongs their life.

Water only in prolonged drought once established. Wet winters are the main cause of death, so ensure good drainage. Lavender is generally trouble-free, though rosemary beetle may occasionally appear.

Top tips

• Trim after flowering.
• Never cut into old wood.
• Avoid overwatering.
• Replace after 8–10 years.

Watch out for

Root rot in wet soilRosemary beetleLavender shoot borerWoodiness with age

Cut flower stems when about half the buds on the spike have opened, usually June to August, on a dry morning after the dew has gone. Cut long stems for drying, tying small bundles and hanging them upside-down in a dark, airy place for 2–3 weeks.

For cooking, pick fresh flowers just as they open. Leaves can also be used in cooking, though sparingly, as they are strong.

Top tips

• Cut when half the buds are open.
• Hang bundles to dry.
• Pick in the morning.
• Use sparingly in cooking.

Use culinary lavender sparingly: a few buds in shortbread, scones, cakes, ice cream, jam, honey, sugar, lemonade and herbes de Provence. Pair with lemon, honey, berries and chocolate. Too much tastes soapy. Lavender-infused sugar is a lovely gift.

Dried flowers keep their flavour and scent for a year in an airtight jar. Use dried buds in sachets, or sprinkle into baking. Only use lavender grown without pesticides.

Top tips

• Use only a pinch.
• Make lavender sugar.
• Dry in a dark place.
• Use English lavender for cooking.