LAVENDER - A FAVORITE OF HERB AND PERENNIAL GARDENERS

Common, or English Lavender (Lavender angustifolia) is a favorite of mine.  Not only are the flowers aromatic, but the plant itself is attractive all season long, even when not in bloom, with its dense mounds of silver-gray-blue needle-like leaves, which are evergreen (meaning they stay green all year long).  Their tiny lavender-purple, purple, pale pink,  white, or blue flowers are tiny clusters on erect spikes.  The main flush is generally early to mid-summer, but mine are, as you can see by the pictures I took yesterday, blooming again presently, so they do bloom intermittently after the main flush.  They are shrub-like, with a woody base and soft upper shoots.  Common lavender grows about 2-3 high, but low growing "Hidcote" and "Munstead", which I have only grow to 1 1/2 feet high. They like full sun--they thrive in at least 6 hours per day.  A south facing site is ideal.  They need well drained soil, in about any kind of soil you have--they are not particularly picky.  (But if you have heavy clay soil, plant on a mound or a raised bed for maximum success).  You can plant in early fall or spring.  If given full sun and well-drained soil, lavenders require only a minimum amount of care to look their best.  They handle drought well, when established.  They don't need fertilizing, and I know of no pests that bother them.  You will need to prune your lavenders annually lightly, with a hard pruning every couple years or so, so they won't get 'leggy'.  They are great in arrangements; their aromatic fragrance is especially nice.  For greatest fragrance, harvest the flower spikes just before the buds begin to open.  Cut the spikes off individually.  I dry mine by getting a bundle together and putting an elastic band around them and hanging them upside down in a dark, cool place.  When you cut off the blooms, it also encourages another bloom cycle.  I have mine in the rock garden, and they look especially nice with other summer-blooming perennials, like lamb's ear, daylilies, shrub roses, sea thrift, or other lavenders.