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. 
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. 
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