The gentle hills t-flush to the sparsely scattered hills, the hot July air waves over the flower-filled meadows.Long purple-blue ribbons run somewhere beyond the horizon, creating a refreshing contrast to the earthy tones of the landscape.Here in the wildly beautiful Provencal countryside, lavender is truly at home.
In our climatic conditions, it is difficult to find similarly impressive fields of flowering ears, which can be seen in the fields east of Avignon. However, in the period from June to August, when the sun turns the silvery-green hemispheres on the edges of the paths into purple-blue cushions, the air in our gardens is also filled with a unique, sweet scent of lavender.
After Hildegard of Bingen named the fragrant South European plant "lavendula" in the 12th century, introducing it to medics and gardeners, lavender quickly gained popularity and four centuries later it was cultivated in many gardens all over Europe.It was already a well-known medicinal plant with a calming and relaxing effect.Aromatic lavender oil has long been an important ingredient in perfumes and bath lotions. The herb of the plant is also used in the preparation of beneficial infusions and teas.
Lavender is perfect for a variety of garden arrangements. Indispensable in a garden with a rural character, it also looks great in a formal garden as a border perennial. In modern design, the silver-gray leaves of the shrub are always well-regarded.Lavender copes very well in extreme conditions, i.e. in rebates with the worst, even stony soil.After all, it had to deal with terrible heat and long-lasting droughts on natural gravel sites in southern France and Spain.
Lavender is an ideal plant for lazy gardeners. Growing in a discount, it needs little care and will feel good even without our treatments. Classic varieties of lavender since June, incl. 'Munstead' and 'Hidcote Blue' are decorated with velvety, purple flowers.At the same time, new forms are also blooming. 'Miss Katherine' sprouts long shoots covered with pink flowers. 'Little Lotti' opens pink and white flowers gathered in rather short spikes.Dwarf varieties are perfect for larger balcony boxes, such as 'Nana Alba' or 'Dwarf Blue'.
A unique shrub is Lavandula stoechas, which likes slightly acidic soil. Reaches a height of up to 50 cm. Its barrel-shaped inflorescences are decorated with large flowers, reminiscent of butterflies from a distance. This species is clearly thermophilic and does not tolerate temperatures below -5 ° C. Therefore, this lavender should be grown in a container and brought home in the fall.
A new variety is also 'Richard Gray' with extraordinary woolly silvery leaves, derived from a Lavandula x chaytorae hybrid with silver stems and leaves.Stems up to 1.2 m long have a little later blooming intermediate lavender Lavandula x intermedia.Harvesting in the fields of Provence always ends on August 15 with a holiday in which up to 20,000 people participate.
Lavender is not the best partner for roses. The queen of flowers requires regular watering and fertilization, while lavender does well in rather dry and not very fertile soil. Roses like bark mulch, and lavender appreciates the layer of gravel on the bed.
Perennials that like a dry environment are the best partners for lavender. These include: yarrow, woolly purgatory and pine spurge. It looks great on rocky beds.Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary, marjoram or thyme, accompanied by lavender, create a beautifully fragrant zone around the terrace. For contrast, in a large blue clump of lavender, you can place a single white flowering gaura or tall Patagonian verbena.
Lavender care
Top position
Lavender likes calcareous soil that is dry, well-drained and not very fertile. If the soil is too clayey, we treat it with an admixture of sand, fine grit (grit) or gravel. This will prevent moisture from being retained in the substrate.Lavender feels best in fully sunlit places.
Planting time
In principle, lavender can be planted throughout the gardening season. However, planting in late spring gives the best results.
Cutting the shoots
You absolutely have to wait with the main cut until the last days of spring.If the lavender has only recently sprouted new shoots, trim them about 1/3 of their length so that the shrub retains a compact habit and does not age too quickly. Blown out shoots of the plant carefully prun out.
Fertilization, wintering
Lavender only needs a little compost in the spring. A plant in a container can winter outside the house in a sheltered place.In periods of frost, it should be protected against strong sunlight with a fleece cover or fir twigs.
Advice: lavender looks most beautiful in the bed when it comes to gypsophila, astra, sedum and stonewood grass.
