A few different plants are perfect for any garden, and one of these is the humble yet beautiful lavender plant. With an iconic fragrance and easily recognisable appearance, lavender is a great choice when searching for some nice plants to brighten up your garden or even your windowsill. When we think of lavender, we often think of sprawling flowerbeds filled with purple flowers, but they are just as easily kept in pots, too, allowing you to move them around your home and garden, brightening up any space you desire.
Decide On A Location
Your first step will involve deciding where your lavender will live. One of the many benefits of planting in containers and pots is that you have the flexibility to move them around when needed. If there’s a frost, you’ll be able to move them to your greenhouse or even inside, and wrapping the entire thing in garden fleece will be much easier, too. Your lavender will need a fair amount of sunshine and won’t do too well in shaded areas such as underneath trees and larger shrubs. For indoor lavender, a sunny south-facing windowsill is perfect for it to thrive.
Choose A Type Of Lavender
There are many different types of lavender species to choose from, all having their own needs and different levels of resilience. Certain larger variants, such as the Hidcote Giant, Grosso, and Alba, are all fairly resilient to the colder weather and are well suited for planting in the ground and staying outside over the year. When planting in pots, however, the cold can get to the roots much more easily, but you can counter this by moving the plants during cold snaps. When planting in pots, you can choose small lavender plants such as the Clarmo, Nana Alba, and Scholmis, as these won’t grow out of control and will cope very well in a smaller space. You can also find a range of different purple shades, with some getting close to pure white.
Planting Your Lavender
Ensuring that you plant your lavender correctly is very important, as with most other plants. You’ll need to make sure the pot size is correct for the variety of lavender you’ve chosen, but a pot that is around 30-40cm wide is generally acceptable for most of them. You’ll then want to choose a sandy potting mixture which allows for good drainage, preventing the roots from becoming sodden and reducing the risk of them rotting. Plant your lavender with the crown about 2cm above the soil level. The crown is the part of the plant where the roots meet the stem. You’ll then want to add a layer of mulch to help the soil stay slightly damp and retain moisture.
Taking Care Of The Plants
While you don’t want your lavender to become soaked through, you still need to water it regularly and thoroughly. This is why we choose a good soil mixture that allows for drainage, as we’re able to get plenty of water to the plant without the potting mixture turning into something akin to a bog. Regular watering and at least six hours of sunshine daily will allow your lavender plant to be at its best, providing you with beautiful flowers and a stunning fragrance. When it comes to wintertime, consider bringing it indoors if your potted lavender is outside. They will generally become dormant around this time anyway, but remember to bring them outside in early springtime.
