26 AMATEUR GARDENING 13 JULY 2019... But there are also white, green, yellow, pink and red varieties that are suitable for
hedges, edging and pots. Martyn Cox looks at what’s available to suit your gardenM
ENTION lavender and
most people will think of
Lavandula angustifolia, the
so-called English lavender
with its aromatic grey leaves and spikes
of purple flowers in summer. The species
has been popular on our shores since its
introduction from overseas in the 16th
century, first as a medicinal plant and
then as an ornamental.
Yet this instantly recognisable
and much-loved shrub is not the only
lavender worth growing. In fact, there
are almost 300 different types readily
available to gardeners in the UK, with new
varieties joining their ranks every year,
thanks to breeding work carried out by
nurseries around the world.
There’s great diversity among the
lavender family. Plants range in height
from 1ft-3ft (30cm-90cm), with flowers
that appear between early June and late
September, depending on the variety.
The tiny blooms come in shades of
white, green, yellow, pink, red and
purple, and are held in slender, conical
or plump heads on thin stalks.Native to the Mediterranean, lavender
has been cultivated for around 2,500
years. Oil infused with its flowers was
held in high esteem by the ancient
Greeks, Romans and Egyptians and,
according to legend, Cleopatra covered
her body with lavender oil in order to
ensnare Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.
Known botanically as Lavandula,
both this and the common name derive
from the Latin verb lavare, meaning
to wash. In ancient Rome, lavender
leaves and flowers were used to scent
washed clothes, and by medieval times
washerwomen in Britain were even
known as lavenders due to the
continuation of this practice.
Roman settlers brought lavender
with them to Britain, and the popularity
of lavender soared when Elizabeth I
encouraged the development of
commercial farms. Lavandula
angustifolia, a species from northern
Spain, was so widely grown that it
eventually took on the common name
English lavender. The plants were
largely raised for medicinal, cosmeticand culinary purposes, and Elizabeth I,
supposedly, demanded a jar of lavender
preserve to accompany every meal.
They were so ubiquitous on the
landscape in this country that by the
16th century, the common name was
in use as a word to describe a pale-
purple colour.Group dynamics
Lavenders can be divided into several
groups. The varieties of English lavender
have cylindrical flower heads on short
stalks that appear during June and July.
Plants grow to 12-30in (30-76cm) in
height, with colours ranging from white
to dark purple, plus pink, pale-blue and
powdery-purple shades in between.
French lavender (Lavandula
stoechas) is less hardy but showier.
Growing from 18-30in (45-76cm), they
can be recognised by the colourful
bracts or ‘ears’ that perch on top of the
flower heads. These ears can be long,
short, thin, broad or wavy, and come
in magenta, purple, pink, white and
yellowy-green.English lavenders make excellent
dwarf hedges along pathsAll photographs Alamy
Lavender’s blue...
with Martyn Cox