Lavender

Lavandula angustifolia Rosea

• Position: full sun
• Soil: fertile, well-drained soil
• Rate of growth: average
• Flowering period: July to September
• Hardiness: fully hardy

  
  Dense spikes of fragrant, rose-pink flowers appear in summer above slender, steely, grey-green foliage. It makes a gorgeous, flowering, informal hedge, especially along a path, where its fragrance can be appreciated. It also works well in a gravel garden, or clipped into a formal sphere for a contemporary look. The cloud-like effect of its soft pink flowers means it looks particularly good with roses, or as part of a cottage garden scheme. The flower-spikes are highly attractive to bees and other beneficial insects.
  

• Garden care: Cut back the stalks after the flowers have faded. Carefully trim back in April, taking care not to cut into old wood.
  
  
• Goes well with: Salvia x sylvestris 'Mainacht', Echinops ritro, Perovskia 'Blue Spire', Stachys byzantina, Artemisia 'Powis Castle', Eryngium giganteum