One thing I had always wanted in a garden was a lavender pathway to my door. I had never lived in a house that would accommodate one, and you can't walk away from the perfect house because you couldn't have one can you? Can you??? This garden however, definitely can although it wasn't what made us go for the house that was the surrounding views.
Once we had got the little picket fence up the first lavenders went in, they were very small so I didn't cut back the first year.
They continued to grow and flower all through the spring and summer
and of course the bees loved them
To begin with I only planted the one side as we were still undecided as to whether to put a picket fence the other side of the path but in the end decided against it. Of course I had broken another golden rule by not keeping one of the little tickets with the variety of lavender I had bought. That was another lesson leaned. Fortunately when I was weeding around the first side I came across one I had poked into the soil and managed to find the exact same variety at one of our local garden centres.
This is my lavenders today
I wish we had smelly blogging on here as I can tell you the smell is exquisite especially when it has been raining, as it has over the last couple of days
The bees are just starting to find them and within the next week there will a continuous hum as you open the door.
The variety I bought were French Lavender Papillion perfect for scented hedges, but not known to be as hardy as the English varieties. They are a compact french variety producing aromatic leaves and purple flowers on upright stems in summer. Their height and spread are 50cm x 40cm or 20 x 16 inches in old money. They like a moist well drained soil, which is just as well as the soil here is full of stones and they are real sun worshipers. So far I have not been brave enough to cut them back but from what I've read I will need to cut them back by two thirds in the autumn to prevent them from going woody. This is where it could all go terribly wrong but as long as I don't cut into the wood and leave new growth then fingers crossed they will come back bigger and blousier next year.
Until then I will continue to enjoy the scent that greets me every time I open the front door and fingers crossed this time next year I will have my thick luscious lavender pathway of lavenders I've always dreamed of.
Mx
Beautiful! I love lavender and have quite a few plants in my garden. The ones beside the summer house smell heavenly when the sun is on them an you're sitting inside. Best, Jane :)
ReplyDeleteI love their smell and have to waft my hand over them as i’m passing. I think I may have room for a few more somewhere.
ReplyDeleteMx
I absolutely love lavender. It is gorgeous. I'm not keen on lavender candles at all, giving such aweful headaches. We visited a place many years ago in Yorkshire that's devoted to lavender. Wolds Way Yorkshire I think. They sold many different lavender varieties. I enjoyed your story about planting. All the best with caring for it. Cx
ReplyDeleteI love the smell of lavender from the plant but I can’t stand lavender scented things like candles either. I remember going somewhere in Norfolk that was a lavender farm but I didn’t know there was somewhere in Yorkshire.
DeleteMx
I love lavender and I'm sure anyone walking up your garden path would enjoy your lavender bushes. We've lavender growing in different areas of the garden. The English lavender has thrived, but two varieties of the French type died probably because I didn't plant them where there was good drainage and light so that they had the right conditions to grow well. It was a lesson learnt for when I replace the plants.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the French lavender is as hardy as the English but not had any die on me yet. Its funny how you can plant four of the same plant all together and they can all seem to be doing fine and then you find one has died yet they are all in the same soil and fed and watered the same. The soil all over the garden is very different. Some is clay and hard to did, some is full of stones which I know you need for drainage but this is more than you would need and then the bit I was digging yesterday that was really a bit like scrub land you could put the spade in and it was like putting a knife through butter.
ReplyDeleteMx
Your garden must have that proper cottagey feel with lavender plants lining the path, there's something very English about it, isn't there? The bees will thank you for it too and it must smell delightful, especially as you brush past it on your way up the path.
ReplyDeleteThat's certainly the look I'm working towards and yes its definitely quintessentially English to have a lavender pathway and I love it and seeing it every time I look out the front window.
DeleteMx
Gorgeous! We have a lavender hedge around our front garden and I enjoy brushing past it and rubbing a twig or two. The fragrance always reminds me of my late dad.
ReplyDeleteIt may well be the reason I like it so much Christina as my grandmother was a very keen garden and knew all the latin names but she had a lavender path leading to her greenhouses and the smell was always exquisite. The funny thing being I really don't like the smell of lavender in anything else especially candles.
DeleteMx