Lavender has become a strong symbol of the Italian garden & subsequently the Tuscan style garden & it is use will clearly suggest a Mediterranean feel in any garden. However it does require some quite specific maintenance & the number of old, woody & dying lavender plants in many gardens stand as strong testament to this fact.

A plant of Mediterranean origin, it thrives on free draining soils & adores full sun but these factors alone are not enough to keep the lavender plant healthy & vigorous. Like most Mediterranean plants the lavender has become used to being burnt in scrub fires & thus requires e reproduction of these conditions in our gardens (see www.lifeinitaly.com/garden/pruning.asp)

To maintain your lavender plant in perfect condition the most important maintenance steps are these;

- prune the dead flower stalks off after flowering with secateurs, without cutting into the leaves

- apply a pottassium based fertiliser in the autumn to aid root growth

- prune harder into the leaf layer with shears in March (or when growth starts) & leave a shape that follows the natural shape of the plant, without cutting lower than where the vegetative growth starts (into the brown part of the stem).

- apply a gravel-based mulch at around 3-4 inches

- apply a Nitrogen, Pottassium & Phosphorous fertilizer & water well.

If these steps are followed then your lavender plant will most definitely flourish!

Here in Tuscany they say that a lavender will die after 7 ears if it is not pruned correctly!

Good varieties are;

Lavandula officinalis
Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote blue’ or
Lavandula stoechas

For more tips on growing Mediterranean plants see www.lifeinitaly.com/garden/lavender-plants.asp or www.web-ecologica.com

Jonathan Radford is an English landscape designer, dedicated to creating ecological, Italian-style gardens from his base in Siena, Tuscany.

Contact him at info@web-ecologica.com