Oro-Medonte Horticultural Society Updates and Information by Suzana Wilmot

What’s Not to Love About Lavender

English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is a plant that invites one’s senses to drift into a world of peace and tranquility. This beautiful, 2-3 foot tall semi-woody shrub originates in the Mediterranean but can be reliably grown in USDA hardiness zones 5-9, and performs abundantly under the heat of Southern Ontario’s summer sun.

Lavender blooms in varied shades of purple and produces a fragrance that has made this lovely plant recognized far and wide. Its flowers are harvested for their essential oil, which is known for its calming aromatic properties. They also attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, providing beneficial value to pollinators. If you ever find yourself trying to perform any garden chores near a bed of lavender, you will be competing with a number of bees, all of whom are busily trying to get every last bit of the nectar before the season is over. Bees adore lavender blooms!

The leaves of lavender are pointy, elongated, silvery-green, and, just like the flowers, also contain essential oils. They are often used for their natural antibacterial and antifungal properties and retain fragrance for a long time. Even the smallest seedlings contain essential oil – just try brushing your hand against one! This oil is exactly what repels insect infestations, aside from an occasional spittlebug (just leave those be should you notice one or two; they don’t damage the plant one bit).

 Lavender stems are woody and can become gnarly over time. To prevent this and promote fresh growth, it’s best to cut the stems in early spring, once the plants have shaken off their long winter sleep (and they are usually very slow to wake). While many suggest never cutting into the “old wood,” if you start growing lavender and prune it regularly every spring to the bottom inch or two, your plants will never develop that gnarly woody growth to begin with. A little bit of diligence right from the start will go a long way.

Lavender thrives in warm, sunny environments, with a minimum of six to eight hours of south-facing exposure recommended and requires good airflow and well-draining soil. Mixing a few handfuls of sand or horticultural grit into the planting hole will go a long way to ensure good drainage and so will “forgetting” to water it here and there. Lavender is quite resilient and able to go through extended periods of drought, which makes it a great choice for low-maintenance gardens as well as container gardening. Cutting back the flower stalks after they bloom encourages a second, smaller flush of blooms later in the season.

I’ve grown Munstead and Hidcote, both smaller-sized English lavender types, for years in my own garden, and they’ve been superb performers. While other types of lavender exist and are readily sold at nurseries, I find English lavender, due to its compact size and hardiness, to be the best suited one for our home gardens and USDA growing zones here in Southern Ontario. Growing and harvesting it brings delicate beauty and fragrance to both outdoor and indoor spaces.

If you haven’t yet tried growing lavender, consider adding it the next time you’re looking for a plant that thrives in full sun. The chances are, it will become one of your favourite perennial garden performers in no time – beautiful, resilient, and always giving more than it asks.

Join us at the Oro-Medonte Community Centre on Monday, October 20 for Michael Burns’ talk on breeding, growing, and competing with dahlias. On Monday, November 17, our Annual General Meeting features Nancy and Steve Astin speaking about establishing a lavender plantation and related operations. Meetings begin with social time at 7 p.m., followed by the main session at 7:30 p.m.  

—photo by Deb Halbot