Lavender

English lavender survives the winter outdoors in the Central European lowlands without protection. The biggest risk is winter wet, not cold: put it in free-draining soil and do not prune it in winter, but wait for the spring cut. Protect young plants in their first winter with a little brushwood or leaves around the root area; keep container lavender bright and cool (frost-free) and water only sparingly.

Cuttings (recommended method): In late spring or after the late-summer pruning, cut soft, unwoody shoots about 10 to 15 cm long without flowers. Remove the lower leaves so that only a few pairs of leaves remain at the top. Insert the cuttings into a nutrient-poor mix of seed compost and sand and keep the substrate evenly moist, without waterlogging. Covering with a clear propagator lid raises the humidity and speeds up rooting. After about 4 to 6 weeks the first roots appear; you can then pot the young plants on individually into larger pots and plant them out from the end of May.

Layering (easy, without separating from the mother plant): In spring, bend a long shoot close to the ground down to the soil and bury it about 6 to 10 cm deep at the point of contact. Remove the leaves there and fix the branch with a stone or a wire staple. Keep the spot lightly moist. By the end of summer roots will have formed. Separate the new plant from the mother plant in autumn or the following spring and replant it.

Sowing (for species lavender, not for cultivars): Sow from February/March on the windowsill or in the greenhouse. Lavender needs light to germinate, so cover the seeds with only a wafer-thin layer of soil. Keep the substrate constantly moist and expect germination to take 1 to 4 weeks, which can drag on considerably longer in unfavourable conditions. A short cold spell (about 2 weeks in the fridge in moist sand) before sowing improves germination. Prick out the seedlings early and plant them out after the Ice Saints (end of May). Note: plants raised from seed often do not match the mother plant exactly. For propagation true to the cultivar (e.g. ‘Hidcote’, ‘Munstead’), always use cuttings or layering.