Lavandula ang. Munstead 4L

Lavender Munstead  (Lavandula angustifolia Munstead) is one of the classic English Lavender introduced in the 1950. It’s a hardy variety that will cope with all but the worst winters. The other classic English Lavender is Lavandula Hidcote. Lavender Munstead is paler than Hidcote and has a classical Lavender coloured flower.

Lavenders do like free drain soil so if your garden is waterlogged in winter look for something more suitable or grow them in pots with good drainage. They are evergreen Mediterranean plants so a little shelter from other plants and structures is best in the north of the England and above.

The foliage is scented but it’s flowers that evoke memories of granny and her garden. They flower in early summer every year with deep purple flower heads that can be cut & dried. They only grow to 50cm (18″) or so but as they get older the foliage dies on the older stems causing them to become woody. It tempting to then prune them ‘hard back’ i.e. down to the bare wood. However, they often won’t reshoot. The secret is to give them a light hair cut every April. This keeps them compact and busy. It may delay the flowering for a few weeks but extends the life of the Lavender. Be prepared to replace & replant them every 7-10 years for the best looking Lavenders.