Lavender

Lavender plants are wonderfully coloured and smelling herb suitable for outdoor gardens. Keep it in a well-lit place with plenty of sunshine. They also have the benefit of being very bee friendly. They contain a lot nectar and more importantly flower at the midsummer gap where other flowering plants are absent. Providing a vital food source for large colonies.

When it comes to repotting or planting in your garden, the most important factor is to use a well-drained limey soil (alkaline) and little or no fertilizer. Problems usually arise because the soil is unhealthy. Lavender likes heat, and many varieties won't survive a cold winter. You can consider placing them in a larger well-draining pot (like a terracotta pot) and moving them indoors during the winter, placing them near a well-lit window.

Pruning is necessary to extend the life of the plant. Trim lightly in autumn immediately after flowering and in mid spring cut back straggly plants to promote bushy new growth. Cut back to about a third of the grey-leaved stems. Lavenders that are not pruned tend to become woody in the centre.

Water them sparingly. Allow the soil to dry out between watering, but don't let it get so dry that the plant wilts. A lot of this depends on the size of the plant and current temperature, so in the summer, weekly checking is recommended to assess the water level in the soil.