What could be more delightful than a big pot of lavender in full bloom, set next to a doorway, greeting all passersby with its heavenly fragrance and colorful blossoms? Lavender (Lavandula) is a very attractive perennial that enjoys a long flowering season and is fairly easy to grow. Since not all lavenders are hardy, containers provide the opportunity to grow Lavender that would otherwise not be suited to your garden. Place them in a sunny spot (at least 6 hours of sunshine per day), provide the right soil and plenty of drainage, and your Lavender will happily blossom and grow! The French lavender flower can bloom for up to 3 months in a Mediterranean climate. Place your French lavenders in a sunny window during the winter months to allow them to grow properly. If you want to sustain indoor lavender through the winter, water it once every 4-6 weeks and once every two weeks in the spring. English lavenders thrive in colder climates, so I recommend growing them in pots with plenty of space. How To Grow Lavender In A Cool Climate Just pop some potting compost into each of the containers, sow the seeds in the compost and lightly cover. Sprinkle with water (don't drown, just keep moist). Wait for your lavender to grow! Product code Begonias are also known for their ability to thrive in partial shade or filtered sunlight, which makes them well-suited for window boxes. On the other hand, they are sensitive to cold temperatures. If you live in an area with cool spring nights or early frosts in the fall, bring the window box indoors and cover it with a protective layer on colder nights. 9. Lavender (Lavandula) Soil: Slightly acidic to neutral (6-7 pH), well-drained, rich organic matter, constantly moist but not waterlogged

I recently made the mistake of smugly pointing out to an old, non-gardening friend of mine that her summer window box could, with just a little TLC, be a thing of beauty rather than an affront to the eyes. “Right. Thanks for that,” she replied tartly, fixing me with a steely glance. “So here’s an idea. How about clambering down off that horticultural high horse of yours and instead helpfully suggesting what I could plant in it that would be (a) easy to grow (b) easy on the eyes (c) nice to eat, and last but definitely not least, capable of putting up with a certain amount of wilful neglect?” Spacing a Hidcote Lavender hedge: Like most formal hedging, plant at 3 per metre, 33cm apart in a single row.

Fertilize: Fertilize your window box with a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer every two to four weeks during the growing season to encourage healthy growth and blooms. Tropicana style: Create a lush, tropical look with bright, bold flowers such as hibiscus, bird of paradise, and bougainvillea. Add foliage plants like palms or ferns for a truly exotic feel. A hard trim every year in late autumn ensures dense growth, more flowers, and extends Lavender'sornamental life span.

Pansies are relatively compact plants, spreading 9-12 inches and growing 6-9 inches tall, so they are a fine choice for smaller window boxes. A fun fact is that pansy flowers are edible and practical for coloring and flavoring salads, desserts, and other dishes. 4. Petunia (Petunia x atkinsiana)

Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote': Classic Purple English Lavender Plants

Lavandula stoechas, also called French Lavender, Spanish Lavender, or Butterfly Lavender, is recognizable by the conspicuous sterile bracts resembling extravagant ears, on top of the short dense inflorescence. Grown for their silvery aromatic leaves, the very distinctive flowers, however, steal the show with their pronounced “ears” sprouting from each flower head. This Lavender loves hot weather but is more tender (Hardiness 8-9) than other Lavenders.Flowering typically occurs from mid-spring to late summer. Succulent garden: Create a low-maintenance window box garden with a mix of colorful succulents such as echeveria, sedum, and crassula. These drought-tolerant plants are perfect for hot, sunny windows.

It is hard to think of doing it in late August while there are lots of insects still buzzing about it, but if you do it at the right time it will look good all year round and last for many years.

Is Lavender Good For Planter Boxes?

Examples of herbs for window boxes include basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary, mint, chives, and cilantro. What are the best flowers to plant in window boxes? Lavender requires damp soil but dry leaves. The plants should not be placed together for too long because they are prone to botrytis. If your window boxes do have a lot of drainage, or if you have a wide gapped slatted design but still want to fill it with soil, you'll want to consider lining your window box. 8. Fill your window box Lavenders are irresistible to bees and butterflies, and L. angustifolia cultivars in particular are useful edible herbs, so they deserve a place among working fruit and veg plots. Did You Know?

Lavender plants require 12 inches of space, full sun, and plenty of water every 14 days to grow. English lavenders (Lavandula angustifolia) are my personal favorite lavender plant to grow in pots because they are fragrant and hardy. Lavenders from both French and Spanish varieties are excellent choices for pots. Ceramic, clay, or terracotta pots are the best pots for growing lavender because they are less prone to heat than plastic and metal pots. They can also be used to protect lavender’s cold sensitive roots, which are more prone to freezing. A pot or container measuring 12 inches across and with a depth of equal or greater depth should be chosen. If lavender is watered too frequently, the potting soil becomes moist at the top, causing the roots to grow toward the surface. Heavy clay on a dry, sunny hill that sheds water should be fine, but light, dry, poorly fertile soils are ideal.

How Big Of A Container Does Lavender Need?

Because lavender plants can grow to the size of a small shrub, a large pot will allow for this growth. You should shop for containers with 12-16 inch sizes. The recent warm, dry weather has been wonderful for roses, encouraging them to bloom profusely over the last number of weeks. To prolong their flowering as well as to encourage a second later flush of blooms, it’s important to keep deadheading any faded flowers. Always wear garden gloves and long sleeves when deadheading roses to protect your hands and arms from their sharp thorns and use a sharp, clean secateurs to help prevent disease entering the plants through the pruning cut. For the same reason, it’s also best to carry out deadheading on a dry, sunny day.