natural lavender plant Lavandula | Provence Lavender

When dream gardens are shown in decorator magazines, on TV and in the movies; they often include sweeping shots of long, perfectly manicured rows of blooming lavender. It makes gardening with this wonderful woody plant seem out of reach for the average home gardener.

This simply isn't true.

Provence Lavender (Lavandula x intermedia 'Provence') are easy to grow garden plants. Just give them the right soil type and plenty of sunshine. You'll be rewarded with years of fragrant flowers and picture-perfect paths.

This mounded perennial is a hybrid of English and Spike-type lavender. It will survive all but the harshest winters and come back year after year if given a sharply drained planting site.

Lush, gray-green leaves and light purple flower spikes of this sun-lover will fill your space with that world-famous aroma. This plant is a must-have in either perennial plantings, or large outdoor containers alike.

Use a few of the fresh flowers in cooking or mixing in drinks. Lavender panna cotta and Lavender lemonade take the heat out of the hottest summer day.

Make sachets from dried flowers and foliage and tuck into your sweaters, shirts or your "unmentionable" drawers. Your clothes will smell like summer all year-long!

It's easy and fun to distill the essential oils from your own crop. Cottage industry, anyone? The oil from Lavender Provence has been used for ages in perfume and medicinal extracts.

Scent homemade soaps, massage oils or candles. Adding a drop or two of oil on your pillow has even been proven to improve relaxation and sleep. It's truly a flower of your dreams!

Don't let the glamour and mystique of Lavender scare you away from growing this easy-care herb in your garden this year. They are easy and rewarding to grow.

The flower display starts in midsummer and continues through fall. Rabbits and deer tend to leave them alone,which is a blessing! Their nectar does attract butterflies, and you'll be thrilled to help out your local honey bees.

Get started on your love affair with this marvelous plant! Order Provence Lavender from Nature Hills now.

How to Use Provence Lavender in the Landscape

The most important consideration for this plant is ensuring your plants have good drainage in wintertime. If your soil is rocky, poor, rely on this scented plant throughout your sunny spots. No need to amend the soil, as they are quite rugged and durable.

But, if your soil retains water for a long time after a rainfall...plant them in raised beds or in containers. You'll still love the look, and elevating their roots will help increase the drainage.

Use single plants as mounded specimens in a rock garden. The gray-green foliage looks fantastic, softening up the south side of large boulders. In the warmest climates, the foliage remains evergreen for year-round interest.

Create a marvelously memorable path or front walkway by running a low hedge of multiple plants along the edge of a high-traffic area. You and your guests will savor the fragrance as you brush against these plants.

Include these herbaceous perennials in your Backyard Orchard, or Victory Garden. Create a Knot Garden as a special garden feature.

Spacing your Lavender plants in a hedge is an art form. To achieve the classic look, you'll want to do two things.

First, allow your plants to develop into their full, mounded form and receive enough air circulation. Second, have the fragrant foliage just brush against its neighbor.

Plant them 18 inches apart on center, measuring from the center of one to the center of the next. Mulch between the plants with wood chips, or use landscape gravel.

Add additional rows staggered off-center from each other for a mass planting. If you'll harvest the flowers for a home business, create long, orderly rows like the professionals do. Expand the distance between rows to 42 inches apart for easy access.

Even small-space gardeners can enjoy the lavish look and scent of these beloved plants. Provence Lavender is a magnificent "Thriller" in large outdoor containers on your patio, deck or balcony.

#ProPlantTips for Care

Plant Provence Lavender in full sun, where it will receive at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. The more sunlight, the more blooms it will produce.

For best performance, plant in poor soil with sharp drainage. Do not amend your soil, and plant in containers or raised beds, if needed to improve drainage. You can also add additional soil in a heap 12 inches tall and plant in that mound.

Pay careful attention to watering only during the first year as it gets established in your landscape. After the first season, it will be tolerant of drought.

Prune in spring after the plant wakes up and you can see where the plant is growing from. Rejuvenate your plant by pruning out a few of the oldest, woodiest stems back to the base. In colder climates, only remove any winter damage.

Order your personal supply of Provence Lavender today. Enjoy using the fragrant flowers and foliage throughout your home. You'll join the rich history of those who have loved it before you.