How to Plant Hidcote
“Hidcote” English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia “Hidcote”) grows best outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9 where it reaches 12 to 24 inches tall and wide. This perennial herb produces flower spikes covered with purple blossoms looming over narrow green leaves, which stays evergreen unless exposed to freezing temperatures. The fragrant leaves and flowers attract butterflies to the garden. Plant starter “Hidcote” plants in the fall or spring so the roots have time to develop before new growth begins.
Remove the weeds from a planting site located in full sun exposure with good drainage. “Hidcote” English lavender develops root rot in areas with standing water. If the soil is heavy and tends to hold moisture, mix in a 1-inch layer of shredded bark mulch with the top 6 inches of soil.
Pour water into the top of the lavender plant pot until it runs out the bottom. Let the plant sit for an hour. Wet roots help keep the soil attached to the root ball.
Dig a hole with a shovel the same depth as the root ball and twice as wide. Tip the plant on its side and gently remove the lavender from its container. Prune off any dead roots with pruning shears. Loosen matted roots with your fingers and gently spread the roots out.
Fill the hole with soil and lightly firm it around the plant. If you are planting multiple lavender plants, space them 12 inches apart, which provides good air circulation around the plants. This keeps the leaves dry and prevents disease development.
Water the soil around the plant until the soil is damp to the depth of 6 inches. Feed the newly planted lavender with water-soluble rose fertilizer mixed at one-quarter strength. This encourages the development of the roots.
Spread a 1-inch layer of non-organic mulch around the base of the plants. Use materials that do not hold moisture like pea gravel or decomposed granite. Mulching reduces the growth of weeds and regulates the soil temperature.
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Lavandula Angustifolia “Hidcote”
- National Gardening Association: Edible of the Month -- Lavender
- Ed Hume Seeds: Flowering Lavenders
- Golden Gate Gardening; Pam Peirce
- The New Sunset Western Garden Book; Kathleen Norris Brenzel, ed.
- “Hidcote” English lavender grows quickly when planted as a starter plant. Sowing seeds takes around two years before the plant reaches mature size.
- This herb produces best when grown in poor soil. Soil too rich or exposure to too much fertilizer increases leafy growth without the flowers. Feed the lavender plants only once a year in the spring and use fertilizer developed for rose bushes.
Karen Carter spent three years as a technology specialist in the public school system and her writing has appeared in the "Willapa Harbor Herald" and the "Rogue College Byline." She has an Associate of Arts from Rogue Community College with a certificate in computer information systems.