Our plant nursery ay Yorkshire Lavender grows a multitude of different plants alongisde the lavender. Some of these plants are firm favourites, over 30 varieties of mint, rosemary & thyme etc. However we also stock a large selection of unusual plants, many of which you will find hard to find elsewhere.

One such plant is Southernwood. Also known as lads love, this plant is a semi-evergreen hardy perennial which grows to around 1m (40in). With a rather unique scent the plant rarely will flower and instead sets seeds. Along with using seeds to propagate, you can also take softwood cuttings from the new growth in the Spring. Southernwood enjoys a light soil with some well-rotted organic material mixed in and placed in a sunny position.

It can be used in a number of ways including in the kitchen with salads (although use sparingly due to its strong flavour!). It is also used in France as a moth repellent. We have yet to try that one out as Lavender does a great job also!

It is one of the Yorkshire Lavender owners favourite plants, due to fact that he has been unable to kill it!

We will be bringing you more of some of our more unusual plants in the coming days.

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It has been awhile since we last did a blog post. We have been very busy throughout the season so far with a number of events taking place at Yorkshire Lavender, but more to come about them soon. At the moment we are currently cutting the lavender for drying. The variety that we use is "Grosso". This is the lavender that is used extensively in Provence, France. "Grosso" is great for drying because it has long stems along with a long spike (the flower head).

We cut the lavender in the morning. This is when the oil is moving up through the stems upto the spikes thus capturing the fragrance. When you are cutting the lavender, you want to cut down to about half an inch above the hard wood, leaving some green growth. This should then encourage new growth from the bottom and stop the lavender plant from going woody.

The weather has been kind to us so far and we have cut hundreds of bunches, all of which have been hung upside down on string lines in some stables.  A pantry or garage at home will do just the job. Drying lavender upside down helps it keep its shape and keeping it in a dark area helps to retain the colour.

Hopefully we will get a few more good days and get the rest cut. Below you can see Jamie & Matthew cutting the lavender into the bunches.

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1. Plant Lavender in Full Sun or where it will get sunlight for most of the day - remember lavender originates from the Mediterranean.
2. Lavender likes free-draining soil, so add some grit sand to the hole where you will be planting your lavender.
3. Water for the first two weeks until the lavender plant is established. After that you can forget about it.
4. Lavender likes neutral to alkaline soil so if you have acidic soil you can add some lime to help raise the pH.
5. Looking to plant a lavender hedge? Space the lavender around One ft Six inches to Two foot apart.
6. Lavender is one of those plants which requires very little attention so will not need manure etc.
7. Not got a lot of space in the garden? Lavender can be grown well in pots. The smaller lavenders such as Hidcote & Imperial Gem will do very well.
8. Tender / Half Hardy varieties will also benefit from being planted in a pot. Bring them in over the winter.
9. For the traditional, Angustifolia Lavender, cut back in late August, early September to around half an inch about the hard wood.
10. Remember not to over-water! Lavender is a drought-loving plant.

There are a lot of garden bloggers out there in the blogosphere. It sometimes hard to seek out the good ones. So we thought we would list some of the blogs that we like to read. Hopefully you will agree.

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             The 'Stream Garden' Extension                                                    The'Bog Garden'

Looking for a present for Mothers day? The RHS are selling these amazing prints.....

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We think they look stunning, you can find more info over at the RHS website.