Replacing Lavender

Replacing an Old Lavender Hedge: A Step-by-Step Guide

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Lavender hedges bring beauty, fragrance, and structure to a garden, but over time, they can become woody and lose their vitality. Replacing an old lavender hedge involves careful planning to ensure the new plants thrive. This guide outlines the key steps, from soil preparation to fertilisation and maintenance.

Step 1: Removing the Old Lavender

Begin by carefully digging out the old lavender plants, ensuring you remove as much of the root system as possible. If the plants are particularly large, cutting them back first can make the process easier. Once removed, consider chipping or shredding the plants to create a natural mulch.

Step 2: Preparing the Soil and Fertilising Before Planting

Before planting new lavender, it’s essential to enrich the soil:

• Spread GrowMore Fertiliser at a rate of one handful per square metre to improve soil fertility.
• It also worth adding a dressing of garden lime to the soil especially if you have a slightly acidic soil
• Adding some organic matter such as garden compost or chicken manure in a pelleted for will also help – If you have a dog they love to eat chicken manure pellets so its best to fork in after you have applied the chicken manure pellets

Step 3: Choosing the Right Fertiliser for Long-Term Growth

Lavender thrives with a balanced feeding schedule. To provide essential nutrients, alternate between the following fertilisers:

• Liquid Seaweed Fertiliser – we often find our clients using seaweed fertiliser. It’s a great general feed, but it lacks some key elements. So it best to alternate the types of feed you apply
• GrowMore Fertiliser – Provides essential nutrients for early establishment.
• Liquid Tomato Food – Apply twice in March for its high potash content, which encourages flowering.
• Miracle-Gro (24% nitrogen) – Switch to this towards the end of March to promote strong growth. Ensure it is the powdered, blue liquid feed version with a nitrogen content between 20–24%.

Step 4: Encouraging Growth in Existing Lavender

If you have other lavender plants in your garden, feeding them with Miracle-Gro will stimulate new growth from the base. This approach helps rejuvenate older plants, making them more vibrant and productive. Once new growth appears in July, prune out any dead wood to maintain plant health.

Step 5: Installing an Efficient Watering System

Lavender thrives in well-drained soil but still requires consistent watering. Installing leaky hoses ensures a slow and even water supply:

• Lay the leaky hoses along the lavender bed, ensuring they remain in place by pegging them to the ground.
• When you wish to water the lavender, connect them to an existing hosepipe and let them run for a couple of hours as needed.
• For purchasing leaky hoses, check this link: Leaky Pipe Hoses

Step 6: Making Use of Old Lavender as Mulch

Rather than discarding old lavender plants, consider using them as mulch:

• Chipping or shredding the plants creates a mulch with the correct pH for lavender.
• The mulch can be applied immediately around the new and existing lavender plants or composted for a few months before use.
• If you need a chipper, The GardenAdvice Team recommends as couple of eclectic chippers Click Here 

Step 7: Using Landscape Sheeting for Moisture Retention

To improve moisture retention and reduce weed growth, consider installing landscape sheeting:

• Place the sheeting over the soil before planting new lavender. You can cut crosses in the sheeting to plant the lavender through the sheeting.
• Lay the leaky hose underneath to ensure efficient watering.
• Cover the sheeting with mulch, bark, wood chips or gravel for an aesthetic and practical finish.
• If you need landscape fabric, you can find it here: Heavy Duty Landscape Fabric

Step 8: Lavender Species and Their Growing Conditions

When selecting lavender for your hedge, consider the species and their specific growing requirements:

Common Lavender Species & Varieties:

1. Lavandula angustifolia (English Lavender)
   • Varieties: ‘Hidcote’, ‘Munstead’, ‘Vera’
   • Soil: Well-drained, alkaline to neutral soil (pH 6.5-7.5)
   • Conditions: Full sun, drought-tolerant once established
2. Lavandula x intermedia (Lavandin)
   • Varieties: ‘Grosso’, ‘Provence’, ‘Phenomenal’
   • Soil: Well-drained, sandy or loamy soil
   • Conditions: Full sun, more tolerant of humid conditions
3. Lavandula stoechas (French Lavender)
   • Varieties: ‘Papillon’, ‘Anouk’, ‘Regal Splendour’
   • Soil: Well-drained, slightly acidic to neutral soil (pH 6.0-7.0)
   • Conditions: Warmer climates, requires winter protection in colder regions
4. Lavandula dentata (Fringed Lavender)
   • Varieties: ‘Royal Crown’, ‘Grey Lady’
   • Soil: Light, well-drained, sandy soil
   • Conditions: Prefers warm, mild climates, not frost-hardy
5. Lavandula latifolia (Spike Lavender)
   • Varieties: ‘Blue Spear’, ‘Giant White’
   • Soil: Well-drained, alkaline soil
   • Conditions: Hotter, drier climates, more resistant to heat than English lavender

Gardening tips with lavender 

By following these steps, you can successfully replace an old lavender hedge with healthy, thriving plants. Proper soil preparation, balanced fertilisation when planted followed by high nitrate feeds in the spring and summer, and an efficient watering system will ensure your new lavender hedge remains strong and beautiful for years to come.