Lavender Munstead

Description

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Munstead’ – English lavender

Botanical name: Lavandula angustifolia ‘Munstead’
Common names: English lavender
Family: Lamiaceae (mint family)
Plant type: Evergreen aromatic sub-shrub
Habit: Compact to bushy, mound-forming
Pot size: 9cm pot
Eventual size: Approx. 45cm tall × 60cm spread
Foliage: Narrow, aromatic silver-grey to grey-green leaves; evergreen
Flowers: Compact spikes of lavender-blue flowers in summer, richly fragrant, often opening early (June–August)
Scent: Strongly aromatic foliage and flowers
Aspect / light: Full sun
Soil: Sharply drained; poor to average; tolerates lime; dislikes wet; any pH
Hardiness: RHS H5 (hardy, to about −15°C); one of the hardiest lavenders; USDA zones 5–9
Exposure: Open, hot, dry, sunny
Native range: Garden form; the genus is native to the Mediterranean
Toxicity / pet & child safety: Generally considered non-toxic to people and pets

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Munstead’ is a compact, early-flowering English lavender with lavender-blue flowers and silver-grey aromatic foliage. Hardy and reliable, it is superb for edging, low hedges and pots.

GardenAdvice notes

A classic evergreen aromatic sub-shrub, lavender is loved for its fragrant silver foliage and its fragrant summer flower spikes, which hum with bees. English lavender is prized for its scent, its drought tolerance and its beautiful silvery presence, and is a mainstay of sunny borders, edging, low hedging and Mediterranean-style plantings.

Growing & planting

Plant in spring in sharply drained, poor to average soil in full sun — lavender demands sun and good drainage, and dislikes rich, wet, heavy ground, which shortens its life. It tolerates lime and drought. Ideal for edging, low hedges, gravel and sunny borders. Improve heavy soil with grit. Space appropriately for its size.

Care & maintenance

The key task is annual pruning: after flowering (or in early spring), trim the plant back into a neat mound, cutting back the flower stems and about 2–3cm of the current year’s leafy growth — but never cut back into the old, bare, woody stems, as lavender will not reshoot from bare wood. This yearly trim is what keeps plants compact, bushy and long-lived rather than woody and sprawling. It is drought-tolerant once established.

Propagation

• Cuttings: Take semi-ripe cuttings in summer, which root readily.

Pests & diseases

Generally trouble-free in a sunny, well-drained spot. Its main enemy is wet, heavy soil, which causes rot and short life. Rosemary beetle and froghoppers (‘cuckoo spit’) may occasionally appear. Old, unpruned plants go woody and bare at the base.

Uses in the garden

Superb for edging paths and borders, low fragrant hedging, gravel and Mediterranean-style gardens, sunny borders and containers, and for cutting and drying; wonderful lining a path where you brush past the scent.

Wildlife value

Lavender is one of the very best plants for pollinators: the fragrant flower spikes are hugely attractive to bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects throughout summer.

Toxicity & safety

Lavender is generally regarded as non-toxic to people and pets.

GardenAdvice tip

‘Munstead’ is a compact, reliable English lavender that tends to flower a little earlier than ‘Hidcote’, with a slightly softer lavender-blue. It’s one of the hardiest and most dependable lavenders for edging and low hedging — give it full sun and sharp drainage, and the essential yearly trim after flowering, never cutting back into the bare woody base.

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