Lavender

This lavender has a strong summer show of richly scented, bluish-purple flowers. They are ideal for sunny, quick-draining Mediterranean-type gardens, or for fringing long borders flanking a path so that visitors can brush their hands along the flowerheads. Since the plants aren't totally hardy, they need a sheltered, sunny position, and in areas with winter frosts, they need to be grown at the foot of a south-facing wall. If in doubt, dig up and keep over winter in a large pot in a frost-free greenhouse. Give a light all-over trim in early spring to promote lots of new growth.