On 5/8/07 13:04, in article
, "Stephen"
wrote:


We have a Lavender plant in a pot in our garden, which is not very
attractive and rather untidy looking. Neither my wife or I are
gardening experts, and therefore do not know what to do to improve its
looks.

It is about 60 to 70cm tall, but the bottom half is basically wood
stem, with dead(ish) looking leaves. From that there are about a dozen
or so tall shoots growing straight up, with greener leaves in groups
of 3 or 4, every 5 to 10 cm. The top 10cm of each shoot currently has
mauve flowers.

Is there a way of promoting growth further down the bush, and what is
the best way to look after this thing?

Cheers and thanks in advance for any help.


I'd start again with another one, frankly, especially as this is in a pot.
It's obviously quite old and hasn't been trimmed back after flowering to
encourage new, bushy growth. They do die out in the middle as they get
older and get woody but the trimming back helps to keep them in good shape
and can be done every 6 weeks or so, lightly, taking off the dead flowers
and then just slightly lower down the stems at the end of the summer for the
final trim. If it's going to be in a pot again, make sure it's well drained
by lifting the pot off the ground and don't over-water it in dry weather.
It's a mediterranean plant that grows on sharply draining soil in its
natural state and in full sun.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'