Lavender

Looking after it

Water: Once settled, lavender copes well with dry spells. Water new plants regularly in their first summer. After that, plants in the ground rarely need water. A pot dries out fast and needs regular watering in summer. Feeding: It needs very little. Lavender likes soil low in nutrients, so don't feed it. Fertiliser gives soft, floppy growth.

Cutting and after flowering

For drying, cut stems on a dry morning when the first flowers on the spike open. In late summer, after flowering, cut off the old flower stalks with about 2.5 cm of leafy growth. Never cut into bare wood. Hang small bunches upside down in a dark, airy place until they're dry. In a closed jar, the dried flowers keep their scent for months.

What can go wrong

• Root rot. In wet, heavy soil the plants turn grey and die back, often in winter. Plant on a mound or in a raised bed and add grit to pots. Never leave a pot standing in water.
• Straggly, woody plant. The stems go bare and woody, with flowers only at the tips. Trim every year after flowering. An old plant that has gone bare won't grow back from old wood, so it's best to replace it.
• Rosemary beetle. From late summer to spring, small beetles with metallic green and purple stripes eat the leaves and flowers. Their grey grubs do too. Pick them off by hand or shake the plant over a sheet of paper.