Lavender is a fragrant flowering plant, popular thanks to its distinctive scent and beautiful blooms. It belongs to the mint family, Lamiaceae, and is native mainly to the Mediterranean.

Its flowers are usually purple, although some varieties produce pink, white or even bluish blooms. In the UK, lavender typically flowers during the summer months, usually from June to August, and can live for several years when grown in the right conditions.

The plant is also highly attractive to pollinators, particularly bees and butterflies.

For those who grow the plant in the UK, lavender thrives in sunny, dry and well-drained conditions. One of the most common mistakes when growing it is overwatering or planting it in heavy soil that doesn't drain well.

Lavender also generally doesn't need fertilising, as a lighter touch works best with this herb. Over-nourishing can actually encourage leafy growth at the expense of blooms.

When lavender soil gets too much nitrogen, it hampers flowering and instead puts energy into producing abundant soft green stems that lack visual appeal, reports the Express.

Close-up Of Purple Lavender [Close-up Of Purple Lavender]
Lavender typically flowers in the summer months

Annette Thurmon, a homesteader and founder of Azure Farm Life, has revealed that the best method for gardeners wanting to encourage lavender blooms is to apply sand or gravel mulch.

She explained, "If your soil is too fertile, you may have fewer blooms. You can either move your plants or add sand or gravel to aerate and reduce nutrient density."

In its natural environment, lavender flourishes in rocky, dry spots, so adding gravel or sand mulch mimics these conditions and can help the plant thrive.

What is mulching?

Mulching involves covering the soil around plants with a protective layer of material. This mulch can be made from a range of materials, including wood chips, bark, compost, straw, grass clippings and gravel, and is typically spread across the surface of the soil rather than mixed into it.

Mulching can help:

  • Keep moisture in the soil by reducing evaporation
  • Suppress weeds by blocking light from reaching them
  • Protect plant roots from temperature changes
  • Improve soil quality when organic mulch breaks down
  • Reduce soil erosion and prevent soil from drying out too quickly

However, sand or gravel mulch works best and reflects sunlight back onto the plant, keeping the soil warm and encouraging it to focus more energy on producing flowers rather than developing leafy stems.

It's remarkably easy to accidentally give lavender too much water one of the most common mistakes when cultivating this plant but gravel or sand mulch improves drainage in the soil.

Lavender plants left sitting in waterlogged conditions for lengthy periods risk their root systems becoming saturated, weakened, or even diseased.

How to buy and apply sand or gravel mulch

When shopping for this kind of mulch, look for builder's sand or pea gravel, as both offer excellent drainage and airflow.

Try to avoid finer varieties of sand, as these tend to clump together, making it harder for water to reach the roots effectively.

When applying, spread the gravel or sand mulch around the base of the lavender, leaving a gap around the stem to prevent moisture building up in that area.

Annette said: "Apply a thin layer of mulch around the base of the lavender plants to help retain moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature."

Make sure water drains freely through the soil without pooling, and the ground around your lavender should be in great shape for the remainder of the flowering season.