Lavender Advice

[peanut]

I would like to plant up a sunny strip 3mx2m ish, which runs along the side of my house with densely planted lavender bushes or something similar to deter dogs from being allowed to poo on it.
Can anyone advise the best variety for hardiness and flowers?
How fast does it grow?
Am I better off buying smaller plants or largest I can? (I am on a budget so need to be thrifty)

Any suggestions and help would be great thanks

[quanglewangle]

Lovely idea. Hidcote is a workable variety but you will need a quite few. Three to a metre is minimum for dense coverage which is 50-some for your plot and double that wouldn't be over-doing it..

We've done something like this a couple of times in previous houses. You will need to keep the dogs off until the plants are established because the disturbance will compromise the immature plants. This is from experience - our Jack Russel considered the lavender patch a doggy maze/assault course.

You also need to consider how to access to prune: essential for a tight dense patch, and to weed. With a patch the size you indicate you will need two step ladders and a scaffold board to span the patch. (Unless you have one metre plus arms)

At our previous house we were "dressing" it for sale so considered the cost of potted plants an investment. No experience of bare root ones

Will look stunning once it's mature.

[peanut]

Lovely idea. Hidcote is a workable variety but you will need a quite few. Three to a metre is minimum for dense coverage which is 50-some for your plot and double that wouldn't be over-doing it..

We've done something like this a couple of times in previous houses. You will need to keep the dogs off until the plants are established because the disturbance will compromise the immature plants. This is from experience - our Jack Russel considered the lavender patch a doggy maze/assault course.

You also need to consider how to access to prune: essential for a tight dense patch, and to weed. With a patch the size you indicate you will need two step ladders and a scaffold board to span the patch. (Unless you have one metre plus arms)

At our previous house we were "dressing" it for sale so considered the cost of potted plants an investment. No experience of bare root ones

Will look stunning once it's mature.

Thank you for sharing your experiences and suggestions, very helpful indeed. Keeping dogs off whilst it grows will be the trickiest bit as it runs along the pavement on one side, so not sure how I'll be able to stop those pesky mutts.
Hidcote was the one I thought would be best for hardiness, though I would love a mix of colours, but that would cost even more!
I wondered about getting plug plants but I'm unsure how fast it grows.
I could also approach a nursery or market stall and see if I can get a discount for bulk buying.

[Plot70]

You need something with spines.
For evergreen scrounge some clippings from a firethorn bush and grow the cuttings on to a foot or so they will look after themselves and have white flowers in spring and orange berries in winter.
If you do not need evergreen red gooseberries also make a good barrier and have edible fruit. They will also look after themselves and can be propagated more easily.

[Babru]

If you decide to stick with lavender, here's a 30 plant offer https://www.secretgardeningclub.co.u...849603f6&_ss=r

I've had good and cheap plants from this lot a few times. Most of them are overstocks sourced from nurseries all over. However the actual firm behind the Secret Gardening Club is Yorkshire Lavender, so I'd think their plants will be decent. I've been there once and it was lovely.

Perhaps they'd do you a deal on a bigger order of smaller plants, can't hurt to ask.

Looking around the website, they have a better deal on 30 plants https://hidcotelavender.co.uk/produc...39763585794256
I'd still ask about a deal on plug plants though.

[peanut]

If you decide to stick with lavender, here's a 30 plant offer https://www.secretgardeningclub.co.u...849603f6&_ss=r

I've had good and cheap plants from this lot a few times. Most of them are overstocks sourced from nurseries all over. However the actual firm behind the Secret Gardening Club is Yorkshire Lavender, so I'd think their plants will be decent. I've been there once and it was lovely.

Perhaps they'd do you a deal on a bigger order of smaller plants, can't hurt to ask.

Looking around the website, they have a better deal on 30 plants https://hidcotelavender.co.uk/produc...39763585794256
I'd still ask about a deal on plug plants though.

Thank you Babru, what a great site!

[greenishfing]

I used to have a lavender bed and the smell was wonderful but it didn't seem to deter animals including our own dog. The only plants that seemed to do that on my allotment were blackberries, gooseberries and roses which are probably not a good idea to plant next to a pavement and are hard to weed.
I bought a relative some raspberry canes years ago and she said that they were they only plants her very large and bouncy dog stayed away from.

[Jungle Jane]

Lavender grows/spreads very slowly,plug plants are very small,they’d take years to become small plants. Maybe plant annuals between them until they’ve grown more… That links expensive for full size plants. They’re very easy to grow from seed,in the second year they’re a couple of inch wide,trim the seedling to help it bush out,they don’t mind hardly ever watering. Have some spare plants in another area incase of any replacement needs (plant health deteriorating,dig out & replace with one that will be the exact same size as the others).

[bramble]

Just to add to all the advice.
Lavender grows very easily from cuttings as well.
Once established you can increase your stock by growing your own replacements.
I take some cuttings from my lavender hedge every year and most of them grow.
Lavender is great for encouraging bees into your garden as well.

[quanglewangle]

I endorse everything that Jungle Jane says.

But...

Reluctantly, I don't think lavender is going to do it for you, since you say your main concern is keeping dogs off.

As I said above we have some experience of this in a couple of different situations. First one worked, and second one didn't.

1. Completely filled the front garden of an Edwardian town house, which was protected from the road by a coping wall and a privet hedge. Costly due to very dense planting of quite mature plants. High maintenance: needed ingenious and acrobatic solutions to clip, weed and even to clean the bay windows. Frequent removal of fast-food clam-shell packages and other items, which I can't mention on a moderated forum.
   Successful, looked fabulous after a year - very architectural. Contributed to sale of the house.
2. Planted a 1m by 8m 'hedge' to separate a path from some grass owned by the dog. 'twas only a 'back' garden so planted smaller plants at lower density.
   
   Dog thought it was a new entertainment.
   "Did you throw the ball in among those plants? No? Never mind I will run about in them like a mad thing anyway".
   
   Constantly having to reset and replace plants.
   Unsuccessful. Gappy, scrappy and uneven.

Conclusion: lavender is a grown-up architectural plant, which needs dense planting in a protected formal setting.

[peanut]

Thank you all.
Hmmm.
The piece of ground I want to plant up is a strip of land 2x3m which abuts the pavement on one side and a gravel driveway on the other.
When I say keep the dogs off, I mean people walking past with their dogs on leads (I am hoping that if this area is planted and pretty most of the people will think twice about letting their dogs poo on it), not mine running riot on it.

I am very open to other suggestions, I want something low maintenance, pretty for as long as possible and bee friendly.
New suggestions welcome!

[Nicos]

Can you not just put up a simple , low, step over wicket type fence? Made from pallets?

You could scatter a few bee friendly flower seeds on either side of the base….or simply rake over the whole area and sow cottage garden wildflower seeds behind the fence.

Maybe make a few freestanding insect houses too to give more of a feel of a wildlife survival patch!

Where we used to live there was a small area at the top of our road which had small shrubs and litter was forever getting blown into it.

Just trying to help with a simpler long term option

[peanut]

Can you not just put up a simple , low, step over wicket type fence? Made from pallets?

You could scatter a few bee friendly flower seeds on either side of the base….or simply rake over the whole area and sow cottage garden wildflower seeds behind the fence.

Maybe make a few freestanding insect houses too to give more of a feel of a wildlife survival patch!

Where we used to live there was a small area at the top of our road which had small shrubs and litter was forever getting blown into it.

Just trying to help with a simpler long term option

I love that idea, but I think I'd risk the wrath of the neighbours. You know what it can be like in a sleepy English village, unless the wildflowers appeared overnight in full bloom looking spectacular someone will start to complain about it looking messy, not being in keeping or a low fence being a potential trip hazard. I can just hear them all now!

I need to come up with something though...

[Nicos]

^^^^ they need educating!

[Snoop Puss]

A patch of cardoons, artichokes or other thistle that appeals to bees. A bit prickly for dogs, interesting foliage, lovely flowers, just the kind of thing a cottage garden would contain. Would catch rubbish, though, if such a thing exists in your village.