Elegant Lavender to Bring in the Butterflies!

by TJ
(Alabaster, AL)

One of the most rewarding plants in my garden is the lovely English Lavender. It is not only extremely fragrant and beautiful, but it also attracts many different species of butterflies.

The plant is quite easy to grow in my region in Alabama and has proven to be very hardy in harsh weather as well. The original plants I used were small potted plants in approximately 4 inch pots that I purchased at a local home improvement store. I planted 5 plants in a 4 ft diameter circle around my mailbox, followed with edging to keep the grass and other weeds out.

Once I installed the edging, I filled in the area with a nice potting soil that contained added nutrients. Having the area prepped, each plant was placed about 10 inches apart, which has proven to be too small of a space. I would recommend you actual place them 18 inches apart as they grow large and become quite large bushes.

The area is located in full sun and decent drainage. My plants were planted in February which is considered early spring in this area and they bloomed within 2 months of being planted. As I enjoyed the blooms and amazing fragrant smell of the plant, I also noticed a huge number of butterflies that gathered each day to enjoy the plants as well. It such a joy to have a garden plant to enjoy both the blooms and fragrance as well as the butterflies at the same time!

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