English Lavender raised bed/trough advice

Hi all,

I'm looking for some opinions on what to do with some English Lavender I bought last year. As you can see in the photos I've got them in some low troughs at the moment. I had thought to make a new border in the grass along the edge of this low wall or in the gravel itself but my partner is not keen on either. But I have been sanctioned to put them in a raised bed or a more substantial trough along the gravel edge to form a low informal border/hedge. My thinking was to have 2 wooden beds/troughs one with lavender only and then another maybe with alpines to line this gravel track. It's south facing so think the aspect is fine. I guess I was wondering if this would look ok, I think better than it does now anyway! I also have a few technical questions, a raised bed is usually open on the bottom? Therefore to not get compost on the gravel/paving it would make more sense to have a wooded trough with a base? In which case I might buy rather than make this as I imagine the cost difference might not be so great. I read that lavender has shallow roots, therefore would a trough about 40cm high be ok? And I have 6 lavenders so was thinking a trough about 1.8(L)x0.3(W)m long this would give a 30cm spacing except at each end would be 15cm. Does that all sound sensible?

Thanks for the help!

 

Three Lavenders would soon fill the current trough, so plant a further apart in the final home, so 30 cm seems ok. I have three in a row of about 120cm total and they filled the space after two years. I think they will manage in 40cm height, but they will grow to a size depending on soil available. The main thing with Lavender is to give it a free draining, gravelly soil as they hate wet feet. The south-facing aspect will suit them. If the trough has a base, then you have options for moving it I suppose. I hope the plants thrive - they should look great.

 

Great thanks for your experience. I'm looking at a trough 2(L)x0.42(W)x0.38m(H) so in the same ballpark. In a way a trough is a good idea for lavender because of the fast drainage required so will bear that in mind when picking soil mix.

 

Yes a gritty draining soil will be ideal @Mattyp - think Mediterranean conditions (saying that I live in wet Wales but I think it’s the south-facing that really helps).

 

I've ordered my trough and now thinking about compost. Can't for the life of me remember what I used when I put them in the little troughs, looks like multip if you can tell. But looks like John innes 2 or 3 is recommended mixed 50% with grit/sand etc. Any thoughts on JI 2 Vs 3. They're small plants at the moment and don't like too many nutrients which might point to 2 and it has lower nutrient content but then 3 is recommended for established plants or those set to be in a container for a long time.. Also seems to be conflicting info on whether to fertilize or not. I often tend to throw some of the slow release stuff in as I feel like I'm helping. Luckily for me, gardening isn't an exact science or maybe it is and that's where I'm going wrong