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Lavender or Nepeta?!

samwiltshire1136145samwiltshire1136145 Posts: 14
in Plants
As the title suggests really.. trying to choose between the two! Soil wise we are on sand so I feel both would be happy. Two borders, one is east facing the other west. My only concern is the east facing only has some sun in the morning so not sure it would be enough for lavender however I do have other full sun loving plants that are growing great there. Thoughts and opinions welcome 🤗 

Posts

  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    I grow Nepeta in both locations and it’s fine. Lavender would struggle without full sun and would not fare well over winter.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited 3 March
    I agree Nepeta has a much longer life span. N Neptune was short listed for the plant of the year by the RHS I have just bought it for a raised bed. I have never grown it before, where I used to live I was concerned it might attract the local cats. The only other downside, it will disappear over winter.
    Lavender does best where it can get as much sun and heat as possible. You will have a shape to look at in a wet winter but a very bedraggled one! Lavender is short lived, say four years before it is woody. Where as Nepeta can be split to make more plants.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • Simone_in_WiltshireSimone_in_Wiltshire Posts: 1,073
    Looking at your posting name, you seem to be in Wiltshire @samwiltshire1136145. I decided on Friday to take out the French lavender and to replace it with Nepeta too. We had so much water this winter and my garden gets no sunshine in winter, the lavender looks like dead. What survives better is the Hidcote lavender but our Oxford clay isn’t ideal either and the flowers are far too high and fall over. After many years trying lavender, I finally give up. 

    I ♥ my garden.

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