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Replacement for lavender

jdp1810jdp1810 Posts: 23
in Plants
We have a border of lavender (approx 16 plants) in our garden which has gone woody with, what looks like, a lot of dead sections. We would like to take this border out but do not know what to replace it with. We would preferably like something that will still attract the bees.

Posts

  • K67K67 Posts: 2,507
    edited August 2020
    Is there a reason why you don't want to replant with lavender or do you just want a change?
    Lavender is hard to beat in terms of bee attraction, scent and being evergreen. 
    Have a look at Norfolk lavender and Downderry nursery
    The secret to stop it being woody is pruning after flowering and then trimming again in spring to keep plants bushy.
    You can cut into old wood sometimes if you can already see some leaves growing near the base.
  • roisin897roisin897 Posts: 32
    I second K67. Lavender is pretty low maintenance, if you have other areas of your garden you want to spend your time on. If you have some healthy plants, you could take some cuttings to pot up to create new ones for free to fill your gaps. Or buy some cheap plug plants to grow on. Or buy some 1 year old plants in the spring. (Some of my lavender plants died this winter: I have no idea why - most of the rest of the garden did really well this year.)

    But there are other options, if you have fallen out of love with the lavender. Do you have any height to play with, or does it need to be low like lavender?
    Age doesn't make you forgetful. Having way too many stupid things to remember makes you forgetful.
  • jdp1810jdp1810 Posts: 23
    It does need to be low level. If it helps we live on the south coast  of Cornwall.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 9,958
    nepeta walkers low - looks similar to lavender and will still bring in the bees
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,507
    edited August 2020
    Is this nepeta evergreen @Pete.8? 
  • TheGreenManTheGreenMan Posts: 1,627
    My nepetas die back in late autumn. I've not seen any evergreen varieties. 

    Maybe if the autumn and winter is mild enough they may not die back? 
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 9,958
    It's not an evergreen, but I do like the look of it.
    Some info here - 
    https://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/nepeta-racemosa-walkers-low/classid.3261/

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • TheGreenManTheGreenMan Posts: 1,627
    I have Purrsian Blue and it's lovely. The bees LOVE it. I'd say they visit it more then the lavender
  • strelitzia32strelitzia32 Posts: 767
    Bluebeard / caryopteris. Bees love it, looks beautiful, it flowers slightly later than lavender (mine is in full flower now whilst my lavender is finishing), the scent is reminiscent of lavender and very strong, plus you can cut it back hard into old wood and it will fully regrow the following summer. 
  • Kat1989Kat1989 Posts: 51
    I would suggest Nepeta and salvias if you are wanting something similar in shape. 
    Bees also love thyme, you can get low growing varieties for mid spring. They all like the same conditions usually well drained (check on variety of salvia) the thyme would give interest in spring and the nepeta or salvias would carry on till late autumn. 
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