Lavender companions

Liz Hanley

Please can anyone let me know what plants I can grow with lavenders to give colour once the lavender starts to die off?

Blue Onion

I have daffs planted amoungst my lavender for early spring color.. and as the leaves die back the lavender soon grows above them to cover the (by then) brown foliage.  The lavender is in a row next to my front path, and behind that row is yellow hardy mums.  So the lavender blooms.. I leave the flowers on as visual interest all summer/winter.. and behind them the mums offer a good visual green texture until late summer in which they burst out in cheery yellow (by which time the lavender flowers are sort of a purple/brown color, and nice to look at but doesn't complete visually with the yellow mums at that late stage).  During the winter the lavender still has a nice structure and shape, and the mums dry out but still look lovely.  Then in the spring everything gets a chop as soon as the daffs stick a finger out of the soil, and it begins all over again.  I cut the mums right back to the soil, but you could probably treat them much the same as the lavender if you want.  

Liz Hanley

Thank you for the help. 

Loxley

Verbena bonariensis would be great!

Other ideas - Allium christophii (for before the lavender flowers) and for during / afterwards - (in front) Geranium 'Rozanne', Aster 'Monch', Astrantia 'Hadspen blood', (behind): Agastache foeniculum, Veronicastrum virginicum, Caryopteris clandonensis. Ornamental grasses! Stipa tenuissima etc. Trim the lavender into balls/mounds after flowering to create a formal contrast with these 'fluffy' perennials.