Lavender and thyme basket

The beautiful herbs in this hanging basket will delight the eye all summer and are a treat both for the taste buds and nose.
Time to plant: mid-late spring

Choose a dwarf lavender such as the compactgrowing 'Bella Series’, which is available in a range of colours including white, pink and mauve-blue. Use several different varieties of thyme for a good mix of colour and flavour. Lavender and thyme are both drought-tolerant, however, you will need to water the basket regularly, so add water-retaining crystals to the compost when planting and mix in slow-release fertiliser to keep them nourished. Remove faded blooms to encourage more flowers.
Position the basket in a sheltered spot, preferably where you can take a reviving sniff every time you pass by. At the end of the summer, plant out the thymes and lavender into a sunny, weII-drained spot where they can give you years of pleasutes

TIP The chopped leaves and tlowers of lavender can be added to biscuit mixtures to give them a distinctive taste and aroma, while thymes are excellent for bringing flavour to both meat and fish dishes, or in stuffing mixes.