Do you want the real smell of lavender? Then you need to look for English lavender varieties such as ‘Foveaux Storm’ which have the real oil within their leaves and flowers. English lavenders are steeped in history and some of the varieties have been grown for centuries. ‘Foveaux Storm’ is an enchanting newcomer, with all the attributes of the old varieties plus an especially good, dark flower colour.

A few sprigs of lavender in a little vase makes a delightful addition to the dining or bedside table. You can dry the flowers easily too - pick them when they are in peak condition, tie the stems together and hang them upside down in an airy, warm spot in the kitchen.

In the garden there are numerous fun ways of using this low growing lavender. A group edging a path never fails to please. In beach gardens ‘Foveaux Storm’ will mingle enchantingly with blue and grey foliage succulents and with colourful Arctotis varieties such as ‘Hannah’ and ‘Hayley’. Away from the sea, ‘Foveaux Storm’ looks stunning in all sorts of situations - try it as a foreground to dwarf, blue flowered shrubs such as the beautiful, summer flowering Ceratostigma ‘Forest Blue’ or the amazingly prolific Salvia ‘Marcus’. a new, dwarf, very compact Salvia which flowers without pause all summer and into autumn. The deep colours of ‘Foveaux Storm’ also make it a great plant to combine with white flowers - the slender stems of Gaura ‘So White’ for instance or Alstroemeria ‘Inca Ice’, or with ground covering Bacopa ‘Blizzard’.

Lavender ‘Foveaux Storm’ will even make weeding the garden fun - the gorgeous fragrance released every time you brush against the foliage turns garden maintenance into a happy experience. Remember to cut off the flowers when they fade as this keeps the bushes compact and handsome.