For centuries, lavender has been used for domestic purposes in soaps, teas, herbal remedies, bath water and even in cooking.

But nowhere is it more at home than in the garden, to be admired as a low-growing hedge, or fringing a herb garden or simply standing alone in pots in a contemporary setting. Lavender hedges used to serve as a form of clothes line, as newly-washed items were placed over the bushes to dry, becoming impregnated with the scent of lavender oil in the process.

And while the trademark colour of lavender is blue, it actually comes in many different hues, from deep purple to white, creating a mood of subtle sophistication while adding architecture and intense fragrance to a garden.

A native of the Mediterranean, the wonderful thing about lavender is that it will cope with exposed, sunny open positions and the healthiest plants are often those found growing in the most inhospitable position.

It’s happy in not particularly fertile soil and will withstand a lot of neglect.

Lavender makes a cheaper and some would say prettier alternative to box hedging in a sunny spot in well-drained soil. Don’t allow it to sit in water in the shade for any length of time or it will sulk.

It looks great as a low-growing hedge fringing front garden paths or steps, as visitors brushing against its aromatic foliage help to release its fragrance.

It will even do well in a window box, attracting honeybees seeking out the nectar and pollen.

In garden centres you’re likely to come across L. angustifolia, otherwise known as common or English lavender, which grows to around 90cm (3ft), bearing mauve flower spikes.

Other common varieties include ‘Hidcote’, which has dark purple flowers and narrow green leaves, and ‘Munstead’, a paler blue type which is great for planting en masse to produce low screening.

There are many other taller versions which produce stunning displays and are a magnet for beneficial insects. The silvery foliage also provides much-needed winter colour.

If you have raised areas, as I do, it may be worth opting for a smaller variety such as Lavandula ‘Little Lady’ (height and spread 30cm), which produces masses of sky blue flowers all summer.

Other varieties are more tender, such as L pinnata, also known as fern leaf lavender, which produces strong blue flowers with a hint of purple and can be treated as a bedding plant, planted in the border in late spring, which it quickly fills out to form a small foliage plant. It flowers from early summer until autumn and can be discarded once the frost kills it.

Of course, no lavender aficionado could be without French lavender, L. stoechas, with its light purple bracts on the tips of the flower spikes, which comes into its own slightly earlier than common lavender and looks brilliant in terracotta pots.

This type, however, will need shelter in a cold winter, either under a porch or in a cool, light room. As well as needing sunshine, lavender needs good drainage and alkaline soil, so add some lime if your soil is acid, to raise the pH. Mulching around the the root system will help maintain moisture levels in the soil.

To keep lavender looking good it needs pruning immediately after flowering or in early or mid-spring. Use garden shears to trim back the old flowered shoots but do not cut into old wood as it will not produce new shoots.

If you don’t prune every year, the plant will become woody and unsightly and you’ll need to replace it sooner rather than later.