Daft questions about lavender

[MrsL123]

Sorry, I'm a gardening dunce

Can anyone tell me if the foliage of lavender is evergreen? I know it doesn't flower year-round but a lot of websites list it in their evergreen section, so does the foliage stay looking good over winter? We have a 6m border next to a picket fence (currently bare earth) that we're trying to fill with something that will look pretty year round and has a nice fragrence - I think lavender looks lovely in big areas and it's cheap! We're in Scotland if that makes a difference (although south coast, so it doesn't get as cold as futher north).

Another question - will it grow OK in raised beds or troughs? Our soil quality is pretty poor (heavy clay) and I want to avoid having to dig it all out if I can. The raised beds I've been looking at (like these) are 70cm wide and 45cm high. They'd just be placed on the soil so the roots could go down further than this if needed, but they'd be hitting the clay if they did. I've also been looking at wooden planters like this, but they're only 40cm high, so not sure this would be deep enough.

Thanks

im also in scotland with rubbish clay soil and have a bit of lavender which does keep its colour through the winter, although its more a silver green so not really colourful IYKWIM? also hasnt grown much in the 3 years its been there but it might depend on what type of lavender you buy? mine is like this one

Lavender likes Mediterranean conditions - very well drained, hot and sunny. So you would need to plant in a suitable medium in your troughs - I am not an expert in this but maybe suggest mix in some grit and sharp sand with your compost?

I grow lots of lavender here - we are in Kent on chalk so it does well. Its not evergreen per se - it goes a kind of silvery colour in the winter, its green now and then will flower June-July time. This place is near us - the website has lots of info on, maybe worth a look?