Anyone with Lavender Experience

Hmmm.... I was tossing around the idea of keeping this in pots on the deck over the summer.... start them last after all my other seedlings? Then maybe transplant outdoors in the fall? Give them a whole season to harden off?

vfem said:

Hmmm.... I was tossing around the idea of keeping this in pots on the deck over the summer.... start them last after all my other seedlings? Then maybe transplant outdoors in the fall? Give them a whole season to harden off?

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You'd probably be better off planting them in a nursery bed in early summer, once the plants are old enough to transplant. Leave sufficient space between 'em and keep weeds away (I'd only do it in reasonably weedfree soil, b/c I wouldn't recommend heavy mulching with a drought-lover like lavender) They won't get rootbound that way and are likely to give you better-grown and healthier specimens to move next spring than if you left 'em in pots, getting rootbound and erratically watered (no offense meant, it's just almost inevitable when things are in pots for a long time).

YMMV of course,

Pat

Loved reading this posting inquiring about growing lavender. I live in the Pacific NW near a little town called Sequim which is also called the lavender capital of the US due to their sunny dry climate and well drained soil. Most of our area is very wet and cloudy but not sunny Sequim, pronounced "Sqwim". They have a huge festival each summer celebrating their wonderful lavender farms.

You might try googling Lavender Festival Sequim, WA. There are lots of lavender farms here that enjoy helping people around the country learn to grow the beautiful plants. I think some of them even ship little plants also for a very reasonable price. Paying ten or twelve buck for a three gallon seems very costly. Here we see tons of little plants on sale all spring and summer at our Home Depot. Every little mom and pop store here sells two inch pots for two bucks. So I would absolutely advise you to check out ordering plants from some farm here to save a year of growing from seed.

I love doing dried flower crafting which includes rosebuds and lavender. Munstead is my favorite for the lovely dark color and ease of working with the dried flowers.

I grow my lavender plants in raised beds alongside my veggies in well drained sandy soil, no mulch. They hate water logged soil and mulch. They also dislike being transplanted beyond babyhood so make sure where you plant them. Moving a fullgrown one may spell disaster.

I also have an herb garden which has a little hedge of lavender growing around the walkways. I don't harvest that often, just let it be to scent the entire garden all summer.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you realize your dream of a cottage garden look along your drive. I think it is fantastic the idea.

what Pat told you is just so right on. Excellent information!

SouthDakotaRose

Thanks again! I have my first 30 seeds going now. Lets just say its a test of my patience and my abilites I'm trying to tune into. If they fail I will for sure be having to buy some. My vision is in my head now, and I am determined. We're digging up along the driveway.... adding a PVC pipe with holes for extra drainage and then getting a sandy top soil and compost mix to fill in some area for them. We'll be lining out the driveway with railroad ties.

Funny thing is... this is my HUSBAND'S vision for the driveway... he was talking short hedges or I could fill them with flowers... then he says something with a welcoming scent when people pull in.

I said LAVENDER... and he's all on board for it!

Doing my whole garden from seed is a challenge right now, but I think it is going to be so much nicer to enjoy with my daughter as she grows up.

Besides... it doesn't mean I can't go to the nursery and pick out a plant here and there just as a gift for me for being so very patient!

Hi again,

I just googled lavender to see if I could find a good site for info about planting. Check out sunshinelavender. They have a great photo gallery of how you would plant a hedge, with step by step directions. Hope this helps you realize your dream. Sounds so pretty!

SouthDakotaRose

Good Morning,
I have grown lavender very well with a process called wintersowing. The website is here http://wintersown.org

It seems to good to be true, but I have done it for the last 5 years, and I get a 90% grow rate.

Good luck!
Candy

I've been using wintersown.org for sometime, I will look through their site about lavender, haven't seen anything like this before.