Herbs as landscaping

[Presto]

Hi Reinbeau,

I am located on long island NY. How do I find out what zone I am?
Can I just google it? My town is Patchogue. thank you.

LoriAnn

 

[digitS']

Hi Reinbeau,

I am located on long island NY. How do I find out what zone I am?
Can I just google it? My town is Patchogue. thank you.

LoriAnn

I'm not Reinbeau and know very little about lavender, LoriAnn, but here's the National Arbor Day Foundation with an easy, somewhat generalized way of determining your zone.

The Arbor Day numbers include climate data from 1990 to 2006 which has been left out, so far, in the official USDA map . (You can click on "take me to the plant hardiness zone map" on the webpage. )

Most perennials have hardiness zone designations in the catalogs and that can be important information so as not to invest in plants that die over the Winter.

Hope that helps.

Steve

 

[Reinbeau]

Hi Reinbeau,

I am located on long island NY. How do I find out what zone I am?
Can I just google it? My town is Patchogue. thank you.

LoriAnn

Steve gave you good info on how to find out your zone. I'm thinking you're definitely warmer than us here, so you're probably going to have no problem with lavender. Just make sure you don't pick a heavy, wet spot - they don't like that at all!

 

[Presto]

:|OmGosh, I am so sorry Steve, Innocent Mistake.... Thank you for the Info,

Sorry I got you both Mixed up Reinbeau. Thank you both for the advice...:bouquet

 

[Robinegg]

One of the best things about herbs in the landscape here in eastern Ky is the deer leave them alone, can't say the same for the tulips or roses though.

 

[Baribault Farm]

Lavender, Thyme and chives grow fairly easy in well drained soil.

 

[littlelemon]

Oh my goodness, I didn't realize that lavender wasn't cold hardy! I have always planted it as a perennial and I have had trouble with it coming back. I am zone 5-maybe that is why

 

[Reinbeau]

Littlelemon, where are you in zone 5? If you have reliable snow cover and take the time to mulch with sand (1/2" at the base of the plant out to the drip line) you may have better luck. Let me know more about your gardening conditions.

I heard of this method last year at the Common Ground Fair in Unity, Maine - they're zone 4, and they keep lavender alive this way. I tried it this past winter and it worked! First time I'd been able to overwinter lavender!

 

[littlelemon]

Ann, I am in north-central Ohio, I am not really sure where in Zone 5 that is. We don't have a lot of snow cover, it comes in spurts here. I would be happy to mulch with sand if that would help. What do you mean by the drip-line?

 

[Reinbeau]

Ann, I am in north-central Ohio, I am not really sure where in Zone 5 that is. We don't have a lot of snow cover, it comes in spurts here. I would be happy to mulch with sand if that would help. What do you mean by the drip-line?

Out to the edge of the spread of the branches. What the sand does is fall into any frost heaving that might go on and keeps the roots covered. We have a huge problem with heaving here precisely because of the spotty snow cover we usually have, and the constant weather/temperature changes we get.

Another thing about lavender - don't prune it too much until you see where the growth is going to be - then a light shaping pruning is all you need. You can take off the flowers, but don't do any heavy pruning in the summer and definitely not in the fall. I don't know why, but pruning anytime but the spring seems to either shorten the life or too late in the season outright kill it over the winter.