Growing Lavender

Hi guys and girls,

I planted these juvenile Lavender plants on Jan 27th after I prepared this bed. The bed was horrible clay, so I removed about 10 bags of clay and mixed soil improver with grit/sand and compost. They have been in the ground for almost 2 months now and are starting to look a bit grey.

Do you think they will survive and grow now we have reached Spring? The soil was a bit wet after we had some rain here this weekend, but I also planted a couple in pots to see if they developed better. As of now neither the bed or potted plants seem to have grown much - if at all?

They are a little Grey, but I was wondering if now the summer is on the way they might survive?

As the soil was soggy today I used a stick and put some holes in the soil around the plants to air them and hopefully help the roots - is that wise or ok?

The area they are planted will get the min 6hrs Sun once the summer arrives.

I have refrained from watering often and heavy as I didnt wanted to ruin the roots etc.

How much should I water these now that summer is on the way? I understand that after their first year you dont really water anymore - unless extreme cases of heat? I do have other Lavender from last year, but in a different location (will post a photo tomorrow of these).

Thoughts and help welcomed

 

Were the plants ‘grey’ before you planted them? They will look grey over Winter, and it’s a bit early for new growth but if they’ve deteriorated since planting that’s not great. Give them time though. The gritty soil is good as they don’t need very rich soil and hate being wet.

See what others think…

 

Hello Dan2004, lavender foliage is (generally speaking) grey . It's a bit early yet to expect much in the way of new growth, unless températures in Essex have been exceptionally warm?
Poking a stick in shouldn't have done any harm, but I wouldn't do it again in case of accidental damage to the new roots.
When average night temperatures hit 10C you could give them some water if it hasn't rained much and the soil is dry.

 

Hi @Dan2004

Lavender is a bit grey indeed. Mine is a bit greener than yours but that might be down to the specific variant or the fact that I planted my lavenders last year.

Planting lavender in January is a bit risky - it's usually best to wait until mid or late Spring. That's not to say they won't make it, but you shouldn't have many expectations around growth until it gets warmer.

You are right that they need a little bit of water in the first phase, but that is actually a few months rather than a full year. When I planted mine last May, I thought I was being conservative with watering, and yet I still overwatered them. Thankfully I realised it in time and cut back.

Once they get established, they are such easy plants. (As long as you remember to prune so that they don't get woody - if I remember well, that's in September). They are worth being a bit delicate in the beginning, considering how easy they are after that

 

I dont think you can expect any growth between January and now.
Its been winter.

 

Hi

look fine to me.. soon be new growth showing. Personally I would of only planted 3 for the size of the area

Spruce

 

Thanks - I planted that number thinking I would lose a couple. Worst case I can transfer these to another part of the garden. Free up some space to allow the others to develop big/wider etc

 

Thanks Pete, I guess my worry was them turning Grey, rather than grow - which I didnt expect to be honest. Hopefully they will start to turn around now Spring is here?

 

Thanks When do you think I should stop the water. They were planted late Jan, so possibly twice a week until May unless it rains hard then nothing?

I planted many on the basis I would lose at least a couple - otherwise that bed is overpopulated lol

 

Thanks - We've had a couple of decent-ish weeks for this time of year, but nothing exceptional.

I poked the holes as the ground was verry soggy, but didnt go too aggressive as I was mindful of the juvenile roots etc

Hopefully they will grow over the next 3-4 weeks which will give me hope they survived Jan/Feb.

 

I don't consider myself an expert considering I nearly over watered mine, so do have a look online for relevant articles, but personally I would not water twice a week when the weather is like this - twice a week is what I would do during May-June-July-August. Right now, I would avoid watering unless it has been very dry for several days. If so, I would do it say once a week.

Regarding how long before they are self sufficient - while it's supposed to be about half a year, I wouldn't think the cold months count as they will not have grown much in relation to roots. I would probably start the count from now.

 

Thanks - that seems like a common sense logic. I'll give it a try

 

Added a comparison picture. Not the best to be fair but shows the change in colour.

 

It looks as though they came from a covered environment originally. The grey is normal

 

Great - I think you're right as these were young plants and surely would have been grown under shelter/inside in the winter months to have been for sale in late Jan at the garden centre?