Lavender frustration! - help please

Dear all,

I grow and have grown a number of herbs, both from seed and plant, but for the life of me I can't grow lavender - and as an aromatherapist this is the one I really need!!

I bought seeds earlier in the year which failed to germinate (most of my others from the same supplier did), I was given two medium-sized potted plants as a birthday gift but they died within a week, and finally last week I bought a large potted plant which is now withering badly.

I've tried watering, not watering, in the greenhouse, in the garden, in the sun and in the shade, but with no luck whatsoever - what on earth am I doing wrong? To confuse things more, the instructions on the current plant said to keep well watered whereas all advice I've seen online says to aim for dry Mediterranean conditions!

And as if to rub salt into the wounds my automatically scrolling desktop image has just changed to a lavender field!!! :(

As such, all advice is gratefully accepted. If it helps, we live in the Midlands and have a small-ish garden with a greenhouse, patio, and raised beds including both sun and shade. The sun rises over the left-hand fence (as you look out of the window) and is still felt quite strongly until it moves over a large leafy birch in the early afternoon, resulting in a shadier afternoon. Happy to provide anymore information if it helps!!

Best regards...Helen

 

full sun ... water once a week until it's established ... thats what I have always done ... perhaps the compost or fertilizer you are using in the planting hole is the problem? ...

try using John Innes #3 ... with nothing else added...

here is a good site that deals with lavender and the different types (the site is not working on my pc tonight, but have used this site often):
http://www.downderry-nursery.co.uk/hardy lavender table.php

 

Thanks both,

Don't worry, I haven't done all that to this particular plant! I suspect my seeds were over-watered as they were 'offered a drink' at the same time as all my other seeds and seedlings, ie. every evening, which is something to reflect on for next year. The 'gift' plant began life in the house then moved to the greenhouse where it began to wilt, so I moved it outside but it never recovered.

This appears to be several smaller plants presented collectively in a large-ish pot and fared well for a couple of days until we watered it (husband nagged me into it!) and left it on a plastic garden chair on the patio, when some of the outer stems began to droop. I moved it a few feet onto a pile of bricks where it would catch more of the sun, where I hoped it would both drain better and absorb additional heat from the bricks but it's not picked up.

My husband then moved it to the other side of the patio (onto a brick wall) where he said it would get more of the morning sun, but tonight, as we considered whether to water it or not, I saw that all but a bundle of the centre stems had wilted and some were going grey/brown (suspect dying). My last hope I guess (other than cut and dry) is to transplant it into a raised bed adjacent to the patio which is a little clay-ey but drains reasonably well and catches the sun for most of the day.

I think the fact that everyone I know says it's an easy plant to grow, and I see so many huge plants blooming seemingly uninhibited, is the most frustrating thing, so thanks once again and I'll follow the links given.

Best regards...Helen

 

I personally wouldn't bother trying to grow it from seed. I understand it is a tricky one to germinate.

From a potted plant, the first thing I'd do is re-pot it to a larger pot, filled with a mix of general purpose compost and sand (about 2 parts compost to one part sand).

Give it a good soak straight after re-potting, but after that just water once per week, but drench it. Keep it sheltered from the wind until its settled into its new pot, just to prevent it from being ripped out before the new roots have got a good foothold.

As it settles in, you can be a bit less liberal with the watering.

When people talk about Mediterranean conditions, we often think of the hot dry weather we typically get when we go on our hols, but remember, when it rains in the med, things break. Mediterranean plants have adapted to conserve water during the hot dry spells, but when they do get watered (by the rain) they get very, very, very well watered.

So with that in mind, my watering regime with Med herbs has always been to just let them get a bit parched, and then occasionally give them an thorough drenching.

 

I have a lovely blue and white lavendar hedge growing in my back garden and lavendar pots in front.

And have taken tip cuttings and many rooted cuttings ready to go to our local community garden where I am involved with as we are making a lavendar hedge there too.

Can spare cuttings for you Helen.