Monday, January 30, 2012

Lavender. Can anyone help us? Please!?

Does anyone have any info on buying seeds, growing and keeping Lavender? We have a garden, totally adore Lavender but we don't know the first thing about gardening. We live in Central Scotland. Any web-sites would be most welcome also. Many thanks :o)

Lavender. Can anyone help us? Please!?
Lavender is a mediterranean plant that will grow in any soil. And I mean ANY soil. It requires little care so is the ideal plant for you. Maybe a bit of water during dry periods in the summer. Always water early in morning or in evening.

If you are feeling adventurous you could also trim it back a bit when it has finished flowering. You can also cut off some flowers with stems and hang up to dry in a airy place and put dried flowers in a bowl or sow them in little bags to give to your friends.

never trim back to bare wood as it will not regrow from bare wood.

Best for you to buy plants rather than seed if you are novice gardener.

Plant the plants about 2-3 feet apart as they grow quite wide and sprawly. Plant along a path so you brush past them.

Plant in Spring when ground is warming up. probably May is a good time to plant in Scotland. Anyway good luck and the bees will thank you!

Try Royal Horticultural Society website for further advice-RHS are very good. They also have a plantfinder section.
Reply:Greetings from British Columbia



There is an area called Sequim Dungeness Valley in northern Washington, USA where they have a Lavender Growers Association. They put on a mighty impressive lavender festival each year.



www.lavenderfestival.com



Will list growers, and may provide information about growing lavender, types, etc. I think your climate and ours is not dissimilar.



Many lavender farms down there and grow many types of lavender including culinary. I recently bought their "Celebrate Lavender Festival" cookbook while in Seattle.



Have fun.
Reply:Lavendar is pretty much care-free, as long as you give it a good soil mixture upon planting. I've never raised it from seed. Instead, I purchase full-grown plants. Trim after flowering (collect the trimmings for drawers, stuff trimmings into leftover pantyhose/stockings, tie with lace it top). Did you know lavendar is a natural ant repellent? Therefore, with it's delightful smell, ant repelling tendencies, and pretty color, why not plant it near windows and doors, so that as you walk by, you get the fragrance?



Love it, too much.
Reply:Check the link below, it is a page on lavender. The rest of the site offers lots of growing info as well.
Reply:Hi



I love lavender too, and the multitude of uses is amazing, including medicinal uses. Not mention that it a beautiful plant. Sadly my hubby hates the smell, which means I am unable grow it.



I found a few web sites that will help you, and where to buy the seeds including some local nursery who will be more than willing to help.



Good luck with the lavender gardening
Reply:Not too rich soil and plenty of sun. Trim back shoots into fresh growth after flowering to encourage a healthy and productive plant with a full shape.
Reply:http://gardening.about.com/od/perennials... this link is quite useful and has most things you would need to take in to consideration!
Reply:http://landscaping.about.com/cs/flowerse...

This as a good starting place for info. If you google lavender plants you'll find tons of info.



Also, drying lavender, it needs to be hung upside down in a warm, dry place.



It's a wonderful plant. Good luck and enjoy.
Reply:Hi.



Lavender is a great plant and can grow most places, even in Scotland, given plenty of light.



Lavender love well drained soil and don't take kindly to having their roots in the wet much. So if you plant it out in the garden it will pay you dividends to dig in loads of grit and sharp sand if your soil is on the heavy side. It will probably rot off if left in wet soggy soil through the winter, but is pretty hardy otherwise.



Some Lavender are tougher than others. Angustifolia is probably the toughest. The white lavenders aren't so hardy and I've lost many to the frosts and snow. French lavender are OK, but get spindly quicker than most.



However if you keep your lavender plants lightly trimmed back to a mound shape after flowering it will lengthen their lives. Don't clip into bare wood and remember that lavender will need replacing after a few years if they get too big and woody.



Most growers of lavender grow them from cuttings or if you're a novice why not try growing-on some plug plants. The cuttings are quite straightforward to take and will give you a great sense of achievement if they strike.



If you want more info, why not try taking out some of the RHS books i.e. "propagating plants" or "the encyclopedia of gardening" from the library. The RHS do a great Herb book too which is well worth a read.



Check out your soil type and if need be improve it for lavender growth. Do a Google search on lavender, read up on lavenders. Talk to other gardeners, but most of all enjoy your successes and don't be disappointed by your set backs.



Happy gardening.
Reply:http://plants.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en/...

http://www.seeds-by-size.co.uk/swepea98....

http://www.vanmeuwen.com/plants/catalogu...
Reply:We used to have a garden that had loads of lavender - it's lovely isn't it! I went out and bough the full plants and planted them in - as I remember they worked the best when the ground wasn't too damp or soily. Top tip as well: if you plant them near a pond or other source of water the smell of the lavender will carry over the water and make your whole garden smell lovely! Lavender also attracts bees and butterflies like mad, so it is lovely to watch them as well.
Reply:Yorkshire Lavender sell loads of different varieties of Lavender from their website which is also very informative: http://lavenderworld.websiteturbine.co.u...



Downderry Nursery hold the national collection of Lavender and also sell online: http://www.downderry-nursery.co.uk/



I love Lavender and am a fan of purple too but my partner hates the smell unfortunately!


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