Tips on growing lavender?

[nightowl]

Hey, everyone! With everything starting to warm up early, it's got me itching to set up this year's garden. I've never had a particularly green thumb, but since I'm setting up raised garden beds right next to the house I figure it should give me an advantage. I've grown plenty of herbs and veggies through the years with mixed success, but I can never seem to keep lavender alive. The seeds never germinate, the seedlings all die before I can transplant them. Last year I bought some already flowering into a small bush, but once planted it never really got any bigger. It's so frustrating because while I've bought dried lavender online, I want my own, pesticide free lavender. I'm on the border of gardening zone 6/7, and have a south facing garden if that helps. Thank you!

[Ashrend]

Lavender seems to be an easy plant to grow, so i would guess either the ph balance of your soil is off or there is something magical preventing it to grow. Could be negative energy residing in the building or close by.

devon

[Amalthea]

I have a similar problem. Last summer I planted lavender and it's the saddest little plant you've ever seen. I think there's something wrong with my soil. I think garden centers might have kits to check the soil so I'll probably be looking into it. Lavender is my favorite!

[TwilightDancer]

Try coffee grounds in the soil. Mine takes off.

I'm trying to grow a ridiculous amount of lavender this year.

[nightowl]

I never thought of coffee grounds. If nothing else, at least my garden will smell nice!!

[TwilightDancer]

Coffee's great in a garden. My father in law actually gave me that bit of gardening advice.


Also, my husband and I juice regularly. So we throw the leftover pulp into the soil as well.

[smogie_michele]

I've been told to mix coffee grounds and egg shells into your soil- might be fun to save all of your Ostara egg shells to add a bit of magic to your witchy garden

[TwilightDancer]

That's a great idea Smogie.

And I have heard egg shells are great for soil too. I don't eat eggs so I almost forgot about that.

[SnowCat]

I would really like to grow some lavender. I'm still trying to plan my memory garden in honor of all my furbabies who have crossed over the years. Lavender would be really nice in that. I also want cat mint and forget-me-not.

Snow

[RosieMoonflower]

I bought white lavender last fall, planted it in a pot and forgot about it on my north facing porch, it's so big now I divided it into 3 plants and gave 2 away. I'll try the pretty purple this year. I bought mine at a chain hardware store with a garden section, it was well started when I planted it. I also agree that it could be the soil, because I've learned that really does make a difference. Again, I bought general potting mix last year, and over the winter I've collected coffee grinds, egg shells, banana peels, and other things in a plastic tub like a compost bin which I will add the soil from last year to improve the soil for this years plants. Last thing, when you grew one before that didn't get very large, did you prune it? Pruning plants can actually encourage growth, much like cutting our own hair encourages growth. I never pruned my last year, but I will in spring when it wakes up.

Rosie

[TwilightDancer]

That's a lovely garden idea Snow.

I got the rest of my lavender seeds down during Ostara. I'm seeing a little green poking through the soil of the first ones I planted.

[freyja13]

I bought white lavender last fall, planted it in a pot and forgot about it on my north facing porch, it's so big now I divided it into 3 plants and gave 2 away. I'll try the pretty purple this year. I bought mine at a chain hardware store with a garden section, it was well started when I planted it. I also agree that it could be the soil, because I've learned that really does make a difference. Again, I bought general potting mix last year, and over the winter I've collected coffee grinds, egg shells, banana peels, and other things in a plastic tub like a compost bin which I will add the soil from last year to improve the soil for this years plants. Last thing, when you grew one before that didn't get very large, did you prune it? Pruning plants can actually encourage growth, much like cutting our own hair encourages growth. I never pruned my last year, but I will in spring when it wakes up.

Rosie

Hi Rosie,

I have a medium size plant that didn't flower last year because it was a baby, but I've translated it into a big pot. So it can grow like a bush. Should I prune the Middle stems if I want it to grow bushy like more out or should I not prune them if I want them to flower. The stems on the ones I would like to prune are very woody. Should I harvest these or not harvest yet at all? I just transplanted about two weeks ago?

[RosieMoonflower]

Hi Freyja! Most plants like a bit of pruning. To get the bush appearance I think the main thing is to make sure it's getting good direct light and not having to stretch to reach it or anything. Even with pruning it will still flower on other stems. Once it gets woody, that part won't grow new leaves and you can either cut them down, or leave them and a new stem may grow from it and that will produce new leaves and flowers.