Growing Lavender
Growing Lavender
What's In It For You? Everything!
Lavender has been a long time favorite of all the herbs with its grey-green foliage and long spikes displaying the fragrant violet-blue flowers. There are many varieties all of which contain their own distinctive qualities, uses, and scents.
Lavender plants will do well in either a pot or planted in the ground. The main thing to remember is that lavender likes full sun and well-drained soil. Most people make the mistake of overwatering. Lavender is resistant to insects and animals and makes a great specimen plant. A young plant will usually bloom the first season.
There are several varieties of lavender but some of the ones that we have found to grow best in our Texas soil and climate are
Sweet Lavender, Provence, Fred Boutin, Goodwins Greek and Spanish Lavender.
Note: Be sure to prune your lavender plant back in the fall, generally at the end of October or mid-November. We recommend cutting it back several inches.
In Containers
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Make sure you use a soil mixture that drains well. In using a heavier soil, you could add sand and small gravel.
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Lavender grown in containers will need a little more water than those grown in the ground. We like to water these plants when the soil is completely dry or they begin to look wilted.
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Keep containers in an area that gets full sun.
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It is usually not necessary to fertilize unless your plant has not bloomed in a sufficient amount of time. (This could be up to a year.)
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Water the soil and not the entire plant. Leaves that remain wet will produce disease and rot.
In the Ground
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The best soil to grow lavender in is sandy soil or well-drained soil and preferably in a raised bed.
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Since lavender doesn't like "wet feet," you'll want to plant it with other drought-tolerant plants. However, until the plant is established, you may need to water a little more often.
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Make sure that your lavender is not watered with a sprinkler system or overhead sprinkler.
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Lavender must have full sun.
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Little or no fertilizer is recommended unless the plant fails to bloom. You should allow your plant to mature to at least a year to see if it will bloom.