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I have a lavender plant that I bought a couple of seasons ago. I've had it in a pot and brought it in the last two years. That is what I'd been told to do with it. This area has some below zero weather.
Last night I read in my greenhouse book that "lavender will survive but doesn't thrive in greenhouses because it needs a cold season."
So... what if I put it outside right now to give it some cold??? How many months of cold does it need???
Won't putting a plant that's been inside, outside in cold weather kill it?
Should I cover it and slowly expose it to cold?
It's green right now. Last season I only got a few blooms.
If I put it out right now, will it lose all it's green?
I need to cut it back some.
When should I do it?
Unfortunately, my greenhouse book didn't give me enough information and nothing that I have about lavender even tells you that it needs a cold season.
Lavender is a hardy plant that will grow for a long time. The damp and high hiumidity are two situations that always starve the plant from trying to grow. Dampness can come in the form of wet roots during the winter months or high humidity in the summer. You can clip them once you notice a root system but clipping before the roots grow will make the plant just roll over and become a statistic. We had hedges of Lavender growing in Pennsylvania. My grandmother was English and she started us with the plant and she enjoyed placing the dried flowers in socks in all of our clothes drawers.
The plant roots should have good drainage and be kept from over watering during seasons 2 through their life span.
Keeping the plants well shaped is by pruning them. The large or tall variety can be pruned up to 1/3 their height. Smaller varieties can be pruned to the ground but we never tried it because we felt it was risking the plant to produce and it may have wet roots and die...
A hand full of compost is a good thing when you first place them in the ground or pot. Pruning the flowers are good for keeping the plant in shape. Drying the plant for frangrances are done by clipping the plant small branches leaving the flowers intact and dry them upside down by clipping the branch to a small line with a clothes pin in an area with good air flow..... . Good luck and most of all have fun doing it...
Lavender is a hardy plant that will grow for a long time. The damp and high hiumidity are two situations that always starve the plant from trying to grow. Dampness can come in the form of wet roots during the winter months or high humidity in the summer. You can clip them once you notice a root system but clipping before the roots grow will make the plant just roll over and become a statistic. We had hedges of Lavender growing in Pennsylvania. My grandmother was English and she started us with the plant and she enjoyed placing the dried flowers in socks in all of our clothes drawers.
The plant roots should have good drainage and be kept from over watering during seasons 2 through their life span.
Keeping the plants well shaped is by pruning them. The large or tall variety can be pruned up to 1/3 their height. Smaller varieties can be pruned to the ground but we never tried it because we felt it was risking the plant to produce and it may have wet roots and die...
A hand full of compost is a good thing when you first place them in the ground or pot. Pruning the flowers are good for keeping the plant in shape. Drying the plant for frangrances are done by clipping the plant small branches leaving the flowers intact and dry them upside down by clipping the branch to a small line with a clothes pin in an area with good air flow..... . Good luck and most of all have fun doing it...
There is Clay Soil here. Wet Roots is is one reason I've kept it in a pot until I got some hardscaping in place.
There is also high humidity and I don't want to use chemical fungicides to prevent mildew and other issues.
I'm probably going to try planting it outside this year, close to the house with lots of drainage materials worked into the soil.
Last year was this plant's second season. I didn't get many blooms last year - probably because I've been bringing it inside during the winter months and it's not been getting it's cold season. So, I couldn't "prune" when I cut the flowers.
At this point, it's not been trimmed in 2 years....
I bought a Provence Lavender from HD last summer. I didn't get any blooms.
It's sitting outside on the balcony and has been covered in snow a few times so far and it's still grey green. I haven't bought it inside once.
I bought a Provence Lavender from HD last summer. I didn't get any blooms.
It's sitting outside on the balcony and has been covered in snow a few times so far and it's still grey green. I haven't bought it inside once.
Wow. We've had a few weeks of below zero weather here, if I'd left my pot outside in the pot it would surely be dead.
I think I read that it takes about 5 years to get blooms.
I really need to know WHEN I should prune mine at this point...
I hope someone knows the answer!
Last edited by World Citizen; 01-31-2010 at 09:30 AM..
I have Provence Lavender in Texas, planted in the ground. It needs really good drainage. I have it in rocky, slightly sandy soil and it's fine. It blooms every year.
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