Lavender care.

[dan21]

Hello.

I've two potted lavenders in my garden that didn't seem to do very well last year. They grew slightly but never really flowered veraciously and always looked like they were lacking something.

I kept them well watered but not sodden and they were always in a good sunny spot on the patio.

I'd like to nurture them up this year and really have them be the best that I can but can't help feeling like there's something I should be doing that I'm not.

Any advice would be greatly welcome.

Best,

Dan

[lannerman]

Hi Dan, you dont say where abouts you live ?? but here is a few pointers !

Lavenders are basically plants that require lots of sun and dont like to be too wet. They also benefit from being cut back in the spring to generate nice bushy growth and this should be done about end of March (in UK) You need to ensure that the pots never get really wet and I'd feed with something like 'miracle grow' once a month. this is very basic as not knowing where you live and what type of lavender you have, I cant be too specific ??

Lannerman.

[David E. Ross]

Do not keep them "well watered". Lavender is a drought-tolerant plant that does not do well with normal garden watering. It also prefers a lean soil without a lot of fertilizer. It must have soil (in your case, potting mix) that drains well and does not retain much moisture.

When trimming, you have two choices: (1) Leave some live foliage below the cut. (2) Remove the entire branch. If you make a cut in a branch below the last live foliage, the entire branch will die back to its base.

[songbird]

where are you at?

how large are the pots?

what type of soil are they in?

how much sun did they get?

songbird

[dan21]

Hi,

I'm in Worcestershire in the UK. The pots are glazed ceramic planters, approx 25cm in diameter and about 45cm high. They were planted in a John Innes compost and were in a part of the garden that is a real sun-trap (against a red brick wall). I've had another look at them today and there is some nice new growth there...I just want to know I'm giving the plant as much support as possible.

Thanks in advance everybody.

Dan

[David Hare-Scott]

too much feeding or watering will kill with kindness.

D

[David E. Ross]

Today, I repotted a 'Goodwin Creek Grey' lavender, a hybrid between French and wooly lavender (Lavandula lanata × dentata). The old pot had broken, possibly dropped or kicked by the tree service I had last month.

I removed some of the old potting mix merely by rubbing the root ball. To replace that and also because the new pot is deeper than the old one, I made my own potting mix. See my garden diary (link in signature below) for details.

[dan21]

Thanks for all of the advice. Lavenders repotted and we'll see how we progress.