MisterTO
Newly Registered
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jun 07, 2015 8:44 pm
Location: Zone 6b

Questions about Growing Lavender... in June

Hello, I want to grow lavender. It is very pretty and I enjoy the scent and the joy of watching plants grow. Now I live in a 6b zone (middle of missouri), and I want to start them ASAP. I will be getting seeds in the mail in about 4-5 days. I start all my seedlings inside in cells w/ potting mix and under a light. I heard lavender doesn't like much water. If I start it around beginning of june, how big will I get (can I harvest any by time it freezes) and what does perennial mean? Will the plant die during frost? Will someone please explain what to do during the winter time, what is pruning? Do I trim any thing? And do I need to cut it if it goes to seed? I'm a new to flowers so thank you all so much for your patience and time!

imafan26
Mod
Posts: 13962
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Lavender will grow from seeds but they are really slow. It is better to start with a starter plant and propagate from cuttings.

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

OK, we are starting from the beginning, but I love lavender so I will try to help. Annuals are plants like petunias and spinach that live their life in one growing season: sprout from seed, grow to maturity, bloom, set seed and die, all in a season. Some plants are biennials, meaning their life span is two years. The first year they sprout from seed and grow to mature size, but do not bloom. In cold winter areas like ours, they usually die back in winter. In their second growing season, the grow back, bloom, set seed, and die. Carrots, cabbage and hollyhocks have this life cycle pattern.

Perennials are plants that can (given no accidents, diseases, etc) live for several to many years. Lavender is one of these, as are peonies, daylilies, iris and lots of bulb flowers, black eyed susans and many wildflowers, hostas, etc. They are distinguished from trees and shrubs which also can live for many years, because perennials are non-woody. In cold climates they die back to the ground in winter, but then come back multiplied and bigger in spring. But there are tender perennials, which can live for a long time in warm climates, but cannot survive cold winters. Peppers which we grow as annuals are actually tender perennials. And there are hardy perennials which survive cold winters. And of course there are degrees of hardiness. So perennials are rated by growing zone for how much cold they can survive.

There are several different varieties of lavender and they have different levels of cold hardiness. The only lavenders that will survive our winters (I am also in zone 6) are English lavender Lavandula angustifolia and French lavender Lavandin or Lavandula x intermedia cultivars (hybrids between English lavender and L. latifolia)


So if you are growing a cold hardy variety, frost will not hurt it. It will die back in winter, but come back in spring.

Perennials are not as dependent on timing of when you start them, since they don't have to get their life span in, in a season. But imafan is right. Lavender is slow from seed and has a low germination rate. It needs bottom heat, very well draining mix, and 2-4 weeks to germinate. And then it grows very slowly as well. Some lavender varieties will bloom the first year from seed, but not started this late. You will not be harvesting any lavender this year. If you succeed in producing any lavender plants, you will have to see how they do. By fall, they are likely to be just a few inches high. If you have a good set up with light, so you can have light directly on your little plant, from just a few inches away, on 16 hrs a day, you might be better off to just leave it indoors and grow it indoors all through the winter. If you try to bring your little plant out this year, it will be small and it will not have much time to get well established in the ground and it will have difficulty making it through the winter. Grown indoors, next spring you can gradually harden it off to move outdoors.

Note re "lavender does not like much water." Lavender plants do not like to stay moist. Lavender seeds, like any other seeds, cannot be allowed to dry out. But the point of the fast draining mix I mentioned, is that even the seeds do not want to be soggy.

Even the most cold hardy lavenders are a little borderline for us. They will survive typical winters here, but I and everyone I know here, lost all our lavender in the fierce winter we had two years ago.

The rest of your questions about pruning, trimming, etc can wait until you actually have a lavender plant to worry about.

Welcome to the Forum and best wishes! Keep us posted how it is working for you.

NJ Bob
Cool Member
Posts: 84
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2015 8:08 pm
Location: Central NJ, Zone 7A

I have a bunch of lavender that I started back in January that are still only a few inches high and in small pots. I agree with rainbow. Keep them potted and bring them in for the winter.

User avatar
GardeningCook
Greener Thumb
Posts: 787
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 8:35 pm
Location: Upper Piedmont area of Virginia, Zone 7a

As far as being able to harvest any lavender from whatever you're planning on sowing this year, forget about it. Even if you had sown perennial lavender indoors when it should have been sown (like 5 months ago), you still wouldn't have been able to harvest anything, nor would you likely to for 1-2 years.

There IS what's considered an "annual" lavender - "Lady Lavender" (https://www.burpee.com/perennials/lavend ... 00070.html
not because it's an annual (it IS a perennial), but because it will bloom the first year from seed, something that other perennial lavenders can't do.

You're going to have to be patient & treat your seedlings with TLC if you want to be harvesting within the next 2-3 years or so. If you need some instant gratification, visit a local gardening center & pick up a few potted lavenders that are most likely 5 or more years old.

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

A little different from my experience. You are right the Lady Lavender will bloom the first year from seed, IF started early in the year - I would usually plant lavender seed late Jan or early Feb.

But I have started hidcote lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, from seed and had it bloom in the second season.

But I agree with what's been said - unless you are an experienced and patient gardener, it is will be way more rewarding just to buy a potted lavender from a good local nursery (NOT big box store).

But I don't know if OP is reading any of this or will be back. We have way too many people who make one post, ask a bunch of questions and then never come back.

User avatar
GardeningCook
Greener Thumb
Posts: 787
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 8:35 pm
Location: Upper Piedmont area of Virginia, Zone 7a

Well, it's only been one day. Give him the benefit of the doubt. :wink:

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Like I said: way too many people who make one post, ask a bunch of questions and then never come back.

I keep telling myself I'm not going to do anything but very short responses until some one has come back at least once to demonstrate a bit of interest. This person asked basic questions like what is a perennial, that they did not need to come here for. I took time to give careful answer anyway...

Oh well fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. I've been fooled this way, way too many times.

imafan26
Mod
Posts: 13962
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Since I am in zone 12a, the augustofolia lavenders are at best annuals here. They don't take summer heat well. I can grow the lavendins and dentata and lavender multifida which is a landscape lavender that will bloom nearly all year for me. Hidcote and the culinary lavenders have a very short bloom season and some of the flowers will not even open up for me.

There is a lavender farm in Kula on Maui that can grow the culinary lavenders but they are around 5,000 ft in elevation so they have the right microclimate for them to thrive.

Besides not needing a lot of water and really hating overhead watering, they do not like a lot of fertilizer either. To keep them bushy and less woody they need to be cut back every year.

Susan W
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1858
Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 2:46 pm
Location: Memphis, TN

As this has morphed into Growing Lavender, I'll throw my 2 seeds in.

We do get winter, freezing, warm aka hot summers, warm muggy summer nights, and lots of rain (50+). I have several lavender plants in pots, one mega huge. These are hidcotes and munsteads, maybe a provence in there, purchased as small starts. Yes I have bought from the box store, Bonnie type, but would avoid any in the Flower area that may be neonics treated. I've lost a few, and they are win some lose some here. I do have one in the ground, maintaining.

I use a mix in the containers and add/freshen in spring that is the same as for all the plants. It all has some sand, but also somewhat rich. The plants do get watered if it hasn't rained. They'll start to look a bit crinkly on the edges when needing water.

Last year (or could be 2 yrs ago) I started some from seed, namely the munstead variety. Germination isn't great, but enough. These are treated like all the others, in peat pellets, top watered, then bumped up to 4" pots in MG potting mix. Once bigger they go into qt pots. I have 2 small trays in the start area now, one munstead, one vera. Once up a bit, will be moved outside to an area covered and light shade. These are started now for next year. I keep the babies outside in winter, sheltered in mini-greenhouse, and they did OK down to 15 -20.

Mine have gone through the peak bloom, but still showing purple and pretty.

User avatar
sweetiepie
Green Thumb
Posts: 397
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2015 12:18 pm
Location: York, ND (Zone 3b)

Even if the OP doesn't come back to this thread, I do appreciate your information. Often there are things I didn't realize I should question. My mom was always the standard, corn, potato, etc. gardener so as I have room I have been trying new things, even things that aren't suppose to grow here but we are on the zone edge. Someone gave me lavender seed from the seed train and I threw it in the ground but it hasn't germinated. But now I know not to even bother. I should look stuff up before I throw it in the garden but who knew horseradish is a horrible weed or that sweet potatoes are not potato like. :eek:

sunnycc34
Newly Registered
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2016 4:02 pm
Location: Akron, Ohio zone 6b

Thank you for all for taking the time to answer this question. I am new to gardening and have a lot of my own questions! Although I didn't post the original query, I find the responses most helpful. Thank you again!

PinkPetalPolygon
Senior Member
Posts: 142
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2016 5:57 pm
Location: California Zone 9b <3

Before I joined this forum I thought I was "terrible at growing lavender" because they stayed so small for so long!??

Then I read other people's lavender growing experiences, and realized I had been doing FANTASTIC the whole time!! :-()

Thank you everybody! Lavender is one of my favorite things in the whole world. :mrgreen:



Return to “Herb Gardening Forum”