I am new to growing herbs. I fell in love with the scent of lavender last year while buying my veggie plants for the garden. I bought lavender then, planted it...and it didn't do well..finally died.
This year it is doing the same.
It is in about a 4 ft. by 15 ft. flower/herb bed that is clayish, and at the bottom of a small hill. I am trying to improve the drainage, and the soil at this time. Some parts of the bed are richer than others.
I so want to have this bed FULL of lavender, but need to know what I am doing wrong.
Thanks in advance for your help
Millie
What zone do you live in? Lavendar likes sun; it can handle heat and prefers somewhat dry conditions. I don't know what your rain situation is but clay and bottom of a hill might be keeping it too moist. My seems to prefer a little sandy soil. Mine is out-of-control! I live in zone 9 though (15 in the WesternGarden scale).
Last edited by sweeper42003; 05-24-2003 at 08:52 AM.
I also have some clayish soil, but it tends to be dry clay. I wonder if your lavender was staying too wet. In the more clay parts of my yard I bought peat moss and worked it in to the soil to a depth of about 4 inches. That really helps lighten up the soil. I have 3 separate gardens in different parts of the yard where I grow lavender. It does the best in the garden that is just a little on the sandy side, although I did put peat moss and compost there just to enrich the soil. My lavender loves to be in full sun, I have one spot on the west side of the house, where it only gets sun in the afternoon, it doesnt seem quite as happy there - although it is alive and spreading some. It definitely needs well drained soil, I love peat moss for that, (sphagnum peat) - I would suggest that you get a 50 lb bag or so (at least) and rototill it in to the soil (deep) and start over. The soil should feel loose - not hard like dry clay gets and not slimy like wet clay. Hope that helps. (I'm in zone 4 by the way - and I dont bother to mulch for winter)
__________________
Get a rise out of life!- Bake Bread!
"A hundred years from now, it will not matter the sort of house I lived in, what my bank account was, or the car I drove....but the world may be different because I was important in the life of the animals and the creatures on this earth."
like the others said, it sounds like it is too wet. i grew it last year in a container garden. we're renting so i couldn't put in a proper garden. all i had to do for it was make sure it didn't dry out when we didn't get any rain for weeks and then make sure it drained well when we got nothing but rain for a few weeks. it grew really well. and it did like sun more than shade. i didn't mulch it well enough over the winter so it didn't make it through, but that'll be corrected this winter.
I, too, just tried growing lavendar. I planted it last fall and so far this spring it looks dead. I'll kinda wait it out and see if it will make it before I try again. I'm glad for the question as I can use the advise too. I also have a yard full of black walnut trees and it may be too close to them. I heard you can't get anything to grow within 50 feet of one. Has anywone heard this?
Originally posted by karensueflu I also have a yard full of black walnut trees and it may be too close to them. I heard you can't get anything to grow within 50 feet of one. Has anywone heard this?
Yes. Keep any plants beyond what they call the "drip line". Even rain water running off the leaves is not good for other plants. I've also read that if you do have them not to use the leaves as mulch or in making a compost.
I have tried three times to grow lavender from seed and it just doesn't work for me. Hubby made me a small herb garden this year next to the garage so I bought 3 small plants and plan to get more as $ allows. I mixed quite a bit of sand into the clay soil (we have beautiful soft dirt until the water hits it, then its a hard mass of clay) and also some potting soil. So far they have lived but don't seem to grow very fast. I'm buying up everything lavender so I thought I'd better try making my own stuff like, deodorant, sheet spray, candles, lotions and such. Just getting the ingredients together as I can afford. The only thing I've actually made so far is the deodorant. I like it quite well. Looking forward to having my own stash of lavender. Thanks for the websites, can't wait to check them out!
