Lavender, lavender, lavender
Crud - I really should have done this sooner. We are a lavender farm, after all, and it might be nice to write about lavender considering the season is upon us. Right now is a good time to plant in your garden - stick to the rule of planting anytime after Mother's Day in areas that experience frost.
There are more than 115 varieties of lavender and surely one suited for your garden, whether you've got a cottage garden, herb garden or drought tolerant garden. Lavender is beautiful in many settings. I recommend buying from a local, reputable nursery to insure the plants are hardy in your zone. If you order from a nursery that ships, just make sure the plants are suited for your zone (we should be taking orders this fall for plants to ship in the spring and will provide info on zone hardiness).
While lavender is adapted to many growing conditions, well draining soil is preferred (it doesn't like wet feet). Dig up your soil and add organic matter as needed. Mix a bit of bone meal with the dirt at the bottom of the hole and add your plant. Water regularly for the first growing season to get the roots established and then less frequently after that (we only irrigate during the really hot days of July and August to keep the plants form getting stressed). If you're putting lavender in a garden with other plants that need more frequent watering, try putting the lavender on an outer edge where it wont get quite as wet.
There are some basics you should know about varieties to assist you in picking the lavender that's right for you. Lavandula Angustiflioa is the English family of lavender. These plants tend to be smaller in size, 18-24" high in bloom, and have a sweet aroma. Typically, they bloom for mid-June to mid-July. Colors range from white and pink to the deep purple shade of the Buena Vista we grow. While each variety has it's own fragrance, English lavenders tend to have a sweet, clean lavender aroma and are the preferred lavenders for use in cooking. Yes, cooking with lavender - see our website for recipes and feel free to bother me for more. We'll be posting a lavender rhubarb crisp next week - I just made it for friends last week and it was delicious. A few varieties to look for are Munstead, Pot Pourri White and Jean Davis.
Lavandula X Intermedia is the French family of lavender. These plants generally get to be about 3' high, although some plants can get to be as big as 4' around. The spikes are longer and sturdier than English lavenders and are preferred for making lavender wands. Colors range from white and dusty blue to dark purple. French lavenders have a pleasant aroma with a bit more camphore than English. They bloom mid-July to early August and make up most of the lavender grown around the world. The oil production of these plants is the highest of all varieties, which accounts for all the lavender fields in France. Some varieties to look for are Grosso, Provence, Hidcote Giant and Dutch White.
Lavandula Stoechas is the Spanish Family of lavender. These are the varieties with the calyces or "butterfly wings" at the top of each bloom. Spanish varieties bloom from mid-May to mid-June, and if pruned after the first bloom, will have a second show in late August. These plants tend to spread out more than their French and English cousins and don't grow in compact mounds. They can be pruned quite hard to form a neat hedge. Beautiful in a garden and a great way to attract bees and butterflies, but Spanish lavenders aren't grown for production. Colors range from white to red and deep purple. Look for Morning Mist, Pippa Pink and Regal Splendour.
Some quick notes on pruning... if you are cutting your lavender to dry for later use, cut when the top third of the the flowers on the spike bloom. This will ensure the buds stay tight and dry on the stem without falling off. Cut the stems an inch above the woody part of the plant and keep the shape of the plant in a tight mound. If you'd rather enjoy the blooms in your garden, once they've begun to fade cut the plants back in the same way. Generally you won't need to cut them back again in the fall, but if new growth has formed by the time you're putting your garden to bed cut them back again.
There are more than 115 varieties of lavender and surely one suited for your garden, whether you've got a cottage garden, herb garden or drought tolerant garden. Lavender is beautiful in many settings. I recommend buying from a local, reputable nursery to insure the plants are hardy in your zone. If you order from a nursery that ships, just make sure the plants are suited for your zone (we should be taking orders this fall for plants to ship in the spring and will provide info on zone hardiness).
While lavender is adapted to many growing conditions, well draining soil is preferred (it doesn't like wet feet). Dig up your soil and add organic matter as needed. Mix a bit of bone meal with the dirt at the bottom of the hole and add your plant. Water regularly for the first growing season to get the roots established and then less frequently after that (we only irrigate during the really hot days of July and August to keep the plants form getting stressed). If you're putting lavender in a garden with other plants that need more frequent watering, try putting the lavender on an outer edge where it wont get quite as wet.
There are some basics you should know about varieties to assist you in picking the lavender that's right for you. Lavandula Angustiflioa is the English family of lavender. These plants tend to be smaller in size, 18-24" high in bloom, and have a sweet aroma. Typically, they bloom for mid-June to mid-July. Colors range from white and pink to the deep purple shade of the Buena Vista we grow. While each variety has it's own fragrance, English lavenders tend to have a sweet, clean lavender aroma and are the preferred lavenders for use in cooking. Yes, cooking with lavender - see our website for recipes and feel free to bother me for more. We'll be posting a lavender rhubarb crisp next week - I just made it for friends last week and it was delicious. A few varieties to look for are Munstead, Pot Pourri White and Jean Davis.
Lavandula X Intermedia is the French family of lavender. These plants generally get to be about 3' high, although some plants can get to be as big as 4' around. The spikes are longer and sturdier than English lavenders and are preferred for making lavender wands. Colors range from white and dusty blue to dark purple. French lavenders have a pleasant aroma with a bit more camphore than English. They bloom mid-July to early August and make up most of the lavender grown around the world. The oil production of these plants is the highest of all varieties, which accounts for all the lavender fields in France. Some varieties to look for are Grosso, Provence, Hidcote Giant and Dutch White.
Lavandula Stoechas is the Spanish Family of lavender. These are the varieties with the calyces or "butterfly wings" at the top of each bloom. Spanish varieties bloom from mid-May to mid-June, and if pruned after the first bloom, will have a second show in late August. These plants tend to spread out more than their French and English cousins and don't grow in compact mounds. They can be pruned quite hard to form a neat hedge. Beautiful in a garden and a great way to attract bees and butterflies, but Spanish lavenders aren't grown for production. Colors range from white to red and deep purple. Look for Morning Mist, Pippa Pink and Regal Splendour.
Some quick notes on pruning... if you are cutting your lavender to dry for later use, cut when the top third of the the flowers on the spike bloom. This will ensure the buds stay tight and dry on the stem without falling off. Cut the stems an inch above the woody part of the plant and keep the shape of the plant in a tight mound. If you'd rather enjoy the blooms in your garden, once they've begun to fade cut the plants back in the same way. Generally you won't need to cut them back again in the fall, but if new growth has formed by the time you're putting your garden to bed cut them back again.
posted by trina at 2:32 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home