Introduction
Want to learn how to grow lavender in your garden?
You’ve come to the right place.
Growing lavender is an easy and rewarding process. I have always loved the stunning hues of lavender and was thus interested in growing it for a long time. I was surprised to know that growing the beautiful flowers of lavender would be so easy. It may seem like you need to do a lot if you wish to plant lavender, but in reality, it is an easy process.
I decided to create this guide on growing lavender so that other people like me can easily plant lavender and see it thrive before their eyes.
Let’s get started.
Everything You Need to Know About Lavender
Lavender(lavender Lavandula) is a sweetly fragranced herb that has plenty of uses. It is a very popular ornamental plant that lifts the entire look and feel of any garden or landscape. It is also used in a variety of medicines and has many home applications. Lavender flowers not only look stunning in gardens and flower bouquets but also give a beautiful fragrance that lifts your mood instantly. The flowers of this plant come in deep blue, purple, white, lilac, and lavender hues. Some hybrids also come in pastel hues, such as pale pink, rose, and even yellow.
Lavender has silvery-green foliage. With its compact shrub-like look and upright flowers, lavender forms beautiful informal hedges around gardens. Lavender flowers are also planted for their stunning colors that are ideal for potpourri, sachets, and floral arrangements.
Lavender is also great for pollination as its beautiful colors and fragrance attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators to your garden. Thus, with this plant, your entire garden will grow beautifully. Lavender is a native Mediterranean plant. However, it is now grown all over the world and loved by everyone. You can grow this beautiful plant in your garden, in containers, and even in perennial flower beds (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1tXOJfG7kw).
Here is a simple and easy-to-follow guide on growing lavender.
Where and When to Grow the Lavender?
- Soil: Lavender grows best in well-drained soil. Therefore, make sure that you don’t overwater the plant. Furthermore, there is no need to overly amend the soil with fertilizers as the lavender plant grows best in low to moderately fertile soils. The ideal pH level to grow the plant of lavender is around 7.0 as it prefers a slightly alkaline soil. You can add lime to the soil to increase its pH. Make sure you perform a simple soil pH test to check the pH of the soil before you start the process of growing lavender plants.
- Light: The plant needs plenty of sunlight to thrive and bloom. Therefore, make sure that they are planted where there is ample sunlight. Afternoon shade in hot summer months also helps the flowers bloom.
- Spacing: Lavender plants should be placed 1 to 3 feet apart
Lavender should be planted in early summer or spring in cooler areas. In warmer areas, you can start planting lavender in early fall. It will give ample time to the roots to establish themselves during the moist and cool winter weather (https://www.gardendesign.com/plants/lavender.html). Want to learn how to plant the stunning lavender flowers? Continue reading below.
Step-by-Step Instructions on Planting English Lavender
Here is a step-by-step guide on planting lavender.
- Choose healthy plants with well-developed root systems.
- Choose the site of plantation and dig a hole that is twice as wide and deep as the root ball of your plant. Amend the soil for each planting hole if you are planting multiple lavender plants. If you are using a container, combine sand or gravel to the soil so that you can get a well-drained soil. You can also encourage outward growth by roughing up the roots if they are clinging to the sides of the pot.
- When you plant your English lavender plants, make sure the root ball is in line with the soil line. Fill in soil and press it firmly around the root.
- Compress the soil using water. Also, remove all air pockets.
- Lavenders don’t prefer standing water and wet feet as it causes its roots to rot. It thrives in fast-draining soil. Therefore, only water lavender plants if they seem too dry or the conditions in your garden are very dry. Otherwise, there is no need to drench these plants in water.
Caring for Your Lavender Plants
Here are some tips on how you can care for your plant and flowers.
- In warmer climates, lavender grows into bushy, round shrubs. In colder climates, it is a lower growing plant. If you live in an area where the climate is humid, then make sure you leave ample space between the plants to allow maximum airflow. This will prevent issues like powdery mildew and fungus. Also, check the mature size of the kind of lavender you are growing to ensure that you are leaving maximum space for airflow when they grow up.
- Lavenders do not need staking and can grow between 1 to 3 feet in length (https://www.thespruce.com/growing-lavender-1402779).
- It is important to water the young plants well. They don’t need frequent watering once they have matured. Lavender is drought -tolerant and giving them too much water can lead to stress and rotting of the roots.
- Just like water, you don’t need to add too many fertilizers to the soil to make a lavender plant thrive. Less is more and you don’t need to feed your lavender plants.
- Lavender also doesn’t need a lot of mulching to thrives (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9mb_E9uOtE). Even if you are mulching, make sure that you use small-sized gravel or bark. It is also important to leave several inches of soil clear so that the plant doesn’t rot. You can use sand mulch or light-colored gravel to keep the soil and plant warm and to help with the drainage as well.
- You can use flower stalks from the plants fresh as well as dried. It is important to cut off the deadheads of the plants to maximize blooming. It can also trigger a second flowering of the plant.
Pests and Diseases
Lavender is a highly fragrant plant. Its strong fragrance keeps many pests such as beetles and deer away. However, humidity can lead to fungus and powdery mildew in some species of lavender. It is important to place the plants apart from one another so that airflow is maximum. This will prevent humidity and keep your plants dry (https://www.americanmeadows.com/perennials/lavender/how-to-grow-lavender).
Lavenders may also be attacked by insects such as aphids, whiteflies, and spittlebugs. You can simply knock these insects off the flowers by using a strong stream of water. You may also use an insecticidal soap spray to kill these pests. These sprays don’t harm beneficial pests, wildlife, and insects. It is important to spray the plants early on so that the issue can be prevented.
FAQ
1. Where does lavender grow best?
Lavender grows best in dry climates.
2. Is Lavender easy to grow?
Yes, lavender is one of the easiest perennials to grow.
3. How do I grow lavender?
Follow the step-by-step guide mentioned above to learn how you can easily grow lavender.
4. How long does it take to grow lavender?
If you are growing the plant from seeds, then it can take 90-200 days to fully thrive.
Conclusion
Lavender (lavender Lavandula) is easy to cultivate and quickly thrive. It can even be planted by beginners and you can get beautiful flowers in some months. Lavender plants prefer a dry climate and don’t need a lot of water to bloom. In fact, it is advised not to water lavender too much as it can cause its roots to rot. Here is a round-up of how you can easily plant it yourself and make it thrive.
- Choose healthy plants
- Plant them in a well-drained soil
- Make sure that the plants get ample sunlight
- Ensure that there is enough space between each plant to maximize airflow
With these simple tips and tricks, you will be able to easily plant beautiful lavender in your garden and see the flowers blooming in some months. Do you need more information or have any questions? Get in touch with us through the comments and we will get back to you with answers to all your queries.
