Growing Lavender Plants Anywhere
Lavender is a flower that every gardener sooner or later has the urge to try to grow. Undeterred by the fact that it is a lover of dry, sunny, rocky habitats, we will give it a try.
As with most, plants your success with growing lavender will all depend both on what kind of growing conditions you can provide and which varieties you select to grow. Growing lavender plants will tolerate many growing conditions, but it thrives in warm, well drained soil and full sun. Like many plants grown for their essential oils, a lean soil will encourage a higher concentration of oils. An alkaline and especially chalky soil will enhance lavenders fragrance. While growing lavender in zone five, it is unlikely you will ever have a lavender hedge. You can expect to have good growing lavender plants when the weather cooperates and experience the occasional loss of a plant after a hard winter, or wet humid summer.
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Growing lavender is a tough plant and is extremely drought resistant once established, When first starting your growing lavender plants, don't be afraid to give them a handful of rich compost in the planting hole and to keep them regularly watered during their first growing season.
When growing lavender plants it is dampness, more than cold that is responsible for killing growing lavender plants. Dampness can come in the form of wet roots during the winter months or high humidity in the summer. If humidity is a problem, make sure you have plenty of space between your plants for air flow and always plant in a sunny location. Areas where the ground routinely freezers and thaws throughout the winter will benefit from a layer of mulch applied after the ground freezes. Also protect your growing lavender plants from winter winds. Growing lavender plants next to a brick or stone wall will provide additional heat and protection.
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Growing lavender plants get pruned regularly simply by harvesting the flowers, to keep them shaped well and to encourage new growth, a bit of spring pruning is in order. The taller varieties can be cut back by approximately one third their height. Lower growing lavender plants can either be pruned back by a couple of inches or cut down to new growth. If you live in an area where growing lavender plants suffer some winter die back, don't even think about pruning your plants until you see some new green growth at the base of the plant. If you disturb the plants too soon in the season, they give up trying.
Growing lavender plants in containers and keep moving it as the sun moves, and bring the plants in over winter. Keep in mind that although lavender has a large, spreading root system, it prefers growing in a tight spot. A container that can accommodate the root ball with a couple of inches to spare would be a good choice. To large a container will only encourage excessive dampness. Insure that the container has good drainage. To prevent water pooling in the container, place an inch of loose gravel at the bottom of the container. Root rot is one of the few problems experienced by growing lavender plants. Use loose soil less mix for planting and remember growing lavender plants in containers will require more water than when grown in the garden. Water when the soil, not the plant, appears dry and water at the base of the plant to limit dampness on the foliage.
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