EDITOR ’S tone : Our guest author Eileen DeCamp fell in love with lavender on a trip to Provence and has been produce it in Albemarle County since 2008 . She took a course of instruction on growing lavender , and as her expertise grew , she became involve with other lavender growers , and joined the newly - make United States Lavender Association in 2013 .
Lavender is a beautiful gain to any garden , and there are over 450 lavender diversity and cultivar for the nurseryman to choose from ! Lavender belongs to the Lamiaceae , or mint family , and comes in many size , foliation coloring material and flower colors . All lavenders are great for pollinators and are just a beautiful addition to your garden .
The two most pop types areLavandula augustifolia — commonly calledEnglish lavenderor just plain “ lavender ” — andLavandulaxIntermedia , commonly bed as “ lavandin . ” The lavandins are a hybrid cross of the English mintage and the spike or Portuguese lavender ( L. latifolia ) . Although the lavenders and lavandins are similar , the lavenders have a sweeter scent and the lavandins are a spot more camphorous . It is just a scent preference . You have in all probability meet a third type — Lavandula stoechas — with its cylindric flower head topped with foliage - similar bracts that look like butterfly stroke wing . You will have to prune this type all summertime to get continual efflorescence , and it is not hardy in our geographical zone 7 .
lavender are aboriginal to southerly Europe , where the soil is rocky and lean . Those of you who have been on holiday in the Mediterranean know that it is dry with lots of sunshine . Here in Central Virginia — with clay soil , pissed springs and summers and lots of humidness — grow lavender can be a challenge , but it can be done with a little planning and preparation of your pick out website .
How to Grow Lavender in primal Virginia
If you are thinking of planting lavender in your garden , step one is to screen your grime . Lavender likes a neutral pH of 6.5 to 7.5 , so you may require to add together lime to our acidic local soil . When you submit your territory for testing , be sure to indicate that lavender is what you intend to plant . Then the filth test leave from Virginia Tech ’s Extension Service will tell you precisely how much linden tree to add . If you are engraft lavender with other plants , endeavor to choose plants that have the same requirements .
Well - drain soil is keyto success with lavender . Lavender does NOT wish wet foot , and withoutproper drain , it will develop root rot . If you have clay soil , you will want to amend with constitutive matter , sooner compost . think back , lavenders uprise well in rocky , arenaceous , juiceless soils , so your clay may benefit from the addition of small stones or crushed rock . you’re able to also implant your lavender on mounds or on a slope , which will help with drainage . If you are planting a wrangle of lavender , make certain you have enough way around each works forair circulation , which is specially crucial in our arena due to the humidity . You also require a site that meet 6 - 8 hours of full Sunday . Lavender does n’t require much plant food . Once lavender is build , you could expend a low - nitrogen fertilizer to establish strong stem . Do not mulch your lavender with unconstipated wood mulchbecause that will hold in moisture , which can cause root bunk . you may mulch with pea gravel or bloodless rock-and-roll , which will contemplate the sun under the plant to dry out out any H2O from heavy rainfall .
After the lavender has bloom , which is usually anywhere from the oddment of May to mid - July , you will want topruneit to keep it from becoming woody or leggy . This also assist protect the lavender in the winter from break open from laborious snowfall . I normally prune my lavender in other September so it has metre to regain before the cold circle in . I normally issue it back by 1/3 .
Which varieties to plant?
I advocate a few varieties that have been very successful in my gardens . The first is the cultivar Grosso ( LavandulaxIntermedia‘Grosso’),a lavandin which becomes quite enceinte , 32 - 36 inches in summit , with stem of 20 - 24 inch . Grosso has a gorgeous dark regal color . If you have the way in your garden , this is a dandy one to try .
The cultivar ‘ Hidcote’(Lavandula angustifolia)is a good one to try on in a little space . Its bow are shorter — about 6 - 8 inches , the plant height is 12 - 20 column inch , and the flowers are a lovely sinister gamey color . This is an excellent lavender to test in formula or lavender lemonade .
If you would care to try a pinkish lavender , then ‘ Melissa ’ is an excellent choice . It is also used in culinary dishes , and its stem distance is 8 - 10 inches and the plant life height is 30 inches . If you have a really small domain , then try ‘ Wee One ’ ( Lavandula angustifolia‘Wee One ’ ) , a dwarf miscellany which only gets 10 inch marvelous and has short dreary prime spikes .
I must also mention a newfangled cultivar that is draw rave reappraisal — LavandulaxIntermedia‘Phenomenal ’ — a lavandin which reportedly stand up to our humidity and weather precondition considerably than others.www.waltersgardens.com;PennStateExt.edu / master - nurseryman / allegheny county .
If you would like to learn more about lavender , I would recommendThe Lavender Lover ’s Handbookby Sarah Berringer Bader . This is an excellent resource , have 100 varieties with info on develop , harvesting , cooking , and crafting . The exposure are lovely and accompanied by helpful entropy on each diversity .
I know from experience that it can be take exception to grow a Mediterranean works like lavender in Central Virginia , but with a little employment and care , you could do it !
SOURCES :
The Lavender Lover ’s Handbook : The 100 Most Beautiful and Fragrant Varieties for develop , Crafting , and Cooking(Bader , 2012 ) .
Lavandula x intermedia‘Grosso’,www.missouribotanicalgarden.org / PlantFinder
Lavandula angustifolia ‘ Hidcote’www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder
Lavandulaxintermedia ‘ Phenomenal’extension.psu.edu/programs/master-gardener/allegheny county
“ Lavender : History , Taxonomy , and Production , ” North Carolina State Extension , newcropsorganics.ces.ncsu.edu / herbaceous plant / lavender
