Lavendar keeps dying in our garden
fjfdnrv
Posts: 2
My partner comes from the south of France, and so we have a particular affinity to lavender, but we do not seem to be-able to keep it alive in our garden.
We have bought cheap plants from fetes, the weekly market etc. We have bought expensive plant from garden centres. We have tried Lavendar from the UK and from France. We have planted it in pots in both the front and back gardens, and we have planted it in different positions in the back garden (we cannot plant directly into the ground in our front garden except within the shadow of the wall). We have no issues with growing any other plants in our garden (expect plants liked by snails, which we just don't attempt to plant)
We live in Snodland, which is between the river Medway and in the shadow of the North Downs in North West Kent. Our front garden (which is very small) faces south and our back garden faces north.
Does anyone have any ideas about how we could grow Lavendar in our garden NB no-one else in the village seems to have any issues growing it, so it is a complete mystery to us.
Posts
Is your garden well-drained? Lavender hate their roots being cold and damp - they can cope with cold roots but the combination of both will finish them off.
Dig plenty of horticultural grit into the soil and then heap the planting area into a ridge or heap and plant on top of that so that the lavender is never sitting in a puddle.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
HI Philippa - goodness, what a quick response, I didn't expect that - thank you so much for your answer.
I'm afraid that although we love gardening, we are fairly thick when it comes to the practicalities - we're part of the "pop it in and hope for the best" brigade. However we do know that Lavendar needs sun and good drainage.
It usually lasts for a few weeks, and then just starts to wilt ad give up the ghost, everything drops off, it becomes a dried up skeleton and it's dead!
Hmmm, that doesn't sound good. You do water it occasionally don't you?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Hi, I had no luck in shadier parts, I,m definitely pop it in and fingers crossed too, by the way, planted 2 new clumps in sunniest parts of garden, stuck in with lots of grit and a handful of sand for luck, have watered when weather dry, both looking really good and should flower in a couple of weeks, good luck, let us know, did you see that offer in gW mag? Just pay postage , get lots of plants to have a go with!
They like full sun and a well drained, alkaline soil. I find Hidcote very hardy here but can only grow it in a bed next to a retaining wall of railway sleepers where they never sit with wet feet and are sheltered form teh worts of the northerly and easterly winter winds. I also grow the white form "Edelweiss" there and they happily set seed which germinates in the gravelled parking space at the base. Both forms have failed in other parts of the garden as have other forms.
I lost mine this winter, I assumed it was too wet.
Just came across this and was wondering if it how the lavender is grown.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/plants/10804323/The-garden-centre-where-bigger-plants-are-better.html
Interesting
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I cant remember where I heard it, but a phrase I've known for years 'if it dries, it dies' relating to lavender.
As said above they like free-draining alkaline soil and regular drinks, but don't like wet roots.
I grow french lavender in pots and English lavender in sunny parts of the garden.
Good luck
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Unglazed terracotta pots in full sun, watering in summer and I cannot see you having problems. I have Hidcote and other English varieties and never had a problem - mine is in clay soil with some added grit and they grow away (is on a south facing slope). Do not bring them inside as that dries them out.