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Lavender (soil depth)

Jay TeaJay Tea Posts: 27

Can anyone give me advice on how shallow soil Lavender will tolerate. My girlfriend really wants a lavender hedge along the front of our garden but the front garden runs along a path and the pavement seems to have a concrete base under it that extends under the lawn we were going to dig out for the bed.

Thanks

Jay

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Posts

  • Jay TeaJay Tea Posts: 27

    I'd read you could get away with 8-10 inches so 60cm really surprises me.

  • Dave MorganDave Morgan Posts: 3,123

    Lavender isn't deep rooted at all 60 cm is nearly 2 ft. Considering their natural habitat in the Med where they grow on almost no soil 6 inches is fine. Just make sure the soil is very well drained and in full sun.

  • Dave MorganDave Morgan Posts: 3,123

    Concrete bases can have two effects in my experience. One water logging or two, extreme drainage. It depends on several factors how deep, how big and whether it's angled. I suggest Jay digs down and finds out how far the concrete impedes onto his property ( probably very little) and if it does, take a sledge hammer to it to break it up. I don't know of many councils who use concrete as a base for a footpath.

    10 years for a lavender hedge is good going Verdun, you obviously got the conditions right in the first place and look after it well. Not many people can do it.

  • Jay TeaJay Tea Posts: 27

    This one definately tends to the extreme drainage end of things, it's rather dry there which is why I was looking. I don't wish to hammer it as I'm 99% certain there are water pipes in that area. I think I can get 6, maybe 7 inches and we really only need a very low boundary marker, 'hedge' was possibly too grand a word. I think I'll give it a try - worse happens is they don't do well but lavender plants are not very expensive.  Thanks for the help.

  • Jay TeaJay Tea Posts: 27

    And as suggested I can maybe try and build things up a little

  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995

    Make a raised bed, as suggested by Verdun?  You can make it look quite fancy by putting red bricks down at an angle together, or perhaps paint up some of those solid concrete blocks in a nice shade of purple?  I wouldn't think you would need to raise it too much, make your soil depth add up to 8 inches total?  

    Utah, USA.
  • Any feedback on this from you Jay?  I have the same scenario exactly!  I have good drainage because there's a drain.. maybe too much drainage.  What soil did you use?  That's my main question.  Thanks!

  • Jay TeaJay Tea Posts: 27

    I just stuck them in in the end and they grew, not only that but when they did I experimented with a horrible clay-ey, semi-shade area at the bottom of the garden (which goes against everything I've ever heard and they grew there too (they flower slightly less but not so much that you really notice). Maybe I've been lucky but at this stage I think Lavender is far less fussy than I'd been led to believe.

    Last edited: 08 May 2017 12:08:57

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