Tips for Growing Lavender in Middle TN
Thank you for purchasing lavender from Fair Winds Lavender of Jamestown, Tennessee. We have gone from Essential oil and scrubs to multiple varieties of body care product and now at the requests of several of our customers, selling plants.Many people have struggled with getting lavender to grow and hope this information will be helpful to ensure the plants success.
3 things cause lavender to fail
1. Too much water
2. Not enough sun
3. Hovering
Explaining these 3 items will solve 90% of the reasons lavender might struggle to grow.
#1 Too much water-lavender is drought resistant and prefers occasional watering, we have found with 1100 plants that God provides as much as it needs. Unless it has not rained for 2 weeks, leave it to God.Keeping the ground around the lavender well drained will mitigate God's desire to water the other plants around them.
#2. Lavender loves full sun, literally. It requires the morning sun AND afternoon sun. If your lavender appears to be reaching to a side, it may be seeking more sun. Lots of sun translates to lots of blooms.
#3. Hovering- I know gardeners love to work around their prodigies and think a drink of water is just what they need as many other flowers do, but no. Lavender thrives on being left alone to grow. The best thing you can do for the plant and yourself is to trim the flower stems as they begin to open to use in crafts or to beautify your house.
Like roses, the more you trim the more blooms you will have.more
Notes on lavender care......
Year one the lavender may have a strong scent of camphor, by year two the plant will begin to smell as you expect-lovely.The plants mature by year 3 and will be about 36" around, so leave room between plants. Lavender does not like to be crowded.Fair Winds Lavender of Jamestown TN
About November the plant may go dormant and turn grey-green to white. If you want to insulate the plants-use dried leaves, not mulch.If a storm is coming and we have young ones we get leaves and place them around and on top for the brunt of the storm and then just leave them for compost.In February using a small trimmer give the plants a trim, like a hair cut, shape them up maybe 1-2 inches.
DO not cut into the woody steam.
It will starting greening up the 2d half of March. Weed, remove any dried leaves from the center of the plant and leave them to wake up.Temperature controls when flower stems shoot out (70s) and blooms will begin to open in the (80s).Humidity will cause the plants to go dormant and stop producing a lot of flowers (July) but as the nights cool in August you will see the plants greening up again and flowers will come up again by Labor Day.
At the end of October-November if the bees have slowed their gathering, trim the flower stems so the plant can begin to store energy in the roots for winter.
Repeat each year. Lavender will grow for 12+ years.If you move, yes take your plant with you, take a good portion of the roots, it will replant nicely. If you want to move it in the yard do this in September or March, water it when you replant it.If you purchased lavenders from hardware stores without names on them and you want to know if you can eat or use the blooms for tea-here's the test: Eat one bloom. If the bloom tastes as lavender smells and gives you a good feeling-yes it is culinary. If you find the bloom is bitter and awful tasting, it is a lavender meant to be use in crafts and perfume.
That is about all the advice I have,
Please call if we have not answered your question at 931-704-3152 Susan or Steven
We are excited when anyone is planting lavender to use for their health, crafts for their friends or for the bees.
Send us a picture of your plant next year, we'll post it in our store.