Intro/Brief Description

Lavender

Genus: Lavendula

Ancient medical texts extol its healing powers. It is written that in the Middle Ages people handling lavender never fell victim to the Bubonic Plague.

In ancient Egypt it is said that lavender essence was used in mummifying corpses. Romans tossed it into their public baths, hence its name, from the Latin lavare, meaning “to wash.”

Today, medical science has found conclusive evidence that the healing powers of lavender have been praised for good reason.

Features

The plant is drought tolerant, highly disease resistant, has attractive flowers and foliage, tolerates poor soil and is deer resistant.

Lavender has aromatic buds, foliage and leaves. Besides the rose, lavender is the only common flower that retains its fragrance when dried.

The lovely fragrant blossoms of lavender are especially easy and rewarding to harvest. Spikes of lavender should be cut as soon as most of the flowers in the head are open but before they begin to fade. Pick the stems in the morning, just after the dew had dried. This is so that the essential oils won’t lose their quality when exposed to the heat of the sun. A sunny, cool, dry morning is best for picking.

Hardiness

Lavender has many varieties of varying degrees of hardiness. In California it is possible to grow many tender species of lavender i.e. Lavandula stoechas and Lavandula dentata. However, in the Northeastern United States and Canada these tender plants will not make it through the winter and should be treated as annuals. Also, these varieties require a richer soil than the hardy varieties and the flower stems tend to be weaker and more arching than the hardier types. Their leaves tend to be more green than gray and have a distinct pungent, soft-camphorous fragrance.

Some of the hardier varieties i.e Lavandula Augustifolia and Lavandula x intermedia will make it through cold winters with protection, up to and including Zone 4. The lavender plant produces more essential oils in a dry, sandy, even stony ground. In these locations it will be tougher (withstand cold winters better) and grow shorter than in a rich soil, but the perfume will be stronger and more penetrating. It can survive colder temperatures because of a presence of an oily resinous sap (present in pine) which helps make it resistant to cold. This Mediterranean plant can survive very cold winters best in areas with a stone mulch and consistent snow-cover which acts like a protective blanket from severely cold temperatures.

Growth Habit

The hardy lavender plants are mostly shrubby plants and have narrow gray-green leaves. The leaves of different varieties vary in size on different parts of the plants, and some flower spikes are tapered while others are blunt. Most Lavandula Augustifolias resemble low-growing compact bushes with spikes of sweet fragrant flowers on long stems. The Lavandula x intermedia varieties of Grosso and Provence are less compact with a growth span of up to 36" and with longer flower spikes that can reach 30". in height.

Bloom Time

Lavandula Augustifolia will bloom in early to mid-July while the Lavandula x intermedia varieties will bloom mid to late July (in Zones 4-5). The plants bloom for at least two weeks and retain their colour for another couple of weeks before the colour begins to fade.

Propagation

Tender lavender is fairly easy to propagate by seed, cuttings or layering. Hardy lavender is best propagated by cuttings or layering.

We have experienced the most success with the “layering” method of propagation. Both layering and cuttings will ensure that the new plants will keep the qualities of the parent plant. Choose a healthy non-flowering stem and remove the leaves from the part you are going to bury. Hold down with a curved piece of wire or a stone. Check regularly to see when roots develop. Allow the new plant to grow in place until the following year, then carefully cut the stem and re-plant the new plant.

Transplanting

The best time to transplant lavender plants is in late spring. During the first summer the plants will need plenty of consistent watering to ensure that they develop deep roots to take them through their first winter.

Soil

Lavender prefers a slightly alkaline soil (pH 7.0 7.5), fertile, light and well drained.

Irrigation

Irrigation is generally not required with drought-tolerant lavender.

Sunlight

When growing lavender be sure to pick a site that receives at least six hours of direct sun.

Care

Ensure that newly planted small plants do not dry out during the first summer of planting. They need to build strong roots to protect themselves from winter kill. Once established the plants could benefit from the addition of lime in the fall. Applying a mulch of sand or stone around the base of the plants can increase winter survival when there is a lack of consistent snow cover.

Lavender plants require good drainage and air circulation. They cannot survive long periods of dampness. In a damp soil the plant tissues become waterlogged, the plant blackens and soon dies.

Do not be tempted to prune lavender plants in the fall if you are located in Zones 4 or 5. The new growth stimulated will not have time to harden off before freezing temperatures prevail. The best time for a generous pruning and shaping is just after flowering.

Pests

Lavender is resistant to most pests because of the strong aroma and taste of the plant. However, we have encountered mild infestations of spittle bugs which are closely related to aphids. Like aphids, spittle bugs rely on the nectar or sap of plant life for food.

Disease

The most virulent killer of lavender is phoma lavendulae (also known as shab), which is a parasite fungus. Some cultivars are more resistant than others. It appears that the closer the lavender hybrid is genetically to Lavendula augustifolia, the more resistant it is to disease; the closer the hybrid is genetically to Lavendula latifolia, the more susceptible to disease it appears to be.

References

Barrett, Patti. “Growing and Using Lavender.” Story Books, Pownal, Vermont.

Tisserand, Maggie; Junemann, Monika. “The Magic and Power of Lavender”. Lotus Light, Shangri-La.