This year my lavender looks rather woody and not very good. Some of the branches are just leafy at the top, so it looks sorta dead. I did prune it in early spring, with information from the internet. I didn't cut it very far down. Any Ideas? It is getting some shade from nearby plants, I am thinking of moving it and seeing if that will help. Or will that hinder blooming? Thanks a bunch! :-D
Hi, Depending on the climate where you live, it could come back just fine when the weather warms up. In January I took out some dead stems from my oldest lavender that resulted from damage during what little winter we had. But it is an older and established plant so it didn't hurt it. This year it has almost tripled in size (almost 4 feet in diameter) and covered with blooming stems. Lavender does need to be away from plants that will shade them or block the air flow. Good air circulation is needed to prevent mold and they need at least 8 hours of sun a day. After the first year they need to be almost ignored when it comes to watering, they like it dry or their roots could rot. You could transplant it to a pot and move it around to find the right place for it before putting it in the ground. I would move it somewhere else tho, since it isn't doing well where it is. As far as blooming goes....I don't know but I would think that if the location is the problem then it could recooperate and bloom later this year or it might just take this year to grow and regain it's strength and not until next year. Good luck. Toni
Thanks for the reply toni! Mine is a Grosso and I live in Indiana (zone 5). There is a peony and an ornamental grass close by the lavender. This could be the problem. I am definitely going to move it. Any particular fertilizer to put on after the move, or just good old miracle gro.? Thanks!
http://www.goodwincreekgardens.com/ the only thing I have found is to put a handfull of compost in the bottom of the hole before planting and give is a light fertilizer in the spring. I haven't had to feed mine since this area was as cotton farm up until about 50 years ago and the soil is very healthy. http://gardening.about.com/od/perennials/a/Lavender.htm this also has some good info.
I did some research and also learned that i should mix my soil with quite a bit of sand when i plant it, and top dress it with small rocks. I will probably use a little gravel. I also heard that you can use dried, crushed egg shells as a good fertilizer for lavender. This is all stuff learned off of the internet. Thanks for the links, they were helpful!
Yes its a good idea to mix the soil with a bit of sand. Not only does increase the volume of soil you end up with but helps in terms of drainage etc...
