Lavender herb is one of my personal favorites – that aroma just can not be duplicated and always conjures up images of vast purple fields swaying in a gentle breeze – I could just roll around in its splendor! My herb garden is never without a handful of lavender shrubs, they are the perfect addition to my garden as a whole – tainting it with it's sweet scent and giving that ever so slight sense of wilderness and mysticism. I love to sleep with a pouch of it's dried leaves under my pillow at night to send me off into a peaceful sleep. My lavender plants take good care of me when I feel slightly under the weather and the least I can do is to give some TLC back.
I want to share with you some of my best tips to growing lavender and taking care of this marvelous herb so that it can flourish in your gardens as well as my own. This article will tell you all you need to know about taking care of lavender so that you can benefit from its medicinal, culinary and decorative offerings.
How to Give Lavender the Best Start.
Purchase seeds from any nursery or garden center. This herb loves to bask in the sun and needs around eight hours of sunlight a day so take this into consideration when finding the perfect spot to start seeding.
Get digging around the bed to loosen up soil and remove any obstructions such as pesky weeds, rocks or other debris. Lavender has a rather large root system and needs plenty of room, expect to dig six inches deep to allow the root to spread.
You can increase the soil's fertility by adding some compost manure into the bed where your seeds will be planted.
Give your lavender a better chance by growing it first in a pot, at least for a couple of weeks before transferring it to your prepared bed. Remember that the soil should be loose as opposed to compact.
When moving to the designated beds, ensure there is plenty of space between seedlings to allow for air to circulate and individual roots to grow. Cover the roots with loose soil.
To help water and heat retention, layer a little sand over the soil and plants. You will need to water lavender frequently in the first year for optimal growth and condition.
Caring for Your Lavender
Water your plants regularly and allow them to feed by providing plenty of compost manure. If you notice that the plant is yellowing mix some liquid sea kelp with fish emulsion and dilute with water before utilizing.
If your plants are turning brown at the base then this is a sign to decrease the amount of watering.
Trim the leaves down around a third during spring to allow re-growth and an eventual fuller bush.
Regularly cut down on spent stems, this will prevent a woody and malformed growth. Dead ends will split the plant.