Greenhouser, I wasn't clear enough. I did either (1) pot them into 4" pots or (2) plant them in a bedding zone in my greenhouse. My question is, can I overwinter them this way (in their 4" pots and in the greenhouse bed) to plant next spring when they are larger? Thanks!

Thanks Mistacottt and nhbabs. My lavender is indeed a multifada, so i could take a chance and leave it outside, tipping it on its side, or hope that it acclimatises to being indoors. It is in a pot because my garden has no soil but gravel instead so i grow most things in pots, unfortunately. Its always been in pots- last autumn i transplanted it from a small one to a larger one (terracotta) that it is in now, so the soil is a year old at most. I highly doubt the problem is being potbound, more rather an issue with humidity and temperature. My house has huge french windows rather than walls so it does get a lot of light even if not always direct sunlight. Its somewhat like a warmed conservatory. The temperature inside is about 22 degrees, maybe 21. But there isnt much difference between night and day in winter. The flowers have all bent over, a bit like cut flowers that you leave in a vase for a few days. The leaves are curling up and soft instead of firm like before. I will feel the soil and water if needed today, wait a few more days and then see if it improves. If it doesnt, i will bring it back out and try to fit it with in my coldframe.... Does that make sense? I am in switzerland and although the winters arent the worst, we get very strong chilling winds that sometimes bring the temps down to -20! I hope he makes it! Thanks again :)

Most perennials and shrubs don't look their best the first year from seed, so you didn't do anything wrong last year. Lavender can be challenging to grow from seed, so in fact you did quite well. Lavender likes well-drained and not too fertile soil and does best in a mediterranean climate where it doesn't get as cold as Chicago. I would be surprised if the Park's photo wasn't taken somewhere quite a bit warmer and drier than Chicago and I can't imagine that any lavender grown in Chicago will look like that photo consistently. Since your lavender hasn't overwintered at least one year, I would wait to see if it survived. Even though my lavender is in well-drained soil (sandy and on a slope) and does well during the growing season it really looks fairly bad at the end of every winter and doesn't recover soon enough to be ornamental before August, which is why I said it makes a good annual. Even those winters it survives, I replace it because well over half of the top of the plant has died due to our cold, wet winters. Here is an overwintered lavender in June with just a few green sprouts. I am not trying to be discouraging, but just sharing my experience as someone who tried to grow lavender as a perennial in a cold wet climate. Here's an article on pruning lavender and other subshrubs from Fine Gardening. If your lavender hasn't done well this winter, look at some of the smaller, shorter varieties of Nepeta, such as 'Kit Cat' AKA 'Kit Kat'. It will have the same mounding effect you are looking for with gray-green foliage and really nice blue-purple flowers.

I want to overwinter this lavender plant in a pot. (I don't have a good spot in the ground for it.) Obviously it needs a bigger pot... what type of pot would you recommend and how would you recommend wintering it? I bought it this year for $2 and it was only about 2 inches high....it grew so well.