Super-duper drainage, and lots of sun.

I have several 'Munstead' that I've had for years. Full sun but really nothing special. In fact the one is in a spot that probably doesn't have ideal drainage. Since I'm zone 4b/5a I'd say its pretty hardy.

Hopefully it'll do better now that it's in a better position. I guess I'll just have to be patient and wait until it stops sulking from the move too. If it doesn't do better by the end of summer, I'll have to think of another one to try I guess.

My mom can grow it in her yard in Michigan, she has very sandy soil and plenty of sun. I won't even try in my clay soil and shady yard. Good drainage and lots of sun are key.

Karen

I have had good luck with lavender up here in S. WI (many kinds, mostly unnamed).

I always add 5-6 cups of gravel in the transplant hole before planting it and never trim back the stems, only the flower heads.

My neighbor killed her lavender every year so she asked me for help. I realized she trimmed them down to the ground every year... yikes! After we added some gravel and stopped cutting them back, they thrived.

Now she has 50+ beautiful plants lining her path to her pier. They are lovely!

Happy Gardening

Keriann~

I believe they're hardy in zone 5 but just won't tolerate heavy/clay soil - they like it sunny and dry with superb drainage.

I cut my lavender back in the spring almost to the ground, it's been thriving for years.

Have you tried Hidcote? I think it's supposed to be one of the hardiest, I remember reading when I was trying to decide which to buy. Seems like Provence is a bit hardier too.

It's all in the spot that you plant them in. I've got mine between the front walk and the garage in a little strip. I use a rock mulch and they don't get much water because they're under the eaves of the roof. This is a lousy spot for anything else, but my lavender loves it. I've got Hidcote Superior which is a darker color than Munstead. It's even seeded around a little bit which is great because I can't grow anything else in that spot.

I should have thought of trying the pebbles on the bottom of the hole! I also made the mistake of clipping back the foilage when new growth started this spring, as per some bad advice in one of my "gardening" books. I won't mention which, but I won't make that mistake again! As long as it can recover now, I think it'll find I've smartened up a bit and won't hate me so much lol :) Sure smells nice though!

I have two different colored ones that I received in a trade in the fall of '06. Much to my surprise, they are still going strong. Both are the size of small shrubs and they bloom profusely every year.

My soil has lots of clay and when planting them, we dug a nice sized hole and amended the soil. Both plants have definitely outgrown the original hole by now and don't seem to mind what they are growing in.

One has started to gift me with several seedlings every year, which I try to find homes for since it's so hardy and such a wonderful plant. Definitely the seeds from this one are fertile. I have never found seedlings around the other one though. And I do heavily mulch both sights.

I only trim off the dead ends when the plants leaf out in the spring. That's really all I do for them.

Linda

Hi - I've always grown Lavender plants (originally, to honor memory of my Dad who used *Yardley Lavender* after-shave all his life). In my zone, the 2 original ones I planted have gone thru all the imaginable tests of nature & some neglect, for more than 20 years. Suffered most from lack of sun, when trees ended up shading my herb garden bed. I've ground-layered stems & planted in sunnier beds w/ success. Today I have around 20+ (English, French Pink, Munstead, Hidecote & Provence).

Good drainage & sun (use sand in the bottom of the planting hole). The site below is a wonderful place to learn ... more than you need to know, including recipes for Lavender Cake & Ice Creme!!!

www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/lavendercareandtips.htm

Lavender wants a lean, unimproved soil--no compost, no feeding. Put it in the poorest, best drained soil you have, and jump back.

Well then it wouldn't like where it is then, because I now have it in the very front of the rose bed. I do fertilize and amend there. But I'll give 'em a chance and see what happens.
Sand in the bottom of the hole would be bad here, because if you put sand in with clay you get concrete. Unless of course you are talking about very course sand. I bought some "bonsai soil" which I'm going to try and use in the bottom where I'm planting a geum this spring. We'll see how that helps gulp lol. I'll mix the bonsai soil in with the native soil, and also include it on the bottom of the hole. Maybe I'll also buy some crushed granite too.

Hi! I was going to answer your question, and thought, I better look at the date.. Haha! 12 years ago!! How'd it work out for you!?