I would think that it would do better in late day sun (Western side of the house) if you're only going to give it 4-6 hours. In fact, I've grown it on the Western side of my house successfully and it seems to thrive, blossom (although later-season rebloom is rather sporadic) and do well there. Do you have any space on the other side of the house for it?

It will be interesting to see if anyone has planted it in an Eastern exposure and had it be okay there, though.

East side might stay a bit too moist, too...they really like very dry and very well drained conditions to be attractive and survive well.

Thank you both very much. What you say sounds very sensible.

Blackswamp_girl:

A good thought on the western side of the house. However with the neighbors cherry trees providing shade there is generally even less sun over these. However in the southern part of our yard is where I have roses. Might be fun to try a couple more lavenders there.

Webkat:

Good point. In the bed I described I might try Campanula next year. That's another I have admired for some time but never grown.

Thanks again.

Kate

I had lavender in full sun at my former house - it bloomed like mad. I now have lavender in an eastern exposure - no bloom. My conclusion - it wants full sun to bloom.

Entling, thanks for chiming in. Kate's post had gotten me curious as to whether anyone actually had some experience with this or not... it's nice to know.

Kate: lavender is considered a "classic" partner for roses. You are in California - I'm in Canada but visited a beautiful winery near Sonoma that had huge flower beds with roses in the middle and lavender all around. My lavender is on the western side of a bed raised about 8 inches above the lawn level. The clump is probably at least 15 years old. I have never lost it - even in the toughest winters. I believe is is either Munstead or Hidcote.

It may be considered a "classic" pairing but the two plants are really quite incompatible. Other than lots of sunlight, they don't share the same growing conditions at all. Roses need rich soil, adequate fertilizing and lots of irrigation to thrive. Lavender wants lean soil, no fertilizing and minimal watering. If you make one plant happy, the other suffers. Generally, lavender planted amongst roses tends to be rather shortlived and will need to be replaced frequently. To combine roses and lavender successfully, they need to be planted sufficiently distant from each other so that their separate cultural needs can be properly addressed.

Thank you entling, shapiro and gardengal. In light of what shapiro said I might re think my whole planting location. I have a three feet long planting box in the far end of our back yard that is full of pretty marginal dirt. The planter is right next to a wood fence. Think not just warm conditions with full sun but HOT. Might be fun to try a couple of lavendar plants in there next summer. The only reason I have not planted it up with perennials previously was worry that the roots would freeze. But maybe there's hope.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I will check out both of those specific lavendars.

Kate

Kate: if the roots are OK in Ottawa, Canada (where winter temps of minus 25 or minus 30 Farenheit are not unheard of) they should be OK in California, even if it is "Northern" :) Loved the Botanical Garden in Mendocino.

I have Lavender in my back bed that is in mostly shade and is in its 2nd bloom of the summer now. It gets 2 hours of sun, around 10-12. I think it is Hidcot.

Can't really see it in the pic below, it is just past the Lambs Ear, on the left. THis was early June and the buds were plump but not in bloom.

Cathie

Here is a link that might be useful: Back bed, June 07

Thanks Cathie:

Enjoyed your picture also. I think I will give my raised planter in full sun a shot next year and take a chance on the roots not freezing over the winter. I was concerned about using that space before because the planter's relatively tall, about 16 inches. But based on what's beeen said above I think I might be okay.

Kate

I have lavender munstead in full sun, it gets sun for the entire day, and these plants are getting huge. I don't water it, letting nature take care of it. These plants are 2 yrs old and they have probably tripled in size. They are on their 3rd blooming this year, I absolutely love them. I think, at least for me, that lavendar is a plant that thrives on neglect. I do have them planted among other plants that don't seem to need a moist soil soil, and this seems to work out well for all of them. I was actually wondering, does anyone know how to divide them? They are actually starting to crowd other things out. Should I just dig up a portion of the plant, rather than dig the whole thing up and divide it? At the rate they are growing, they'll be taking over the entire bed very soon. And, while I LOVE these plants, there are other things planted in there that I like too.

Established lavender establishes a woody base from a primary stem - it is actually considered a subshrub - and so doesn't lend itself to dividing. Sometime you will get low lying branches to root - a natural layering - and these can be removed and grown on or you can layer branches manually. But I wouldn't recommend trying to divide.

And lavender really should be pruned back each season. A light cutting after bloom, really just removing the spent flower stalks and a good shearing in spring as new growth emerges. But don't cut into the woody portions beyond foliage - it won't regrow. If lavender is not sheared back at least annually, it eventually becomes top heavy and will splay out to the sides, exposing a very knarly, woody and unattractive interior.