Hi Kim, aw it's OK, it was a fun experiment and I appreciate all your patient coaching. I was just going to post a question asking for a replacement. The spot is in a row of a dozen or so roses at the top of a short retaining wall with other plants in a narrow bed below it (in front of the wall). Facing the wall, it looks like this: Roses at top of wall (L-R): Joyfulness (peachy/apricot blend), Angel Face (will be moved to another spot and replaced with Neptune or similar color), _blank_spot_where_Granada_was_, Double Delight, White Masterpiece.... etc. In front of wall below these roses (again, L-R): Penstemon (violet color), Rose 'Lilian Austin', a mix of lavender-colored perennials(Scabiosa 'Butterfly Blue' and a Verbena).... etc. So, the replacement would stand between a lavender-colored rose (like Angel Face) and Double Delight, about 4-1/2 feet wide and 4' tall. I'd like colors similar to Granada, but I am open to other suggestions. A good yellow would also be nice; we have Sunsprite near the other end of the row but it's a bit shorter than I'd like in this spot. I'll take a photo and include it in a new post.

Unfortunately, once lavender has reached the stage where it has developed a knarly, woody interior and starts to splay open, it just doesn't rejuvenate well. It's best just to pull and replace. Pruning needs to be done on an annual basis beginning the first season after planting to ensure the plant stays dense and compact. L. stoechas is treated a bit differently than the typical "English" lavender - for one, it has a different growth habit and does tend to be more of a sprawler. It also is a very early bloomer, so the typical spring pruning usually recommended for other lavenders will delay or possibly even eliminate flowering. It's best to shear back after the first initial flush of flowers in early summer. Pruning is always a bit of a challenge with this plant, as it seldom stops blooming until early fall so any pruning will serve to reduce the bloom period. It's a toss up as to providing a tidy, well-groomed and compact appearance versus allowing the plant to assume its typical sprawling habit and continuous bloom - a lot of gardeners will just let the plant go and replace it once it becomes really unattractive. L. stoechas is fragrant but not to the same extent as other lavenders - it is grown primarily for its unusual flowers and far less for its culinary, herbal or craft properties. Flowering stems are not as tall as other types, for example, so less suitable for harvesting. Growing conditions are the same as for other lavender types - lean, very well-draining soil, full sun, minimal watering once established and no fertilizing. In areas where there is high summer humidty, plant so that air circulation is maximized but it still will generally be quite short-lived.

I have seen my neigbor once cut his way back( and gave me some). It grew back. But his was not too leggy. This was in the summer. Here is a link that might be useful: Pruning lavender This post was edited by seysonn on Tue, Sep 10, 13 at 23:13

Not high maintenance at all!! No more than any other perennial that needs to be cut back annually. You just need to start cutting back properly twice a season (lightly in fall after bloom cycle: harder in spring to form dense, compact plants with multiple bloom stalks) the same season as planted. And that can't be overlooked! The biannual shearing or pruning does not prevent the woody interior from forming....that is inevitable. But it does slow down its development and makes it much less visible. And helps to prevent the splaying or falling open (exposing the woody interior) that unpruned lavender always develops and makes it look bad. If maintained in this manner, you can have a handsome and productive lavender for many years. Skip a year and the difference will be obvious :-)