So great you posted this thread: Very recently I moved from Baltimore, MD to northern CA. I lived in Baltimore for 7 years and gardened extensively with herbs and roses. I did a trial with the Spanish lavender; a few I potted up and overwintered in my old fashioned 4-season sunroom with southern exposure. A few I left in the yard, sheltered by a north facing detached garage with full southern exposure. The lavenders in my sunroom went dormant but did not die over the winter, in fact, when spring came, they began to bloom indoors. The lavenders in the yard however, bit the dust when temps got into the low 20's, never to return. This is not proper science, just something I tried out on my own. Hidcote lavender proved the most hardy for me outdoors in this region, although it must be replaced every 3-4 years.

According to the pink bunny's ears lavender in the front yard: if the wood isn't too old then there can be some 'back budding' - new growth on bare wood. As you have fairly new plants you may be in luck. Your main challenge will be to keep any new shoots protected from late frosts - and excess damp. Excess damp tends to turn the foliage into black mush. When you cut back use the colour of the stems for guidance. There are the newest, still green ones. When you snip back the dead flower heads go down into a pair of leaf tufts to get more dormant buds to start. To keep some semblance of symmetrical shape (ha! I wish!!) cut back below the green where the wood is a warm brown, possibly with a touch of yellow - and there are still leaf tufts along the stems. Go to a healthy pair facing the direction you need. Just in case - take some cuttings in spring and nurture them through to the following spring. They'll often come away in sharp sand or vermiculite. Ensure plenty of air otherwise they'll happily rot before your eyes. For mulching - I'd choose pebbles. Nice rounded ones if they suit your decor. They keep the moisture in the ground, suppress the weeds, and reflect heat up into the branches to ripen them up for winter. Keep them back from the stem, though, by at least an inch. Thick enough to hide the soil and thwart the weed seeds.

Thank you ianna and gardengal48, you have confirmed what I suspected. they certainly are crisp, but the same plants in the ground are, too (though they look more free and vibrant). I think I will trim them a bit, give them a good spot to hang with morning light and keep them in their pots until spring. If they make it through the winter then I will plant them. The planting strip won't be ready for planting until spring anyways. I have had an English lavender in a pot when I apartment container gardened, and it was obvious it didn't like the pots after the first season. I was able to plant it I the ground the next summer, and then it flourished during the third summer. Perhaps I can try it with these guys. I do hate to throw plants away, though. I have plenty of pots (from my container days), space to put them and patience glorified way of saying lack of time, really;). It will be a little experiment :)

Okay. We don't have true central heat, but heat with a wood stove. That room tend to run cold. No water pipes. No central heat. Just wood, wall, books, and fabric. I could also try the colder cellar with some weak light from a cellar window with translucent film over it. My ancesters were all English and came to 'America' in the 1600's (Puritans -Quaker). I grew up on the New England coast (cool) and always hoped to visit England. For now I get by watching Masterpiece Theatre pieces. I swear, I watch some and the repeats just to drink in the landscape, geology and foliage. Lucky you, Campanula. I grew up where people had interesting accents. When I went away to college, my accent was pointed out to me time and again, so I worked to eliminate it (I was living away in urban areas then, so easy enough to do for one one tuned in to pronunciation. I usually have to put the TV subtitles on with some of the U.K. programs, even though if I were to visit for a few weeks, I'd be speaking with the same accent. When watching these programs, I find myself repeating the words and accent a few times. I just love that! I tell my friends that I wasn't meant to be carried over here. I don't like hot weather. Love the smell of grass, shore, woods, moss, sheep, horses and cows. I love knitting with good wool yarn, but it's always too hot to enjoy sweaters here. If Poppleton and Emu still make that 100% wool, dark blue black 5-ply navy Guernsey yarn, I might order some to make a simple jumper. Pass me a scone and pour me a cup of tea. Embothrium, I can try a window area in the cellar, otherwise that lavender will have to get its own rental unit in a greenhouse. Thanks both of you for your help.