How to Grow Lavender

Before delving into the ways of growing lavender, let us take a look at its wonders. Many people like lavender because of their striking beauty and their usefulness all at once. They appeal to bumblebees and butterflies, too, which are good indications for the healthy state of any garden. Lavender is also a very fragrant plant, from which essential oils can be extracted, flowers can be dried, and it can even be used in the culinary world.

Choosing the Right Variety of Lavender

Before proceeding to learn ways of growing lavender, first, you need to determine the type that will be appropriate in your garden. There are many types of lavender, but the following are some of the common ones:

1. English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia): This is a more cold-resistant and aromatic variety, hence good for those living in cooler regions.
2. French Lavender (Lavandula dentata): Sweet, less pungent aroma, floriferous during heat, highly resistant to a Mediterranean-type climate.
3. Spanish Lavender (Lavandula stoechas): Rather different in form from most flowers, it thrives well in extremely hot, dry areas.

The type of lavender you will choose depends on your climate, space, and your preference. You begin by selecting the variety of lavender; from that, you will have to know how to grow the plant.

Growing Lavender: From Seeds or Plants?

A major aspect of learning to grow lavender is deciding between growing the plants from seed or purchasing small ones. Both ways are quite feasible, although each has certain demerits and merits.

• Propagation of Lavender with Seeds: Using seeds is less expensive; however, this usually takes comparatively longer. Lavender seeds take about 2-3 weeks to sprout, but sometimes take the whole year before it attains maturity and flowers. The seeds used have to be fresh because the seeds of lavender bear a low viability.
• Buying Lavender Plants: In order to achieve immediate results, one might want to buy young lavender plants from a garden center. This is more expensive outright, but one can at least expect flowers within the first growing season. It is much easier for most gardeners, especially when one is learning how to grow lavender for the first time.

Both will be super-effective, but with seeds, patience will be of essence. Your call, and you are back at the beginning of planting.

Best Location for Growing Lavender

Placement will be everything when it comes to determining how to grow lavender. Lavender requires full sun; it needs at least 6 to 8 hours of sun every day. Whether one intends to plant it directly into the ground or in a pot, this should be a bright area. It originates from the Mediterranean, meaning that it does well in a hot and dry environment and cannot bear so much shade.
It means that it thrives on well-draining soil, especially when grown on heavy clay soils; hence, the incorporation of sand or any other draining amendments is highly recommended. Equally, this can be done in raised beds or containers, which allow a great deal more amendment of the soil mix.

Preparing the Soil

Another important thing to learn in growing lavender is the preparation of the soil. This plant favors the sandy or light alkaline types of soil with pH ranging between 6.5 and 7.5. Light, loose, and well-draining soil has no water accumulation, which lavender could not survive.
You can do this by adding sand or gravel if you have heavy clay or compacted soil. If you aren’t sure about the pH level of your soil, an easy test will let you know if you have to add lime to increase the pH level.

Planting Lavender

Having selected the variety, location, and prepared the soil, the next step is planting. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to plant lavender:

• Spacing: These plants require space for growth. Plant them 2-3 feet apart to allow decent airflow for preventing disease.
• Depth: When planting lavender, excavate a hole deep enough to hold the root ball without covering the crown of the plant; seeds should be surface-sown or barely pressed into the surface of the soil, as lavender seeds require sunlight for germination.
• Mulching: This should be just a thin layer to keep it dry, not to wet it, with fine gravels or stones. Avoid organic mulches just because of the bark, which retains moisture, a thing which lavender abhors.

Proper planting gets your lavender off right and ensures better success with it over time.

Watering Lavender

The most common mistakes made by people when learning how to grow lavender concern watering. Once established, there is actually very little water that lavender needs, being the drought-tolerant plant that it is. Of course, immediately after planting, it pays to water well, but afterwards, lavender needs very little indeed.

Overwatering is a common problem and can lead to root rot. If you’re unsure when to water, check the top inch of soil; if it’s dry, it’s time to water. Lavender in containers will need more frequent watering, especially during hot spells, but be sure to allow the soil to dry out between waterings.

Pruning Lavender for Health and Longevity

Among the highly important cultural practices in lavender production and maintenance are pruning. It consists of regular cutbacks, which can regenerate new parts, maintain shape, and prevent hardening or woodiness of the plant.

• When to Prune: Spring is the best time when you can prune your lavender – just at the beginning of new growth. After the first flowers have stopped, you can lightely trim it in order to make it bloom a little bit more.
• How to Prune: A third of the plant’s height should be pruned, cutting into the softer, greener portions without cutting into the hard stems, since it is difficult for lavender to return from the older wood.

Fertilizing Lavender

Another plus when learning how to grow lavender is that they require little to no fertilizing. Any extra fertilizer will produce a tall, weak plant with fewer amounts of their precious oils. If you need to give your plant a little boost, a low-nitrogen, slow-release fertilizer can be done in the spring.

Harvesting Lavender

One of the best things about learning to grow lavender is harvesting. When it’s time for harvesting lavender, wait until about half of the flowers have opened on the stem. This is in early morning-the best time to harvest, because this is when the essential oils within are at the highest level.

Cutting Cut the stems using a pair of sharp scissors or shears. To dry tie several stems together and hang upside down in cool, dry location away from direct sunlight. Once dry flowers may be used in sachets or potpourri or even for cooking.

Common Lavender Issues

Even with the knowledge of how to grow lavender, there are sometimes a number of problems that can be experienced:

• Root Rot: This primarily develops either due to excess water or poor drainage of the soil. Avoid this by letting it dry out between waters in-between.
• Pests: Lavender is generally free of pests; however, occasional outbreaks of aphids and whiteflies do occur. A nice sprinkling of water or insecticidal soap will clean up the problem.
• Fungal Diseases: Most of these are favored by poor air circulation and excess moisture. Proper spacing among plants and regular pruning are necessary to ensure air circulation.

Summary

The growth of this crop in itself is the reward, as from one plant, myriad beautiful flowers, soothing fragrance, and a number of uses emerge. It thrives in full sun, has well-draining soil, and requires infrequent watering when it gets established. Plant seeds or young plants, giving them enough space for proper growth, prune, and infrequently fertilize for a thriving lavender. In due time, with a little bit of patience and attention, you will soon get to see the beauty and wonders lavender can bring into your garden.