Re: Sudden Death Strikes Lavender

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There are 100's of acres of Lavandula stoechas naturalised in the foothills of the Adelaide Hills, just where the suburbs end at Burnside, Glenunga, Waterfall Gully, Greenhill, Mt Osmond, Montacute, Norton Summit and these are totally neglected except where they get burned to the ground in bushfires and eaten by horses, goats and farmed deer. And they flourish. We treat them too, too kindly in our gardens.

 

I have planted white, wine red, pink and pedunculate forms along a lane where they will not get any summer irrigation. Now to see what happens. Before I planted them out from pots I cut off about half their root systems and knocked away a good deal of remaining potting soil-less soil and planted them. With heavy winter rains and more to come until the middle of October they should be well established in the natural dirt before the summer drought hits. they may need one or two additional drenchings in their first summer but I'm not planning that unless they look really distressed. Some of these varieties have been selected from seedlings and sports found in England and NZ where the climates are cooler and wetter. I wonder if they will prove as hardy as the type.

 

Trevor Nottle
Manager-Education
TAFE Horticulture Centre
505 Fullarton Road
Netherby
South Australia  5062
AUSTRALIA

 

Tel. 61 +8 +8372 6801    Fax. 61 +8 +8372 6888