Re: Lavenders

Sean and others,

    My question has to do with the longevity of the flowers
    rather than the plants themselves.

    Have you found that there are certain things you can do to
    prolong the bloom season on lavenders? We have a lot of 
    L. 'grosso', whose flowers never seem to last for more than a month.
    This year, they started showing color just in time for July 4th,
    looked stunning by mid-July, but by end of July were looking sadly
    faded and brown (and this was a very cool July!)

    Is this about the length of bloom season one might expect?
    Are there other varieties that provide a longer show?
    What are the factors that affect the longevity of the flowers?
    (Possibly the swarms of bees pollinating the flowers 
    make them go through their cycle faster?)

Thanks much,

-- Irene

Irene Kuffel
Napa Valley, California.

Sean A. O'Hara wrote:
> 
> At 01:41 PM 8/6/2004, kkonrad1@ix.netcom.com wrote:
> >I'll ask a question...
> >I'm in the SF Bay Area, and am probably a Sunset Zone 16, or maybe 17, 
> >which I think is a regular zone 8. Anyway, I have about 6 lavenders in my 
> >yard (need to get more!), and my two oldest plants, which are actually 
> >lavendins - Provence - are starting to get quite woody underneath. They 
> >are still growing well, and are large with great flowering, but they are 
> >almost 5 years old. Do they need to be replaced periodically? I prune 
> >after the flowerheads are all dried up, going down a few inches into the 
> >greenery past the stalks. Is this too little? I've also tried taking 
> >cuttings using the Oasis blocks, but nothing has taken. Any advice?
> >Kris
> 
> Hi Kris -
> 
> I grow a number of lavenders with pretty good success.  Those with more L. 
> angustifolia blood do tend to have sudden die back or die out-right, 
> largely, I think, because of our richer, heavier soils.  These plant like 
> very stoney, well-drained soil, and while they will grow luxuriantly on a 
> rich soil for the first few years, this tends to cause the early death 
> gardeners complain about.
> 
> My best advice for growing these is:
> - good sunny exposure
> - good air circulation
> - poor, stoney, alkaline soil, even with rocks and chunks of concrete in it!!!
> - do not fertilize
> - water very sparingly, if at all, during the summer
> - cut back well (as you mention), eventually forming a good dome-shape 
> (this helps traps cooler air ambient humidity within the foliage crown 
> during dry spells).
> 
> Cutting can be made from soft-wood set into a mix of perlite, vermiculite, 
> and sand - use of rooting hormone if helpful.  Make several cuttings to 
> maximize success rate.
> 
> Interspecific hybrids like the Lavadins (L. intermedia), L. heterophylla, 
> L. "Goodwin Creek", L. "Richard Gray", etc. are often easier to grow and 
> more robust in their growth, flowering longer as well.
> 
> BTW - The many, many L. "stoechas" cultivars that abound in nurseries 
> today, with various colored flowers and bracts, are less adaptable to the 
> harsh treatment mentioned above.  They are generally hybrids of L. stoechas 
> and L. viridis, a tender Canary Island species.  These tend to grow fast 
> and lush, responding to water and rich soil, and sulking in heat and 
> drought.  True L. stoechas cultivars are hardier and tougher and drought 
> tolerant.  But this species also prefers a more neutral to slightly acid soil.
> 
> Good luck!
> Seán O.
> 
> h o r t u l u s   a p t u s     -    'a garden suited to its purpose'
> Seán A. O'Hara   sean@support.net   www.hortulusaptus.com
> 1034A Virginia Street, Berkeley, California 94710-1853, U.S.A.
>
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