Lavendar wants hot and dry. We haven't had much of that yet.

Frankly I have all but given up on it. I have one surviving plant that is on it's 3rd year.

This is the first year it actually bloomed much, but the blooms are more sparse than what they should be. The individual stalks that is. The other one planted in the same bed didn't make it over the winter this year.

I think it might do better in a container with a fast draining mix (like a succulent mix) and a lax watering schedule.

Lavender that flowers first season? Not any kind I've ever had! Mine was planted 3 years ago. I put it in a sheltered area, (planted Lavender several times over the years in different spots only to have it not survive winter) it didn't do anything the first year, except survive the winter which was a great start, I thought. The second year I had a few flowers. Now in the third year it's going gonzo! Blooming like crazy. The key for me was finding the right location, and then having patience.

Now...why did I move here? Oh yeah...family.

Hot, Sunny, and dry is the key. I don't know if any lavender would survive in your zone 3/4 area. But here in zone 5 I add gravel and sand to our clay here and also plant in a mound for good drainage. Mine grows well and blooms regularly.

Dave
Franklin

Thank you all. I have my little lavender plants in a 10" pot, in a raised bed with other herbs, a few in 4" pots and in a flat spot in a hillside. All are in full sun. The 10" pot(and smaller pots) have (cheap) bagged potting soil, but the raised bed and hillside spots are mostly clay and they seem to drain quickly. It has been hot and dry here with the occasional thunder storm, usually at night, yet all plants are the same size. I guess I just have to be patient, and think about overwintering at least one plant. I really miss growing lavender(whine!). Thanks again for your help.

I have had lavender for 4 years now in zone 4. What you need is hidcote or munstead types in well drained soil. If you have clay dig down about 4 feet & fill with 3 feet of clear stone & then 1 foot of compost & plant it in that. Also you have to cover in the winter, but not until mid december & then use something with a little ventalation. I use old pots that trees came with a brick on top to keep from blowing away. Do not prune back until spring & then you can prune alomst to the ground or leave as is as some of the growth will come back & some won't.
good luck

Thanks for the info, Greif. You give me hope. However, I can't do much to the soil here...DH and I are in a rental(apt) and the raised bed is here for all the tenents. I'm the only one using it at the moment and I don't have the funds or physical ability to work it properly, but I do what I can. I did mean to say the soil is mostly clay and sand. I have thyme and oregano in the same bed and they are doing well.
I found my seed packet and what I have is Lady Lavender(angustifolia). Apparently it's a smaller plant to begin with(doh!):O I'll just have to wait and see what happens with my little plants. Thanks again everyone!

Hi,
Greif is exactly right. A few things to add, lavender takes a looooong time from seed, you are better of getting a small plant from the nursery. Agustafolia probably won't live here sorry. Next time get a small munsted plant. If you can't amend the soil in the whole bed just add some pea gravel right around your plant and in the hole and mulch with pea gravel. The rest of your veges probably wouldn't enjoy gravely soil anyway but you can put some around your other herbs and they will enjoy it even though they are more hardy. You can get a bag of pea gravel at Walmart for 2-3$ The part about not cutting it down is key. The thing that will most likely kill it is being too wet around the crown that's why the gravel at the surface is important and then having the old branches there holds leaves, debree and snow away from the crown. A light breathable cover as mentioned would be great too. They also tend to be less likely to survive when they get old and woody. you can pin branches down in mid summer and get them to root and then if the old main plant dies you will have the small side plants survive and you can just cut them from the main plant if it dies.
Catrina

My little lavender plants finally did start blooming just in the last couple of weeks. One in particular got to be about a foot in diameter and has about a dozen flower stems(better than nothing). I think it did better than the others because it was right at the west edge of the raised bed and got better drainage and more warmth(from the railroad ties). The others are about half that size. I dug up a couple of the small ones to see if I could keep them alive inside through winter under lights. I will probably look for one of the hardier types for next year. Thank you all for the advice.

Oregano...another weed...LOL I planted one, ONE plant, in 1980 or so here and now have it everywhere! it's a weed in my lawn and in my flower beds. smells wonderful when you pull it out by the bucketful...:) This seems to be a problem with all mint type plants for me...they get out of control. I only plat them in pots now, on the patios and pick up and discard(not compost) ANYTHING that falls off of the plants...I still have some problems though.

Dave
Franklin

Dave,
I would love to take some of that oregano off your hands!
Also, noinwi, how did the lavender survive the winter?

Dave is soooo right about oregano, or any other mint for that matter. Only plant it where you want something that is zero maintenance and can be allowed to be totally out of control, LOL.

noinwi, I've never been able to get lavender to survive up here in our (yours & mine) zone. The best I can suggest is buy a nursery plant and enjoy it for the summer. I tried overwintering it in my greenhouse, but it didn't make it. Too bad!

Constance.

Wow, I guess I'm lucky. Three years ago I ordered a dozen small munstead lavender in 3" pots. $50 or so I think. Bloomed the first year but thin. Second year they filled in quite a bit, and look great. Also, if you cut the flowers off just when they start to fade, they'll grow a second crop of flowers. They smell awesome. Also, I don't cover them in winter or cut them down in spring. They're grey in winter, and are just now starting to turn green again. I love em. They are in well-drained soil on the south side of my barn. Lots of heat off the wall. However, I do water regularly because of everything else in the bed. I think I got them from Park's.

Well, my lavender didn't survive the winter, even with a heavy layer of leaves on top. The garden shops and nurseries in this area are just opening, so it's time to start looking for the hardier types mentioned in the above posts. My oregano(greek), sage and lemon balm made it and are starting to sprout, and some chamomile survived under the leaves(and also reseeded!). The chives and thyme are totally indestructable! I was also able to overwinter a small rosemary inside.
I'll let you all know what kind of lavender I'm able to find. Thanks for all of your info and inquiries!

Last year I bought the munstead variety, and it has all come back for me. I didn't even mulch it. I was at True Value yesterday, and they had this variety there. Not sure if you have a True Value near you.