Hi

"bonnie" nursery has several types they claim will do well here . They selll at all the box stores so you won't have to invest much . They're usually in the herb vegetable sections. gary

I bought a pretty lavender plant at HD. Just checked, it's lavandula pinnata. I guess I'll enjoy it while it lasts. It gets morning sun + some water every day. It's on my porch, but I'll move it outside to see if it attracts butterflies or hummingbirds.

That may do well in N. FL, but I doubt it will thrive in the southern part of the state, kellyreark. Or are you saying that you've been growing it? If so, where?

It also depends on your zone. Once you get past 9b, even French Lavender struggles. I tried to grow it in Venice when I was there, and it lived, but did not thrive, and eventually was just too scraggly to keep.

Yeah, I couldn't get French lavender to survive in Stuart, either. It does fine in the winter, but then…

Use it a a winter annual.

Hi, sonni1. The tricky part about that is that most lavenders don't bloom till the second year. I could grow it in my hydro system, but when I shut that down for the summer rest/cleanout….

I was down at Mounts today and they did have a pot of English-type lavender in one of the herb gardens, but it wasn't winning any prizes, either.

I've not yet had a lavender survive the summer - even if I cut it to the ground. I'll buy them at the store in the fall if I want them bad enough and have them for the winter.

9b/10a. This thread makes me feel so much better. Thought I was killing it. I ended up buying Mexican Heather. And yes, I know it's not lavender, but the color works for me. :)

I think this is French lavender on the west side of my house where I grow most of my potted herbs. I don't know what happened to the label.

It only gets evening sun for about 4 hours but the soil drys out daily so I usually have to water it any day it doesn't rain. Much to my surprise it produced two flowers and a few more buds are just now emerging.

FL Joe, your lavender looks really great. You must be doing something right! Maybe I will try one here. My biggest challenge is our summer rains combined with temps up to 100F at times. I know they like heat but not wet heat lol.

Sultry, Does it sometimes rain for days without end where you live? Here in St. Pete that's so very unusual. Even on days that it rains the sun almost always comes out again, quickly drying everything up. Also I don't think it's every actually reached 100° here.

Yes, in the summer it can rain every day for a week or more. Just enough to steam everything up and make it miserable lol. I have been thinking of making a dry raised garden with a polycarb roof thats partially clear so I can grow succulents and herbs that like to stay drier. They will still get some humidity but not the direct dampness and I can mulch with small rocks and put everything on a slope. I am originally from So Cal but also lived in Az and a few other places for a bit. I miss being able to grow my succulents.

~Sjn

Is there any update?