looks like root rot to me. I can only grow lavender when I plant it on top of mounds of gravel mixed with good soil (as close to 50/50 as possible). The mound has to be over a foot tall and every 5 years or so you have to re-work the soil which involves digging up the plants, re building the mound, re planting the plants, etc. They are worth growing and otherwise tough as nails. Even with the gravel mix, if we have a long wet period without wind or sunshine they will start to rot.

A long time ago (20 yr) , I had planted them in my mail box planter.. they thrived.. there. Then all of a sudden they just died.. I did not know then, ... but i recall Hurricane fran came thru that year and so , John, I guess all that water... :-(

They did look like the picture above..

I do miss it.. Maybe I need to plant them again..

I'm planting some lavender in the fall. By the way, NO MULCH on lavender. Ever.

I have some lavender plants up on a hill, in sand, no mulch, I ignore them. LOL They are beautiful, bloom every spring. I have infertile sandy soil, so they should do just great here, and it rarely rains too!

I have to start landscaping more for the dryness, stop wasting so much water, Seriously, the money and water I waste just trying to keep some plants alive. It isn't worth it anymore.

So lavender in the fall, hope they live through the winter, and next spring, I'm planting more things I don't have to water.