Lavenders like things dry. I'm no expert on them by any means but I think underwatering may be better than overwatering here.

Yes, Lavender likes it hot and dry. It can handle rain and humidity if it has perfect drainage. I would hesitate to say plant in the same spot if poor drainage was an issue there. If the spot will now have perfect drainage then go for it and keep your new plant watered until established - just enough water.

Thanks! Is it possible to fix the drainage with some pebbles at the bottom of the hole?

By the way, what exactly does it mean when people say water until established? How do I know when it is established? :)

No, adding pebbles at the base of a planting hole does not improve drainage. You need to amend the entire area if slow drainage is an issue, so that the texture is uniform throughout. Generally that is accomplished by adding coarse organic matter but since lavender prefers a lean soil, a quantity of gravel or coarse sand could work. It would be important to know what the soil is like now before suggesting how - or even if - to change it :-)

'Establishment' is the period of time it takes a new plant to settle in, extend its roots into the surrounding soil and put on some growth. With perennials, that is usually one full growing season; with trees and shrubs, it is often several years or more.

Plant in a well-drained site, but don't replace soil with new, different soil. That will cause problems with movement of water through the soil each place the soil texture changes so that either the plant's root ball never gets wet or the plant sits in a "bathtub" of not-draining water. You can plant a bit high with the soil sloping up into a slight mound around the plant's rootball to improve drainage. I either plant lavender in a really sandy bed or at the top of a wall, or on a slope or even in a pot that I turn on its side in the winter and bury in snow to keep it frozen.

In answer to the original question, I almost never water lavender after the first watering I give it to settle it in to its new site. YMMV.

Yeah I think my entire area is poor draining in general.

By the way, as a general rule, do bigger plants have more trouble getting used to a new environment?

Yes, the larger a plant is (both in overall size potential and size at planting) the longer it will take to establish in the garden.

a vast majority of us.. over many... many posts over the years.. have given up on L as a foo foo plant that is treated or expected to be.. an annual ...

of course there are those few.. who succeed wildly.. and its amazing.. but frankly.. i hate those peeps... lol .. only in regard to saying L is so easy to grow ...

you absolutely have to water a new transplant.. until it is fully established ... insert finger.. and water when the soil is drying ... and the key.. is letting it near dry .. and since we dont have your soil.. its up to you.. and your finger ....

where are you in z5.. its half the US ... as to defining winter success ....

most failure .. if i recall.. is too wet in late fall ... winter.. or early spring ... they dont like cold sodden roots ... i dont recall anyone who cant succeed during the summer ...

good luck

ken

Lavender is not a foo-foo plant at all!! But it is a Mediterranean plant and not many areas of the US offer Mediterranean growing conditions - mild, damp winters and warm, dry summers with very low humidity. And it is not particularly cold tolerant. So combined with the lack of ideal growing conditions and often excessively cold and wet winters, lavender tends not be a very long lived plant across much of the US. But then so are many other plants native to Mediterranean areas - rosemary, artichokes, certain euphorbias, sage (Salvia officinalis), rockrose, santolina, artemisia. All share a similar need for very well drained soils, mild winters, lots of sun and minimal watering.

It is not a matter of a plant being foo-foo but of selecting a plant that is inclined to do well in the conditions you can offer. It is a matter of right plant, right place with the right place being defined as a suitable climate and growing conditions.

Water everyday until fully established? Sorry just wanted to make sure! I am not used to watering everyday since I only have roses right now.

I wouldn't advise watering anything every day immediately after planting!! Water in well initially after planting then do not water again until the soil is dry at least 3" down into the ground.

I finally got around to getting the lavender! Any other special planting instructions or anything? I don't want to screw it up again.

I am going to plant it on a mound to improve drainage. It is about 2 ft from other plants.

Those plants look quite 'soft' as if they have been brought on in a greenhouse or mild climate. Before setting them out in the garden permanently I would harden them off thoroughly by placing them outside in a sheltered spot for increasingly long periods starting with a couple of hours. The rest of the time keep them in a bright place like a glass porch or greenhouse.

I have it set outside on the deck right now where it is protected from rain. It is supposed to get really really wet in the next couple of days. I figure the lavender won't like that.

The only thing we have not touched on is that they need to be planted in full sun. You can absolutely succeed if the drainage is improved and they are in full sun. We are rooting for you!

They are lavender, not cactus. I agree with Floral that they look 'soft', and generally not normal. So they will need some adjustment time from the greenhouse to outside. Putting them out in cloudy weather with rain is a perfectly reasonable adjustment.

I am one of those people who grow lavender without any trouble. My recommendation is that they can handle practically anything except acidic soil. That is the real troublemaker. Given a suitable pH, they can handle an amazing amount of rain. I had a lavender hedge that had no difficulty with the Year it Rained, and they aren't planted in a particularly dry or sunny spot. My experience with rosemary is that it likes a lot of water. When I forget that, it dies on me. So indoors, the rosemary is on the same watering schedule as the peace lily which is a true swamp plant.

My zone 5 is very iffy with lavendar. Out of 5 plants, only 2 make it through winter. Mostly they're annuals here. Besides everything everyone suggested above, I now cover the base of the plant with a leaf mulch over winter and I don't prune it till after the last frost date in spring, which is May 15th here. Some varieties are hardier than others. It all depends on your conditions and your winter.

How long should I leave them out for before I plant them in? I put them right now in a place outside with full sun almost the entire day.

By the way, do you guys have any other tips for improving drainage? I know generally you should add more organic stuff into the soil but is there any quick fix just for the lavender I am planting?

I would not put them in full sun yet. The growth is too tender. Introduce them gradually. Increase the time each day over a week or two, depending on your weather.

As mad_gallica said, lavender can take water in well drained ground. It grows happily all over the UK and we are not exactly xeric.

I have just thought of an idea that might be perhaps a bit silly but I have a metal rod that I can stick through into the ground down a few feet.

What if I used the rod to poke some 2-3ft holes into the planting hole. Can that help a little with drainage? Or at least get more water away from the roots?

I've given up on lavender in the ground. I now grow it in a large clay pot that I can move back under the porch roof if we're having a particularly rainy season and control the water it receives.

I used to have one growing in the ground, at my old house, and it sulked and did nothing for 3 years until we had a summer of drought (summer of 2007 in central North Carolina) and it took off and flourished. Lesson learned.

I only water the lavender in the pot occasionally. Even after first planting it, it didn't get daily watering. I kept an eye on it and only watered it when it showed signs of wilting.

I have tried a few lavender in zone 5. The one that has returned reliably for four years, I planted in slightly amended soil in a raised section. I just edged the area with a 4 inch high brick like thing and piled up soil to the edge of the brick. My yard is slightly sloped so this created a mini terrace.

Poking holes led into the bottom of the planting hole will loosen the soil but it probably won't do much to increase drainage away from the roots of your lavender.

I heard lavender don't like rich soil so no manure in the planting hole?

No manure. Just improve the drainage with coarse grit and stones incorporated in the soil and you will be good to go.

Is it a bad idea to collect grit from a nearby park?

Yes. It would be theft. It belongs to the park. Plus you would have no idea of its constituents including possible herbicides or other pollutants. You can buy clean horticultural grit in bags at the garden centre.