Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Get started
• Method 2 of 3: Plants
• Method 3 of 3: Maintenance
• Tips
• Warnings

Lavender is an easy plant, a real friend to everyone and a great addition to any garden with its beautiful flowers and delicious scent. All you need to maintain this fragrant flowering plant is a good spot in the garden, a little gardening knowledge and you'll have a green thumb before you know it!

To step

Method 1 of 3: Get started

1. Choose a spot with a lot of sun. Lavender is a Mediterranean plant that thrives in a warm, sunny spot. Choose a spot in your garden where the plant is in full sun for at least eight hours a day. Provide shelter to protect against cold winds in winter.
   • For example, plant your lavender next to a wall, this provides both extra warmth and shelter.
2. Provide good drainage. Moisture is an enemy of your lavender bush, so it is important to choose a place with good drainage. The soil should be light and loose for optimal growth.
   • To improve drainage, mix some sharp sand into the garden soil before planting the lavender.
   • Or, plant your lavender in a raised bed, at the top of a slope, or next to a wall to optimize drainage.
3. Check the soil's pH level. Lavender grows best in slightly alkaline soil, with an ideal pH level between 6.7 and 7.3. You can test the pH of your garden with a test kit available at garden centers.
   • If necessary, you can increase the soil's pH level by adding some lime. Add about 50 to 100 grams of lime per 100 square centimeters.
4. Purchase your lavender bush. There are many different types of lavender available for the garden. Whether or not they do it depends on the conditions in the area where you live. The varieties sold at the nearest garden center are generally suitable for your area, always check the plant label to be sure or ask a garden center employee.
   • Mustead and Hidcote Lavender are two robust varieties.
   • It is also possible to propagate lavender by seed, although that takes more time and takes several years to get a nice big bush.

Method 2 of 3: Plants

1. Use a shovel to dig a hole just big enough for the root ball at the destination. Lavender grows best in a tighter space.
   • If you are planting the lavender in a pot or container, choose one large enough for the root ball plus about an inch on each side.
2. Prepare the soil. To promote growth, prepare the soil by first scooping into the hole a mix of 2 handfuls of gravel with a diameter of 2.5 centimeters and a half cup (in total) with lime, well-composted manure and bone meal and this mix well. Cover it with a thin layer of soil.
   • The gravel provides better drainage, the lime makes the soil less acidic, and the manure and bone meal give your lavender a good start.
3. Water the lavender in the pot you bought it in before planting it. Do this at least one hour before planting the lavender. This ensures a moist (not too wet) root ball before the plant goes into the ground.
4. Prune the lavender lightly before planting. This will make the shrub more airy, promote growth and prevent woody branches, a common problem with lavender.
5. Prepare the root ball. Remove the lavender from the pot you bought it in and gently shake off the excess soil. The lavender must be planted with bare roots to ensure that it takes root well in its new environment.
6. Plant the lavender. Carefully place the shrub on the prepared spot, on top of the soil layer on top of the gravel mixture you prepared for it. Make sure that the roots are not in direct contact with the mixture. Fill the hole around and above the root ball with garden soil and press the soil lightly around the base of the shrub.
   • If you are planting more than one lavender shrub, keep a planting distance of 36 inches (91.4 cm) between each plant. This guarantees good air circulation and plenty of room to grow.

Method 3 of 3: Maintenance

1. Fertilize the soil. Lavender is a relatively low maintenance plant that only needs fertilizing once a year. Use a light mix of mixed compost and bone meal at the beginning of spring. You can also liquid fertilize your lavender plant once or twice during the summer with fishmeal extract or seaweed extract.
2. Give little water. As mentioned earlier, moisture is an enemy of lavender. If the roots get too wet, the plant will die faster than drought or frost. In fact, overwatering in spring is the main cause of poor or no growth.
   • To make sure you give enough water, wait until the soil is completely dry before watering again. Make sure that the plant itself does not dry out.
   • The lavender is in a pot. Make sure the pot has good drainage to prevent water from accumulating at the bottom of the pot.
3. Prevent weeds by spreading a thin layer of mulch around the base of the plant. Use a light-colored mulch such as coarse sand, gravel, or crushed shells. Mulch also protects the root ball better against frost in winter.
4. Prune the lavender once a year, preferably in the autumn after flowering. Do not do this in the spring before flowering, then you prune away all flower principles and the shrub will not bloom. Prune the entire plant back about 1/3. Use hedge trimmer or pruning shears to create a neat, convex shape.
   • Pruning your lavender will encourage the growth of new branches and keep the plant from becoming an untidy mess.
   • Be careful not to prune too far or too much, then the plant will not sprout at all.
5. Harvest the flowers. The best time to harvest the flowers is when the bottom flowers of each spike are just opening. The lavender then has the strongest scent. Cut the flowers at the base of the stem, close to the leaves.
   • To dry the lavender, make a bundle of about a hundred stems. Tie them together with a rubber band and hang them upside down on a nail indoors in a warm, dark, dry place. Let hang for 10 to 14 days.
   • If you want to decorate your home with lavender, put the flowers in a vase, but don't add water. The water causes the flowers to fall out earlier and makes the stems limp.

Tips

• The color of the leaves varies from gray-green to silver-gray and some varieties have bright yellow-green leaves. Not all varieties are easily available. Some must be ordered via the Internet or seed catalogs.
• The older branches of a lavender shrub are woody and the plant does not tear as easily as other perennial plants. If it is necessary to move the plant, do so in the spring just after the plant has sprouted and replant immediately. You can propagate the plant by making deposits.
• Some lavender varieties can be grown from seed (especially the "Munster" variety), or buy potted plants in the spring. Nice varieties include "Grosso", "Provence", "Royal Purple", "Gray Lady", and "Hidcote".
• Lavender blooms in midsummer in colors from lavender gray to deep, royal purple. There are also varieties with flowers in other colors: white, pink, and yellow-green. The flowers themselves are small. Some seem to stay in bud, but are open, others open beautifully. They all grow on long thin stems.
• Lavender, a perennial, grows to between 30 and 90 cm in height, depending on the variety. Lavender needs a minimum of six hours of direct sunlight per day, but more is better. Plant the lavender bushes about 50 cm apart.

Warnings

• Lavender is sensitive to root rot. To prevent this, only water the plant when it is really necessary.