lavender

[greenwitch]

I've acquired four lavender seedlings (still pretty tiny), and have no experience growing lavender, so I don't have any idea how fast they'll grow or how big they'll get.

My main concern is what sort of and size of containers to plant them in (the ground isn't an option due to lack of sun in the available places). What I've read so far is that lavender needs good drainage, so I'm guessing the best would be to put a layer of sand/gravel in the bottom of a pot, and that terracotta would probably be best since it's permeable. Right now I only have a few 8" terracotta pots -- would these be big enough, or should I purchase larger ones? What about the rectangular planters? Would the smaller kind (the ones that are about 18" long) be large enough, or too narrow?

Also, does anyone know if lavender is prone to being eaten by pests? We have serious deer issues in my area (they eat everything), and we have a woodchuck that's been caught sneaking under the deer fencing I've put up to eat my tomatoes/basil/cilantro. If being eaten isn't an issue for lavender, I'd be very happy not to have to worry about covering it or spraying it (of course I didn't think cilantro would be a problem, either.)

Comments

[rainbow]

Varieties of lavender vary in how big they get. Some get (on the west coast with heat in the summer, anyway) 3-4 feet tall and as big around. Others stay much smaller. I have one that's several years old and still only about 1 foot wide and high.

The 8" should be fine for the first year at least. And yes, they want very good drainage, and don't overwater them (there should never be standing water, and it's best to wait until the soil is damp down an inch or so before watering again. They're very drought tolerant. Mine do better in soil that's not especially fertile -- in fact they seem to love heavy clay soil so long as it drains well.

It does transplant pretty well, just transplant when it's not going to be crazy hot and dry (I like to transplant in fall after the rains have started or in early spring). So putting it in smaller planters for now shouldn't be an issue.

The long narrow planter would probably work for the first year, but you'd want to give them something bigger as they get bigger.

Lavender has been safe from my deer so far (6 years and counting).

[ex_moondancer561]

The deer tend to leave our lavender alone (wish they would leave my Irish Yew alone). Yes on drainage, but you'll probably need to transplant it in a year or so out of the 8" pots to something at least 12" or so.

Ours stays down by our shed and doesn't get a lot of sun, it seems to be doing okay in the 8 years we've been ignoring it down there. :)