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Why You Should Be Growing Lavender – The Ultimate Perennial Plant!
When aiming to infuse enduring floral charm into your landscape, few choices surpass the allure of cultivating lavender. In fact, when considering the multitude of remarkable attributes this plant possesses, it undoubtedly stands as the quintessential perennial selection.
Lavender bestows profound hues and captivating fascination wherever it establishes its presence. Whether nestled within flowerbeds, intermingled within vegetable gardens, or even gracing pots and containers on sunlit patios and decks, this plant extends an array of benefits beyond its stunning blossoms.
In its repertoire, lavender exhibits remarkable proficiency in warding off unwelcome pests. Its prowess is so pronounced that it acts as a deterrent against mosquitoes, moths, gnats, flies, fleas, ticks, and an array of other nuisances. Remarkably, while it effectively keeps pests at bay, it concurrently beckons an abundance of crucial pollinators.
Both bees and butterflies exhibit an ardent fondness for the elongated, purple floral spikes that grace the plant’s presence from early to mid-summer. With its profuse blooming, these pollinators linger, simultaneously enhancing the pollination process for neighboring flowers and vegetable plants.
Even More, Reasons To Grow Lavender…
Lavender’s blooms, rich in intensity and fragrance, hold not only aesthetic appeal but also serve as splendid cut flowers. They readily lend themselves to drying and prove ideal for preserving as an all-natural home air freshener.
The utility of lavender and its derivatives extends far beyond its blooms and flowers. From its blossoms to the extracted oil, lavender is reputed to offer a multitude of benefits, encompassing aid for insomnia, stress relief, pain management, and more.
Yet, amid its diverse applications, one undeniable fact remains: lavender stands as a captivating and aromatic perennial for any landscape. Moreover, its attributes extend beyond mere beauty and fragrance; it boasts ease of growth and establishment, coupled with resilience against both deer and drought. Truly, a perennial plant that encapsulates excellence!
With these myriad advantages in mind, let’s delve into the process of planting and nurturing lavender in your backyard, ensuring its thriving presence for years to come.
Growing Lavender – How To Plant, Grow & Maintain Lavender With Ease
Selecting Your Growing Location
Lavender, while capable of adjusting to various soil types, truly thrives in soil that maintains a modest nutrient content. This characteristic enhances the plant’s allure, sparing you the need to enrich the soil with an array of supplements.
Above all, lavender’s paramount requirement is ample sunlight. A surplus of sunlight is even better! Opt for locations that bask in a minimum of 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight daily. While it can endure lower light levels, optimal bloom, and flowering potential are achieved with greater exposure to sunlight.
Excessive moisture is a displeasure to lavender. Hence, it’s imperative to ensure well-draining soil in the planting area, particularly if you intend to cultivate lavender in containers. Within the landscape, avoid siting lavender in low-lying zones prone to water accumulation or in areas characterized by exceedingly dense clay soils.
Planting – How To Grow Lavender
Cultivating lavender from seeds can pose challenges. Consequently, opting for transplants or divisions is highly advisable, as they present the most effective route to establishing robust and thriving plants.
The bright side is that you have the flexibility to plant lavender throughout the growing season. Lavender plants can be found at most nurseries, garden centers, and online plant stores from spring through early fall. Affiliate Product Link: Lavender Plants
For those interested in dividing existing plants to propagate new ones, the optimal times for division are spring and fall. Dividing during summer can prove taxing on the plants due to elevated temperatures and drier surroundings, impeding the roots’ capacity to reestablish effectively.
Planting Lavender
When you’re ready to plant, dig holes that are twice the size of the transplant container. If your soil tends to be heavy, consider introducing a small amount of sand or perlite into the planting hole. This aids in drainage and prevents excessive moisture around the roots.
Apart from using sand or perlite for denser soils, there’s no necessity to incorporate compost or additional soil amendments into the planting hole. Lavender thrives in soil with fewer nutrients rather than an abundance of them.
Spacing requirements vary based on the chosen variety, ranging from 18 to 36 inches apart. Refer to the label on your transplants to ensure proper spacing between multiple plantings. For instance, commonly favored varieties like English Lavender tend to flourish with around 24 inches of space between each plant.
Long-Term Maintenance
For the initial few weeks after planting, provide gentle irrigation to new transplants until their roots are firmly established in the soil. Subsequently, minimize watering, recognizing that excess moisture is more detrimental to lavender than slight drought. Given lavender’s preference for nutrient-poor soil, refrain from using any fertilizers; an excess of nutrients can impede growth and flowering.
Employing mulch around your lavender plants proves beneficial in deterring competing weeds. However, exercise caution to prevent mulch from reaching the base of the plant. This practice prevents excessive moisture retention and potential root and stem rot.
