I have tried several types , usually, they are the annual type (short bushy) and even tho I have tried to over winter them, they just dried up and died. Later, I bought 2 of the perennial variety, which have been in a sunny well drained spot. This week I noticed one has turned very brown and really shows no sign of life. The other one looks pretty healthy but has not really grown that much, altho lots of blooms. They are only a couple of feet apart and have had exactly the same conditions... Lavender is one of my favourite plants and I am tired of buying them as annuals every year. What is the trick, here? I have been growing shamrocks, both burgandy and green for 5 years. In the fall, I just break them up into small pots, bring them inside and they come back better than ever. I just love the little flowers and I find them hard to find around here. So what about lavender? This is making me nuts...:(
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I've currently got 3 varieties of Lavendula on the go right now. I wasn't aware there was an annual variety. It could just be one of the frost-tender ones [Spanish or French]. Try potting it up and bringing it in for the winter.
When you think of Lavender, consider there preferred home - the Mediterranean. They like it hot and dry. I put an old hunk of cement at the base of my English lavender [Augustifolia] to protect the roots from too much water. Gravel added to the soil and a raised planting position also help.
The way lavender grows is to get tall, fall over and then sprout new uprights all along the fallen branch. The English variety can get pretty masssive. To control, cut back to wood early spring.
When removing flowerstalks, cut into the foliage a bit. Otherwise the plant looks straggly [I didn't do it right in 2003 and I wanted to throw a blanket over it, it was so ugly]
Other varieties I have are 'Lady' [self-seeds well] and 'Hidcote Blue'. The former is a nice, small plant and the latter is an extremely dwarf plant that's finally taking up a whole gavanized bucket [with holes in bottom] after about 6 years. Look for pink and green-flowered ones as well.[the green - viridis- has really pungent foliage]
try: perennials.com as there is lots of info there. Better if you know that exact name of the lavender.
it grows like a weed for me. I cant tell u the type except to say its the common variety. I just plant it in the sun and basically neglect it. It returns each year. It spreads nicely and in the fall, I harvest the crop :)
I have never had luck with lavender but I am sure someone here can help you.