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You have a busy life and want a low maintenance landscape that looks great. Lavender is a great choice. Here're some reasons why.

• Drought tolerant -- Lavender plants thrive in dry conditions and don't need to much watering once the plants are established
• Neat and tidy shape -- Lavender maintains a nice rounded shape and requires only minimal pruning; in spring and after blooming.
• Low fertility soil conditions -- Lavender thrive in low fertility, alkaline, limey or limestone derived soils that are well-drained.
• Fertilization -- Lavender needs only a light application of organic fertilizer, such as Yum Yum Mix. Apply in mid to late fall.
• Fragrance -- One of the characteristics of Lavender that makes it so popular is its delightful fragrance. The flowers can be harvested and used for culinary purposes, bouquets, dried for potpourris, or made into bath and beauty products.

Extend Bloom Time by Combining Varieties
Be sure to plant both English and French Hybrid types to extend the blooming season and give your garden several months of flowering lavenders.

English Lavenders
As Lavender cultivars developed, those with English origins were referred to Lavandula angustifolia. These English species are typically the most cold-hardy, being suitable for USDA zones 5 through 10. Late spring/early summer bloomers, English Lavenders planted in a colder climate will typically not get as big as the same variety will in a climate with warmer winters. Two varieties, Lavandula angustifolia 'Buena Vista' and Lavandula angustifolia 'Sharon Roberts' will actually bloom twice a season if promptly deadheaded after first flowering. Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote Superior' and Lavandula angustifolia 'Mitcham Gray' are the most deeply colored with dark violet-blue spikes. 'Graves' is the best cut flower variety as it has the longest flower stems.

French Hybrid Lavenders
In less severe winter USDA zone 6 through 10 climates, the Lavandula intermedia hybrids, sometimes referred to as French lavender, are wonderful summer bloomers. Larger than the English varieties, they have longer flowers and flower stems. In France, many of these varieties are grown commercially for oil and flowers. Lavandula x intermedia 'Provence' is the variety most often used for culinary purposes. Lavandula x intermedia 'Grosso' is the most cold-hardy intermedia type and has the darkest colored flower spikes. Lavandula x intermedia 'Hidcote Giant' is the longest blooming with very long graceful, compound flower spikes.

Special Lavender Hybrids
Two little known non-intermedia hybrid varieties we highly recommend. Lavendula x 'Silver Frost' is a super fragrant, summer-long bloomer with silver foliage and incredible dry-heat tolerance. 'England'is a tidy, compact, sweetly fragrant, summer blooming beauty with dark blue flower spikes.

Ways to Use Lavender in Low Maintenance Landscapes

• Mix lavender into a border with other highly fragrant plants to create a garden of sensory delights. A fragrant genus of companion plants for Lavender is Agastache. Both Agastache rupestris and Agastache neomexicana are perfect matches. Other fragrant plant companions can be found in our Xeric Aroma Garden.

• Combine Lavender with other plants from the Mediterranean region such as Santolina, Rosemary, or Stachys to recreate a look found at villas in southern France or Italy. Select the Cold Hardy Mediterranean Pre-planned Garden to mix in with the various Lavenders or choose just a few of the plants as companions.

Regional Notes for Planting Lavender Varieties

• Western US; all the Lavender plants are at their very best as our arid climates, cool to cold winters, and dry summer heat match their native habitat.
• Texas and the Southeast; if you want to grow them in hot, humid summer climates with mild winters it's best to grow Spanish Lavender (Lavandula stoechas) and French Lavender (Lavandula dentata).
• Mid-West and New England; when growing Lavender in these areas, stick with the English Lavenders as they are the most cold-hardy.
• In cold, wet winter climates like the Midwest and New England, the lavenders must be grown in sandy soils in the sunniest, hottest location possible. Plant in the spring to get them well established before winter. Cold hardiness is not just about cold winter temperatures. Protection from soggy soils and freeze/thaw cycles in the winter and early spring is important. Check with local herb growers in your area to ask them about growing and over-wintering lavender.

Relax and Enjoy
Whatever variety of lavender you choose, make sure you have a place to sit nearby. There's nothing like taking a break from your busyness and have a few minutes of tranquility next to some fragrant lavender.

David's Helpful Hints: How to Plant New Arrivals

In many areas, it's already time to think about spring maintenance such as pruning, deterring gophers and fertilizing.

With spring right in our midst, that itch to dig in the garden and start planting runs strong. Following are a few pointers to ensure success when you get new plants. (Refer to our enclosed "Planting Guide Booklet" included free with every plant order for more details)

Hydrate--Check to see if the soil is moist. If a bit dry, set the plants in a tray, water thoroughly, and allow excess water to drain off.

Acclimate--Keep plants in shade for a few days before planting. Place in sun for a brief period the first day and a bit longer on subsequent days. If you're not going to plant outside for several weeks or more, check the plant roots to see if they are filling the pot. If they are, it might be a good idea to plant temporarily in a pot one size larger. Use a good quality potting soil.

Digging the Hole--Plants need plenty of room to spread their roots. Make the hole several times wider than the root ball, but no deeper than the existing soil level

Amend the Soil--Use Planters II to add trace minerals to the soil. Improve soil texture with the addition of good quality compost such as Soil Mender compost. Add Yum Yum Mix to feed the soil around the plant.

Planting--Remove plant from pot and gently tease out any tangled roots. Place plant in hole at the same level as it was in the pot. Fill hole with amended soil and firm into place; water thoroughly.

Avoid Transplant Shock--To help plants establish roots quicker, use Superthrive plant growth stimulator in combination with Saltwater Farms Sea Com-PGR. This also prevents transplant shock. Add to water when planting.




Plant Combinations - Deer and Rabbit Resistant Plants

If rabbits and deer are nibbling your garden, consider these pest resistant plants for a splash of color and varying heights.

Special note: Remember to protect new transplants from the critters for a few months until established. Plants must root out and grow in place to build up the bitter chemicals in their foliage that repel pests.

Lavandula angustifolia 'Graves' (Graves English Lavender) is a wonderfully fragrant, long stemmed variety perfect for cutting and drying. Its distinctively colored lavender-blue flower spikes give you a very different look in the garden from short stemmed, more darkly colored cultivars like'Hidcote Superior' and 'Mitcham Gray.' Zones 5-10.

Stachys inflata (Shruby or Cotton Candy Lamb's Ear) gives unflinching performance in harsh conditions. A native of the high mountains of Iran, this small shrublet has bright white stems, pewter gray leaves and numerous spikes of cotton candy pink flowers in early summer. Plant in well-drained, infertile soil. Zones 5-9

Achillea ageratifolia (Greek Yarrow) is wonderfully colorful and rugged, a groundcover yarrow perfect for planting in front of Stachys and Lavandula. Its bright white flowers are held in profusion over the evergreen gray-green mat of foliage. Thrives in just about any well drained soil. Zones 4-8.

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