Lavender... how hardy are they.

by Sherry
(Buffalo NY)

How long do these plants live? I had 3 and one bush died.
People love my lavender bushes, and ask if I can give them a branch of it or split it. I am not sure that can be done. Even if it can and my plants are older, then what I give to people would die right?

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Megan says...
How hardy are Lavender?

There's lot of different varieties of lavender grown now and some tolerate different conditions better than others. In general lavender plants prefer nice warm climates and free drainage – after all they originate from the Mediterranean area with its lovely climate and rocky well drained soils.
They usually die from rotting with too much water and/or cold damp conditions. They prefer tough conditions to pampering.

I know they can live for 20 years because I've seen it, but lavender's lifespan before it really gets old and gruesome is about 12 years. Cut the bushes back after flowering by at least one third to keep them compact.

Lavender grows easily from cuttings. Just break off a woody bit from the stem and put in water, trimming most of the leaves off. Pot up in soil or poke into damp garden, keep damp and roots should soon grow in spring. ~ Megan

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Jun 04, 2010

New Jersey
by: Jane

I also have some lavender in my back yard but have noticed that some of the leaves have been eaten. I found out that rabbits don't really eat lavender and I wonder if it could be something like rosemary beetles. I like your garlic fire pesticide on your pest page. Would that work for the rosemary beetle??? Thanks so much!

Jun 04, 2010

Lavender leaves eaten
by: Megan

Very few pests attack lavender, and the Rosemary beetle is one of them, so I think your guess is correct.
If you see these metalic little beetles you can pick them off, or wait until spring when their larvae hatch and start to munch the lavender leaves, you can then use the garlic spray.

Apr 13, 2011

Lavender hardiness
by: Kathy

Lavender are hardy and long-lived plants, as long as they have the conditions that they like. They don't like to be waterlogged, they'll rot. This includes in the winter, if they're covered with a heavy layer of wet snow for a long period of time, they'll rot. The English lavenders are more cold-hardy than the spanish ones, I've had the best luck with the varieties "Hidcote", "Hidcote Superior", and "Munstead". A little trick that I use to give them the good drainage that they require is to build a little hill of soil about 4 inches high, and then plant them in the top of the hill. This keeps thier crowns out of any pooling moisture from a rainstorm or snowstorm.

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