Annual Lavender Harvest at Chateau de Vie

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Two big mistakes made with lavender are planting times and watering. Lavender is a full sun plant, that does not mean Arizona full sun, so avoid planting May to September. Plant in late fall or early spring so your lavender can be establish before the hellish furnace heat turns up. If temperatures are above 80 (American) when you plant outside, provide some sun protection until the lavender is established. Ideally plant lavender in a spot that gets morning sun and afternoon shade. Some will take all day sun if there is enough moisture in the ground - don’t find out if you have an exceptional plant, provide shade in the long hot months. Wilting lavender is a good indication that it is getting too much sun or not enough water. It is common for herbs and veggies to wilt during the heat of the day, but they should perk up once the sun goes down. If this is not happening with your lavender, or the wilt looks really bad, then it’s time to either give it a little moisture or some shade - maybe both. Lavender prefers a neutral or alkaline pH, therefore desert clay is good, but dainage needs to be added - sandy loam is ideal. Lavender should not be planted any deeper than the soil level in the pot or ground. This is a sure way to kill lavender - “Lavender strangled by soil, neglectful owner at fault!”

If planting in clay you can add some lava rock to help with drainage. Ideally lavender should be planted in sandy loam so it is well drained and soil with pH between 6.5 and 8 is best. When planting water and water again in 2 to 3 days. Do not allow the plant to dry out completely before it becomes established. Do not over water, check for the soil to be slightly damp before watering newly planted lavender again. Once lavender has established, less frequent watering is best. With Arizona intense heat lavender will need more water than lavender grown in the Mediterranean. Established lavender should be watered when the roots are dry. Observation of specific growing conditions will help determine what kind of watering schedule will be necessary…and that will require adjustment as sunlight lengthens and shortens and temperatures change. Over watering will likely lead to root rot for lavender and once the roots are “mushy” the lavender will die.

Pro tip: Depending on the amount of salt in your water, you may find that you are more successful with drip irrigation rather than by sprinkler. We almost killed a number of lavender at The Lavender Farm when we found out we needed to drip rather than sprinkle ours.

Put down the watering can and check for dry roots before watering every time once the temperature and long sunny days drop. In early fall prune and remove one-third of the year’s growth. Do not cut into the woody brown stems or those branches will not grow back. Shape lavender into a mounded shape. During blooming prune the dead blooms to ensure continuous blooming. Cut all the way at the base of the stem, rather than just the top of the dried-out flowers. Protect lavender from sustained frost and even snow (snow happens at higher elevations of the Phoenix Valley of the Sun) - usually lavender will be good down to 20 degrees (American).

The suggestions for varieties are based on experience from local gardeners who have success with lavender and what is grown at The Lavender Farm at Chateau de Vie. With so many main and hybrid lavender there are others:

• Fern Leaf Lavender: (Lavendula multifida) A very easy variety to grow, however it does not have a great lavender smell. The fern-like silver foliage is very attractive and bees and hummingbirds love it. A great variety to start with as it seems to be the easiest to grow in Arizona.
• Goodwin Creek: (Lavendula x ginginsii) This variety smells amazing and is known to thrive in pots. A beautiful variety that is very tolerant of heat. Long slender dark purple flower spikes. In a pot Goodwin needs afternoon shade.
• Provence Lavender: (Lavendula X “ intermedia”) Provence is a culinary lavender and used in savory and sweet dishes for flavor. It is also called lavandin. It makes a fantastic cut flower with its tall blue spikes. 
• Grosso: (Lavendula grosso): Possibly the most fragrant lavender of all. It is used in the making of essential oils and other fragrance products. Grosso is a french hybrid with dark blue flowers. It grows into a large bush and is best planted in-ground.
• French Lavender: (Lavendula dentata) The dentata in the botanical name refers to the toothed leaf shape, dentata meaning “toothed”. This is a very fragrant variety with stunning foliage. It does well with heat and dry conditions.
• Spanish Lavender: (Lavender stoechas): Also known as Rabbits ears lavender, due to the bracts on top of the flower stem. A very attractive variety with deep purple flowers and a lovely scent.