Lavender is a beautiful ornamental plant known since ancient times. Its homeland is the Mediterranean coast. It is there that you can see insanely beautiful lilac-purple fields planted with globular lavender bushes.
Flowers fragrant with freshness are so beautiful that when you see them once, you will immediately fall in love with this plant. It is not necessary to go to the southern countries to admire lavender. You can make a small flower garden on your windowsill and enjoy the flowering of an exquisite plant grown from seeds.
Lavender - description and types
An evergreen shrub up to 50-60 cm high is distinguished by straight stems with a felt coating. At the top of each stem is a spikelet-like peduncle, consisting of narrow flowers.
The palette of shades of lavender flowers can vary from pale blue to deep purple. In nature, there are about 30 plant species, but only a few of them are most popular.
jagged lavender is a small shrub that is studded with very fragrant, large flowers that bloom in mid-summer. Its beautiful serrated leaves have a silver tint. This type of plant loves heat, so its cultivation is possible only at home.
Variety Lavandin reaches two meters in height. Differs in narrow and long leaves, and large or small lilac, violet or blue flowers. This hybrid cultivar blooms slightly later than all other narrow-leaved lavenders.
Its flowers begin to bloom only in mid-July. The plant is of great medicinal value. It produces high quality essential oil.
lavender broadleaf or spikelet is a plant with very fragrant flowers. On each of its stems there are three inflorescences at once.
Lavender angustifolia or English most loved by flower growers. She is not afraid of frost, and is easy to care for. Lavender grows up to one meter and is distinguished by narrow leaves and flowers. The flowering period falls in July.
It is during this month that the blue, white, purple, pink or purple flowers of English lavender bloom. They have a unique fresh, delicate aroma.
french lavender is an ornamental variety that can be grown in the gardens of central Russia. A bush with a long stem and a bract covered with flowers of various shades.
Breeding varieties of this plant species can bloom purple, lilac, burgundy, white or green flowers with a very strong but pleasant aroma.
The peculiarity of French lavender is that it has an early flowering period. Sometimes it can bloom for the second time in a season. Breeders recommend growing this type of plant at home.
medicinal plant varieties
The type of lavender officinalis includes different varieties, among which there are dwarf ones (for example, Little Lottie and Nana Alba), as well as plants with different shades of inflorescences:
How to grow lavender from seeds
You can settle beautiful and fragrant bushes in your flower garden by growing them yourself from seeds.
It is better to buy seeds in a specialized store. It is recommended to choose narrow-leaved lavender varieties, which are most suitable for growing at home.
It is necessary to start dealing with seeds even in winter, or even in autumn. Because they have to go through a long stratification procedure. This will harden the seeds and increase their germination. To do this, they need to be mixed with wet sand and kept in the vegetable section of the refrigerator for two months.
Around February or March, the seeds are sown in seedlings filled with earthen mixture. The soil for sowing can be prepared independently, taking for this:
- garden soil - 3 parts;
- humus - 2 parts
- river sand - 1 part.
The mixture must be reviewed and sieved, as it should not have large lumps. Otherwise, small lavender seeds may simply not sprout.
Seeds are sown in containers filled with soil and drainage and a little sand is sprinkled on top, which is then sprayed with warm water. So that the seeds hatch together, seedlings boxes covered with glass or polyethylene.
The result is a kind of greenhouse with optimal humidity and temperature for germination. Seedlings germinate at an air temperature of +18 to +22 degrees.
The first shoots should appear in 20-30 days. If this does not happen, then the seedlings should be refrigerated for three weeks. After the emergence of seedlings boxes moved to a warm room.
As soon as the first sprouts appear, the seedlings are exposed to a well-lit place. To prevent seedlings from stretching, it is recommended to install additional lighting.
Young plants should be accustomed to room air gradually. To do this, the film or glass is removed first for one hour a day, then for two hours, and after a few days it is completely removed.
As soon as the seedlings get stronger, you can take it planting in separate pots or large wide boxes. Planting should be carried out carefully so as not to damage the roots. Therefore, plants are dug out with a large clod of earth.
Growing lavender cuttings
If your friends have lavender bushes growing in their garden or at home, you can ask them to share with you. Moreover, the plant will not be severely damaged during cuttings. It is better to do this procedure with narrow-leaved lavender in spring or summer, and broad-leaved cuttings in early autumn.
Cuttings cut from the upper or middle part of the shoot should be at least 7-10 cm long. If you take the lower part of the shoot for propagation, then the cuttings may not take root. The cut is made closer to the kidney. Flowers and leaves are removed from the bottom.
Before planting cuttings dipped in special powder which stimulates rooting. It is necessary to root and grow bushes in a mixture of peat and sand (1: 1). Each cutting is covered with foil and aired daily.
Seedling care is in regular spraying and keeping the soil moist. It is also recommended to create such growing conditions under which the temperature of the sand will be higher than the air temperature. In this case, the cuttings will take root in 5-6 weeks and can be planted in a permanent place.
Growing lavender at home is very different from growing it outdoors. Lavender in a pot is the most demanding on the conditions of maintenance and care.
Choice of location. Plant likes good lighting, so it is recommended to grow it on eastern and western window sills.
During the day, lavender bushes should be covered for 8-10 hours. So in winter it is recommended to highlight the plant using a fluorescent lamp.
The room must be ventilated daily. The humidity level for the flower does not matter much. However, in winter, if the plant is standing near the battery, it needs spray regularly.
In summer, pots with bushes can be grown on a loggia or balcony. They should be accustomed to the new environment gradually. In the early days, plants are taken out to fresh air for an hour or two.
Watering and feeding
The soil in the lavender pot should be moist all the time. The plant is watered with settled water at room temperature once a day. But, if the room is cool, then the frequency of watering is reduced, since overflows are detrimental to the plant.
Young plants are fed for ten weeks special complex fertilizers every seven days. Mature plants need to be fed only during flowering.
During this period, lavender loves nitrogen fertilizers. At the same time, as soon as the plant fades, their use must be abandoned.
Preparing lavender for winter
Home grown lavender is an evergreen ornamental plant that dormant in the winter. To do this, the flower needs to create certain conditions and prepare it for wintering:
- Bushes after flowering should be cut a few nodes above the beginning of flower growth.
- Dry stems are removed.
- A pot of lavender is placed in a cool room.
- Watering is reduced to once a week.
When growing lavender in winter, you need to make sure that the plant has enough light. Otherwise, the leaves will begin to fall and wither.
Application of lavender
In addition to being a beautiful plant, lavender flowers and leaves can be used as a seasoning or made into lavender oil.
Essential oils from lavender are widely used in perfumery and medicine for therapeutic baths. Crushed and dried leaves of the plant are used in cooking.
They have a tart taste and a rather strong smell. With their help, meat and fish dishes are given a special flavor. Dried herbs are used for making sauces.
Growing lavender at home is not such a difficult task. With good lighting and proper care, the plant will reciprocate and will delight with beautiful fragrant flowers.
Lavender has been known to mankind since ancient times. It is impossible not to fall in love with this plant at first sight, a delicate delicate aroma and a delightful shade of flowers make you stop and enjoy flowering endlessly. If you dream of admiring the beauty of this exquisite plant, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the rules for growing lavender. It doesn’t matter if you are an experienced gardener or just starting to master the intricacies of this business, you can plant and grow lavender both on the windowsill and in your garden.
Types of lavender
Before we learn how to grow lavender, let's get acquainted with the types of this beautiful plant. There are more than 25 types of lavender in nature, but only a few are popular:
- English or narrow-leaved lavender. It is this plant that is the object of adoration. When we say, "Look how beautiful the lavender blooms!", that's English lavender. The plant reaches a height of up to 1 m in height, the leaves are narrow-leaved, like the flowers themselves. Lavender is unpretentious, not afraid of frost. Flowers can have a different color, from the traditional purple hue, to pink, purple, white and even blue. The aroma is very delicate and fresh, the flowering period is July. There are a lot of varieties of this type of plant, it differs in the shade of flowers, lavender varieties are called “Pink” (Rosea), “Blue with purple” (Beechwood Blue), “White dwarf” (Nana Alba) and so on.
- Lavender spikelet or broad-leaved. It has a stronger, more pronounced aroma than traditional lavender (narrow-leaved). It differs in that 3 inflorescences are located on one stem at once (English lavender has only one).
- The hybrid variety of lavender ("Lavandin") is a mixture of the above plant varieties. This lavender grows in southern and central Europe, in gardens and fields. It is not as resistant to cold, but is of great value as a medicinal plant. Lavender reaches a height of up to 2 meters, its leaves are long and narrow, the flowers are large. The flowering period of hybrid lavender is mid-July, a little later than narrow-leaved lavender blooms. A high-quality essential oil is obtained from this plant variety. The flowers of this variety of lavender can have different colors: blue, purple, lilac. The size of the flowers can also be different, from small to large.
- French or "Stehad" lavender is an ornamental cultivar with a long stem and bract. Shades of flowers can be very diverse (the result of many years of work of breeders). You can find whole plantations of lavender with green, white, burgundy, purple and traditional purple flowers. The smell of this variety of lavender is also very strong, but not as pleasant as that of English lavender. The flowering period is early, so that at the end of summer lavender can please with its flowering a second time. For central Russia, breeders recommend growing this plant variety in pots at home.
- Scalloped lavender is a small shrub with beautiful scalloped silvery leaves, large flowers and very fragrant. The flowering period of this plant is July. The plant loves heat and does not tolerate frost, so this variety of lavender is desirable to grow at home in pots.
- Velvet hybrid lavender is a very beautiful plant with fragrant flowers and silver-hued leaves.
How to grow lavender from seeds
You can grow lavender from seeds at home, the plant is unpretentious, but you still have to follow the basic rules of care and planting.
You can buy plant seeds at any store, and you can choose any variety of this plant. Of course, not every type of lavender can be grown on the site and at home, it is best to start practicing with growing narrow-leaved lavender. Buy seeds from autumn or winter. Why is that? The fact is that each planting material must be prepared before sowing, and this takes a lot of time.
To increase the germination of seeds, they must be kept at a certain temperature (from +5 ° C). This preparation is called "artificial stratification", the seeds are simply stored in the bottom drawer in the refrigerator. Why artificial? For natural hardening of seeds (planted in the ground and left for the winter), the climate of Russia is too harsh and the seeds can simply freeze. Therefore, it is necessary to harden planting material at home. To do this, the seeds are mixed with sand (only clean and sifted), poured into a container or into a tight plastic bag and placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator or in a box for storing vegetables for 2-3 months. After such exposure, the seeds can be sown in pre-prepared boxes with soil or directly into the greenhouse.
If you plant lavender seeds, then only a year later the first flowers will appear. So at first the plant will develop and build up the root system, and only after a year, or maybe even after two, the plant will delight you with its flowering.
Lavender. Growing conditions
Consider two ways to grow lavender: from seeds and planting seedlings directly in open ground. The option of planting seeds in pots on the windowsill is considered reliable.
How to prepare seeds, you already know. Now you need to prepare the soil for planting and pots (you can use boxes or adapt any containers). We will prepare the soil for planting ourselves, so you can be sure of the quality. Take 3 parts of the earth (best of all garden) and mix with humus (2 parts) and 1 part of sand (clean and sifted, best of all river). The resulting mixture must be sieved through a sieve so that the soil is not dense and without lumps. It is best to pre-treat the soil - calcined in the oven at a temperature of 110 ° C, you can steam it. If you can’t do this, then you need to water the soil with a weak manganese solution.
Prepared seeds (exposure 1-2 months) in late February - early March are sown in a container with soil. Just do not forget to provide drainage in each pot or box, lay a thin layer of sand (up to 3 mm) on top of the drainage layer, then soil and seeds can be sown. From above, crush the earth with a thin layer of sand. The containers should be covered with plastic wrap and placed in a warm and bright place. Periodically, you need to open the film so that the seedlings are ventilated. The temperature in the room should not be lower than +15 ° C, but not higher than +22 ° C.
As soon as shoots appear, you can put boxes with seedlings of lavender on the windowsill and provide additional lighting so that the seedlings do not stretch. The film can be removed first for 30 minutes a day, after a couple of days - for an hour, and then completely removed.
As soon as the seedlings get stronger, you can transplant it to a permanent place in a separate pot.
There is another way to grow seedlings - to sow seeds in open ground. First you need to wait until the first shoots appear, but before that it is important to follow certain rules.
How to grow lavender in the country:
- landing site preparation. We choose a sunny and dry area, since lavender does not like moisture and dampness. By the way, keep in mind that the plant does not like transplanting, so you need to immediately choose a good place and do not transplant lavender;
- soil preparation: first you need to dig the entire area, add river sand to the soil (fine gravel is possible) to improve air circulation and increase moisture permeability;
- you can sow seeds in open ground in October (for residents of the southern regions). Depth 4 mm, the soil after planting needs to be slightly compacted. If it is dry, then immediately after planting, the seeds are allowed to be watered, but not abundantly;
- as soon as it gets colder and snow falls, it is necessary to throw more snow on the area where the lavender is planted;
- expect the first shoots at the beginning of summer or at the end of May, if the spring turned out to be warm;
- seeds may appear much later, so do not rush to dig up the site;
- young seedlings love moderate watering, it is impossible to flood the site;
- make sure that the soil does not dry out;
- as soon as the first inflorescences appear (in open ground, as well as when growing lavender from seeds in pots), they must be removed so that the plant gets stronger;
- since lavender will grow very slowly in the first year, it is necessary to ensure that weeds do not interfere with growth. It must be removed in a timely manner;
- by the way, lavender really does not like dampness and moisture, as well as acidic soils;
- for wintering, bushes of young lavender should be covered with oak leaves (they do not rot), and on top you can lay spruce branches made of coniferous wood. Do not cover plants with polyethylene, as they can ban;
- next year, lavender will no longer need to be covered;
- lavender, regardless of age, wakes up very late after hibernation. It may seem to you that she is frozen, but she is not. Wait, soon the first green leaves will appear on the stems, and soon fragrant flowers will appear.
How to grow lavender at home
Growing lavender from seeds is not as difficult as it might seem, with a little patience you will be fine!
We study the growing process in more detail:
- We go to the store to buy lavender seeds.
- We mix the planting material with clean river sand, wrap it in plastic wrap and send it to the refrigerator for storage (we put it in a box for vegetables).
- Seed hardening can be done in another way: take cosmetic cotton pads, moisten each disk, put seeds, cover with a second disk. Place both discs carefully in a ziplock bag and store in the refrigerator. Every 3-4 days you need to open the bag for 1-2 minutes to air the seeds.
- After 2 months, the seeds can be taken out, a pot (at least 2 liters in volume) and soil can be prepared.
- Soil Requirements: It can be a mixture of peat and sand, you can add a little vermiculite and perlite, as well as crushed egg shells to make a mixture with a slight alkaline reaction.
- In a month you will see the first leaves, and when the plant reaches the growth of 6 pairs of young leaves, then the top must be removed so that the plant bushes well.
- Watering young plants should be soft and moderate. It is best to water lavender in the morning and in the evening, little by little. You can irrigate the green parts of the plant with a spray bottle. Don't forget to feed.
- Lighting - at least 9-10 hours a day, so you need to organize artificial lighting in advance. It is especially important to illuminate the lavender on cloudy days and in the evening.
- Make sure that the leaves do not burn in the sun if you put the pot of plants on the windowsill.
In the first year after planting, lavender will be weak and unsightly, don't worry. The plant needs time to mature. In the second year of life, the first flowers will appear, during this period you should try to avoid drafts, but you should not refuse to air the lavender.
A year after sowing the seeds, young plants must be cut so that the growth of lavender is no more than 15 cm, then you will get a neat, dense and beautiful bush. By the way, after the lavender has faded, you need to prune again.
In winter, you need the lavender to rest, transfer the pot with the plant to the glazed loggia, the temperature in the room should not fall below +5 o C.
If necessary, a transplant of a stronger plant can be carried out only after 1.5 years, in spring or autumn, so that the lavender has time to take root in a new place before the flowering period.
An adult plant can be propagated from an air layer. To do this, the branch must be tilted and placed on the ground so that it lies horizontally, and then sprinkled with earth. You need to put something on top so that the branch is pressed down (you can use a stone). After a couple of months, under certain conditions (it is necessary that the soil is always wet), the cuttings of the plant will soon take root, and it can be cut off from an adult plant to transplant.
You can do otherwise and break off a stiffened cutting from an adult plant or several branches to plant in the ground. You just need to insert a branch into the ground and pour water. That's all, and with the onset of spring, you will soon grow a lush bush from one branch, which will delight you with flowering in the summer.
Lavender is an irreplaceable perennial plant. It is both beautiful and luxurious and at the same time a versatile flower. Despite the fact that this plant comes from the Mediterranean, lavender was able to take root in our country a long time ago. Yes, it is worth noting that only one type of this plant can boast of good winter hardiness, but still, not a single household plot can be imagined without it. But as for popularity, it had little effect on the high cost of planting material. For this reason, most gardeners want to grow this plant on their own.
The most affordable option is to grow lavender from seeds.
Lavender in the verified regions and the middle zone of our country is represented by only one frost-resistant species - narrow-leaved lavender or English lavender. This plant is a perennial shrub with a large number of shoots. They are densely covered with sessile, opposite, silvery-grayish leaves.
After reading this article, you can learn about how to grow lavender from seeds in the country. WITH lilac or blue small lavender flowers gather in whorls in beautiful slender spikelets, which in turn are crowned with leafless shoots. Very bright, fragrant, and elegant lavender can be immediately recognized at a glance. English lavender always begins to bloom in the last decade of summer.
In their reproduction, all types of lavender are similar. Lavender, regardless of winter hardiness, can retain common features. They may differ from each other in some details - the size of flowers and leaves. All types of lavender are best propagated vegetatively: flowers can produce a huge amount of shoots. Both cuttings and layering can perfectly take root in them. But in this way, you can only get lavender of the type and variety that you have, or is on sale in the market. As for rare varieties of plants, with an original color or an unusual look, you often fail to meet them. And as for the number of offspring, it will always be limited. If you want to grow new varieties of lavender in your country house and at the same time get a huge number of seedlings, you can use the option of growing a plant from seeds. Seed propagation in practice cannot be classified as very difficult and tricky, since stratification will be the only difficulty in this case. And you can overcome this difficulty very simply.
Self-collection of lavender seeds and their selection for sowing
Before you know the answer to the question of how to plant lavender seeds, you need to select these seeds in the store. When choosing lavender seeds, the main attention should be paid to the cost and manufacturer. You need to buy lavender only from trusted companies and manufacturers that you can trust. They have a large number of ornamental plants, and for sale there are collections of both seeds of summer plants and other perennial flowers.
It should be remembered that lavender seeds may not be very affordable at their price.
Too cheap seeds can surprise you by substituting one variety for another. You should first make sure that information about the manufacturer, the characteristics of the plant, and the features of sowing are provided in full. You can also collect lavender seeds yourself by purchasing or collecting an already fully bloomed inflorescence. And after they are completely dried, save the spilled seeds of the plant.
Lavender seeds can remain viable for a long time. And they don't always have to be fresh. Even after 5-6 years, they can sprout without problems if you follow all the agrotechnical rules.
And the most important condition is the proper storage of seeds: they must be kept in tightly closed containers.
Pre-treatment of lavender seeds
Planting a plant like lavender requires attention. This is exactly what is needed in order for the plant to be beautiful, as in the photo. Lavender seeds must be stratified. To be more precise, they require cold stratification. Without cold processing, the seeds simply will not sprout. In addition, the effect of cold in its duration should occur for quite a long time. Depending on the method and term of seed treatment, there are 2 options for growing lavender from seeds:
- natural stratification. Sowing seeds before winter in order for the cooling period to pass already in the soil itself.
- Artificial stratification - exposure of seeds in the cold before sowing them.
The shortest period for stratification of lavender seed is one and a half months - or 35-40 days. In the event that the stratification in time lasts longer, then this can positively affect the number of seedlings and germination time.
Artificial stratification should be done not in bags, but by mixing lavender seeds with a substrate or sand. After filling the container with this mixture, it should be wrapped with a film and covered with a lid on top. Further, the seeds should be sent for cooling for six to eight weeks, while maintaining a temperature in the region of five degrees Celsius. Do not freeze lavender seeds. They should simply be placed in the refrigerator in order to pass through the cooling phase. In addition to the standard stratification, you can experiment with other processing options:
Seed treatment with growth stimulants or various phytohormones (for example, gibberellin - at a concentration of one hundred to two hundred ml per liter of water). But these methods may simply not give any results at all.
Sowing lavender in the ground
Sowing lavender seeds before winter is not a very difficult procedure and is practically no different from growing any other summer or perennial plant that prefers stratification. Sowing seeds should be carried out in the last decade of October. In this case, you should not bury the seeds very much in the ground. It is imperative to mulch the beds for protection in the winter. There is no need to fear the moment that lavender will not rise with the onset of spring. The very first shoots of lavender will begin to produce no earlier than May. At a time when nighttime temperatures can rise significantly. Sowing seeds in the spring should be carried out in May. After the threat of return frosts has completely disappeared. In this case, the seeds should be subjected to artificial stratification.
Soil and containers for sowing lavender seeds for seedlings
Lavender is typically grown on loose, versatile substrates with lots of nutrients. For this, it is best to use ready-made soil mixtures.
- Before planting lavender, the substrate should be shed with manganese or ignited.
- Being engaged in the choice of containers for sowing lavender for seedlings, you should choose not very deep containers, but wide and large.
- Lavender is not sown in cassettes. The maximum depth of the container should be no more than seven centimeters.
Sowing lavender seeds for seedlings
Sowing lavender for seedlings should be done in the last decade of winter, around mid-February or early March. Lavender should be sown in large containers quite rarely, laying out the seed one at a time, because, despite the fact that lavender is not afraid of transplanting, it has very powerful roots and first of all begins to build up a long root system, which, with very dense sowing, is easy is damaged. Basically, the landing rules are quite simple:
- The containers should be filled with soil from above and leveled without tamping.
- The soil must be moistened from above with a spray bottle.
- Lavender seeds should be planted one plant at a distance of one and a half, two centimeters from each other.
- Seeds on top should be covered with two, three millimeters of soil.
- Immediately after sowing, the containers must be covered with a film or glass.
Conditions for seed germination
For lavender, it is imperative to provide 2 main factors:
- Moderate temperature in the range of fifteen to twenty degrees Celsius.
- Bright light.
During the entire time before the first shoots of lavender appear on the surface, it is imperative to maintain a stable and light soil moisture, very carefully spraying the soil in the morning and airing the containers, waterlogging the soil is very dangerous. but without light moisture, you are unlikely to be able to achieve the appearance of friendly shoots. As a rule, the germination procedure of lavender is quite lengthy. The very first shoots of the plant may already appear after two weeks, and friendly shoots after about one month.
Growing plants
After the appearance of friendly shoots of lavender, the film or glass should be removed from the container, but still try to maintain light soil moisture. Young shoots of the plant must be placed in a bright place (best of all on a southern and sun-lit windowsill). If the plant does not get enough sunlight, then it needs to be illuminated, increasing the daylight hours to eight, ten hours.
Seedling diving and caring for young lavenders
Lavender picking should be carried out only when the flower forms at least one pair of true leaves and the 3rd, 4th full-fledged leaf begins to develop. Basically, even young seedlings of this plant begin to build up the root system, and at this stage of development powerful roots begin to form, which will not have enough space in a container that is small in depth. Lavender must be transplanted very carefully. This procedure is very easy to carry the plant.
The picking procedure should be carried out in individual containers or small cups with a diameter of five, six centimeters. You can also use large containers, while remembering to leave the same distance between plants. For lavender seedlings, you can use a peat-sand mixture or a lighter substrate designed for indoor cultures with the presence of sand and perlite. You can apply long-acting fertilizers to the soil. Lavender must be transferred to new containers, being careful not to destroy the earthen ball. In this case, you should carefully crush the soil near the seedlings to accelerate the rooting of the plant.
Lavender seedlings will need at least one week of hardening in order for the plant to adapt to new conditions. Lavender should be taken out gradually, starting from the first hour of the day, and further increasing the period of exposure to the open air every day.
Planting lavender seedlings
Lavender grown from seeds will not bloom until the next year after the first shoots appear. The first year, lavender will not develop very quickly: first, the plant will begin to build up the measles system, and only after that - shoots. But still, a well-rooted plant next year will begin to develop very quickly and delight you with its fragrant and bright inflorescences.
- For planting lavender seedlings, you should choose bright, sunny areas with light soil, to which you need to add organic fertilizers.
- This perennial plant is best suited to sandy-clay, stony soils. a more suitable pH value for this type of plant is from 6.5 to 7.5.
- For planting, it is best to prepare a special soil mixture by mixing the soil taken from the planting holes with sand, mineral fertilizers and humus in a ratio of 3: 1: 2.
- The distance when planting a plant should be from thirty to forty centimeters. This plant should be planted in fairly large individual pits with a diameter and depth of about 30 centimeters.
- The lavender plant responds well to both abundant irrigation and mulching immediately after planting. The layer of mulch in this case is best kept constant. But try not to twist it under the base of the plant bushes.
- In the very first year after planting lavender seedlings or planting them in the soil, it is better for the plant to try to ensure constant watering. These procedures should be carried out only in drought.
But as for weeding and protection from weeds, these procedures should be carried out regularly in the first year. In the first year of flowering, the plant should not be allowed to bloom very rapidly, and even more so - to form seeds: it is better to cut off the inflorescences of lavender as soon as a third of the flowers are fully opened. You need to leave only three-quarters of all inflorescences on lavender. In the future, you will not need to carry out these procedures. In the very first wintering in the ground, it is best to protect lavender grown from seeds with a high additional layer of mulch, consisting of spruce branches or dry leaves.
- Alternative breeding options for lavender:
- Rooting cuttings.
- Separation of bushes (planting overgrowth).
- Cuttings of annual shoots.
If someone happened to see the bright blooming fields of lavender - this picture with the striking colors of the spicy plantation will forever remain in memory. A perennial heat-loving shrub attracts attention with a special aroma and useful characteristics. An adult plant is unpretentious and frost-resistant, you just have to choose the right variety.
The stem of the plant begins branching almost at the very ground. lavender flowers mostly purple in color, but there are white, pink and burgundy subspecies. Sometimes the height of the shrub reaches 0.5-1 meters. Growing lavender from seeds takes a lot of work. Planting material does not germinate well. Therefore, the seeds are first stratified (kept in the refrigerator for 1.5–2 months), which increases germination. An easier way is to sow lavender in the winter, choosing cold-hardy varieties that are suitable for temperate latitudes. You can purchase ready-made material, but it is expensive, although flowers will appear on such plantations in the first summer season. In order not to make a mistake in choosing the required type of lavender for breeding, familiarize yourself with their types and characteristics. All currently known varieties are divided into groups:- Narrow-leaved (English). It looks like elongated spikelets with inflorescences, surrounded by narrow leaves. The bush grows up to a meter in height. This group is directly used for breeding in northern latitudes.
- Broadleaf (French). Such a plant requires a lot of attention. Saplings are capricious to external factors. Differences: short inflorescences with a varied range of shades and wider leaves. Not all flowers of this group have a pleasant smell.
- jagged. Varieties of this species are thermophilic, they are often used for growing in pots or on sunny beds in the southern regions. Lavender serratus is characterized by silvery soft leaves and inflorescences of various blue shades.
- Hybrid (Dutch). Such lavender shrubs are large (up to 2 meters). In general, they are derived from narrow-leaved lavender, but the inflorescences are larger. The plant needs a winter transplant due to poor frost resistance.
Growing lavender from seed is not easy, but it is possible. Let a fragrant and unusually colorful flower appear on your site!
Lavender is an unpretentious perennial plant of a rather modest appearance. But anyone who has ever smelled her scent will never forget.
The plant is a semi-shrub from half a meter to two meters high, with a stiff trunk, narrow leaves and flowers, usually of different shades of lilac - from pale to saturated. How to grow lavender from seeds? We'll tell you in the article.
Lavender is extremely well-respected since the days of Ancient Rome. The most modest list of its medicinal properties:
In addition to all of the above, dried lavender flowers have long been used for their aromatic properties.
- For freshening the air in enclosed spaces
- For a good smell of laundry when stored in cupboards
- For stuffing pillows - for a soothing effect
For lavender tea, a teaspoon of dry raw materials is brewed with a glass of boiling water and allowed to stand to a comfortable temperature.
- Relieves insomnia
- Improves digestion
- Removes headache
- Relieves symptoms of nausea
- Helps with stress
Lavender is a beautiful dried flower and in winter it is able to please the eye in exquisite bouquets and New Year's wreaths.
Types of lavender
Lavender belongs to the Lamiaceae family and has more than 40 species, the most common are:
Lavender angustifolia. It is this plant that is usually meant when they say "lavender". It is also the most frequent guest in our gardens and on window sills. A perennial plant that winters well under cover. Reaches up to 1 m in height. The leaves are narrow, with a beautiful silvery tint.
The flowers are elongated, on thin pedicels. Colors are traditional lavender, as well as white, pink and blue. It has a pleasant smell and is of unconditional value as a medicinal and aromatic agent. Blooms in June-July.
Lavender spikelet or broad-leaved. It has a stronger aroma than narrow-leaved lavender. There are three inflorescences on the stem.
Lavandin or hybrid lavender is a natural hybrid of narrow-leaved lavender and spikelet lavender. Especially common in Europe. In our country, it has not received very wide distribution due to the fact that it is afraid of frost. Reaches a height of up to 2 m.
Leaves of the same characteristic silvery shade. The inflorescences are so large that the peduncle droops under their weight.
An excellent source of essential oil. It differs in quality from the essential oil of lavender angustifolia. Blooms in July.
French lavender. Breeders have worked with this variety, creating many new, unique variations on its basis. Due to this, it has an extended flowering period.
The first flowering period lasts from May to July, the second - at the end of summer. It has a strong aroma, but not as pleasant as other varieties.
In our climate, lavender bushes need to be covered from frost for the winter. And you need to remove the shelter not earlier than March, when more or less warm weather sets in. Close at night if frost threatens.
It is worth noting another variety of this plant - Voznesenskaya lavender 34, which can also be grown from seeds. The plant is perennial, with a very pleasant strong aroma. Has honey properties.
Shoots have a gray-green tint. The bush is dense, spherical in shape. The height reaches 60-70 cm. The inflorescence forms a multitude, looks magnificent and bright.
This variety can be used as a medicinal plant due to its antiseptic and antispasmodic properties. Lavender Voznesenskaya 34 is best planted in a sunny area. The place should be warm, dry, protected from strong winds. The soil is suitable only well-drained.
Seeds must be stratified for at least a month before planting. It is best to plant seedlings. Transplantation into the open ground of Voznesenskaya lavender can be carried out in May.
planting lavender
How to plant lavender seeds? Planting seeds is a rather complicated process. And a long one, because the whole first year the young bushes will increase the root mass. This means that they will bloom only next summer. However, this method has many advantages:
Price. A bag of seeds costs much less than a root or a cutting, and more than one plant will grow from it.
Immunity. When properly planted, the plant will be strong and resistant to frost.
Fragility. Lavender does not like transplants very much. Therefore, any division of the plant is fraught with the death of the shoots and is shown only when the bush is already old and stops blooming. Then the division procedure can even benefit and rejuvenate him.
For friendly germination of seeds, it is necessary to place them in conditions as close as possible to natural ones. In the wild, the seeds fall into the ground, are lightly covered by grass or foliage, and dormant almost until spring.
Stratification. That is, keeping the seeds at low temperatures for a certain amount of time. In this way, good seed germination can be achieved.
Usually the stratification period is indicated on the seed bag, but in any case it is from one to two months. In a small container, the seeds are mixed with wet sand and put in the refrigerator. At the same time, it is not necessary to close up the seeds - just scatter them on the surface and cover them with snow on top. If there is no snow, lightly sprinkle with sand.
Ground requirements. The soil mixture should be relatively light - in the presence of garden or forest soil, mix it with fine sand in a ratio of 3: 1.
Both garden and forest soil must be taken from under the trees, where the most fertile layer has formed over the years. If there is no garden or forest soil, then you need to take ordinary soil and add humus, then again - sand. In a ratio of 2:2:1. Adding sand will make the soil light and permeable to oxygen.
When planting, it must be remembered that lavender sprouts are very delicate and may not survive the procedure. Therefore, it is best to transship them with a large clod of earth. And for this, it is best to initially seat it in individual containers.
Seedling germination. The container must be covered with a piece of glass or film and put away in a dark place.
No need to open or water. The condensate accumulating on the shelter will serve as a kind of natural watering.
After about a couple of weeks, you can expect the appearance of thin sprouts. As soon as they appear, the container must be moved to the southern windowsill and the shelter removed.
Growing lavender from seeds is a very delicate, fascinating process. The reward for a patient gardener is strong, healthy seedlings.
Podzimny sowing of lavender
As you know, when sowing this plant, the stage of stratification is very important. It can be artificial, in compliance with the described technology and using a refrigerator, as well as natural. If the second path is chosen, then lavender is sown before winter.
To do this, in the fall, when the temperature has already dropped sufficiently, but the frost has not yet begun, you need to land. Usually, the beginning and middle of October is suitable. However, dates may vary depending on the climate of a particular region.
The soil in the selected area must be moistened with water at room temperature, and then evenly scatter the seeds. Do not bury planting material too deep into the ground. The optimal depth is 1.5-2 cm.
After, the landing can be covered with agrofibre, a layer of peat or sawdust. We also recommend maintaining a snow blanket in the area where the plant is planted. This will protect the lavender from freezing. In the spring, all shelters must be removed.
We would like to note that in regions where the temperature in winter can drop below -23-25 degrees below zero, it is better not to use the described method.
Time and short landing plan
When and how to sow lavender? Summarizing the entire boarding process with timelines:
- End of March. into the refrigerator. Term - 1 month.
- End of April - end of June. We germinate seedlings and grow young bushes. The term is 2 months.
- The end of June - planting young shoots in open ground.
These terms are generally suitable for most regions of our country. But for the south, a shift in timing is possible.
seedling care
Subtleties, knowledge of which will help to avoid most common mistakes:
The container for seedlings should have good drainage - holes in the bottom and a layer of small stones. Lavender does not like stagnant water and the roots are prone to rotting.
Young seedlings are very tender, so you need to water it carefully under the root. For these purposes, you can use a regular disposable syringe.
Avoid soil compaction. It is convenient to loosen with a toothpick or a sharpened match.
It is necessary to provide 10-hour daylight hours. If natural lighting is still not enough, you need to organize additional lighting.
In the event that spring pampers with the sun, the seedlings can be taken out to the greenhouse. This will solve the backlight problem.
The holes in the bottom of the container for the outflow of moisture should be evenly spaced. If this is not the case, we recommend that you add the required number of holes yourself.
In addition to pebbles, shells, broken bricks, old sawdust, or even just a layer of sand can be used for drainage. The latter option is valid if the bottom of the box or other container is covered with agrofibre.
We recommend several times during the entire time of growing seedlings to process it when watering with an anti-fungal agent. You can apply Magnicur Energy or Fitosporin. The solution is not made too strong. As a rule, the instructions indicate the norms not only for treatment, but also for prevention.
The right choice of place when landing in open ground
So, the lavender has grown, and it's time to transplant it into the open ground. When choosing a place, you need to consider some points:
Lavender is hygrophilous. It is better not to plant it where artificial watering will be difficult. After all, in a hot dry summer, you will have to water often.
Lavender loves the sun. In its natural environment, it grows in open alpine areas, where warmth and moisture are perfectly combined. Therefore, it is definitely not suitable for decorating shady corners of the garden and the plot.
Lavender is an excellent honey plant. It will attract a lot of bees, so planting it near the house or where children play is not a good idea.
With a dense planting, the smell of lavender is rather strong. Therefore, do not plant it under the windows. Especially under the bedroom windows. Essential oils in concentrated form will disrupt sleep and can cause headaches.
Dense plantings of lavender are the perfect decoration for paths, a self-sufficient hedge or a crown at the head of a perennial flower bed.
Soil preparation for planting lavender
Lavender loves loamy, alkaline soils. If the soil is acidic, it can be limed, for example, with dolomite flour or ash.
The soil must first be cultivated. Digging deep to at least a shovel bayonet and removing weed roots is a must for healthy growth and lush lavender blooms.
Regular weeding and loosening of the bushes are required, otherwise the roots will lack oxygen, and the tall grass will simply drown out the young shoots.
To avoid this, you can make a mulch layer. For this, chopped tree bark, coniferous litter or purchased mixtures are well suited.
Crushed stone or artificial pebbles are also good for this purpose. Against its background, lavender bushes will look especially bright.
While watching the video, you will learn about planting lavender.
However, it must be remembered that it is impossible to mulch around the trunk of a bush, because this can cause moisture stagnation and, as a result, rotting of the roots.
Thanks to the mulch, the soil will remain loose for a long time, without clumping or hardening during watering, and will also retain oxygen longer. And all the weeding work will come down to removing the grass around the trunk of the bush.
During the period of active growth of the plant, and in the second year before the start of its flowering, you need to feed. You can apply organic fertilizer, but it is best to use compost. It is necessary to make literally a tablespoon per bush at the very root. Nutrients with each watering will go into the ground, enriching it.
Care and preparation for winter
The plant is extremely unpretentious and, compared with other garden inhabitants, does not cause any trouble to the grower.
Care must be taken to ensure that the soil around the trunk does not dry out and does not become hard.
In the hot season, additional watering is required.
After the next cut, literally by 2-3 cm. Immediately after this procedure, the bush will bloom again.
It is believed that lavender is able to withstand frosts down to -25 degrees. But most gardeners prefer not to take risks.
In late October - early November, lavender bushes must be covered. If the snow falls and then melts, the dense crust of the earth will block the access of oxygen to the roots and destroy the young bushes in the first place.
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