Lavender Common English

Lavender Common English

The most commonly seen and reliable variety of this hardy woody perennial herb which can live 20-30 years and is extensively used for the production of Lavender Oil and perfumes.   Both foliage and flowers will produce fantastic scent in any garden and are magnets for beneficial insects and butterflies alike.

Cultivation Advice Lavender Common English

• Lavender tolerates various types of soils, but does best in dry, sandy, well-drained alkaline soil in full sun.
• Start seeds indoors or in a propagator from 10 to 12 weeks before your last spring frost date at a minimum temp of 70 degrees. To increase the speed of germination, chill the seeds in the refrigerator for a week before planting.
• Plant seeds no deeper than 6 mm (1/4 inch). Seeds take from 14 to 28 days to germinate.
• When large enough to handle, plant seedlings on and transfer gradually outside after all danger of frost is past.
• Please note Lavender is slow to germinate and is a slow grower once established.
• Add liquid fertilizer regularly to potted plants to encourage flowering.
• Although English lavender can live 20 to 30 years, it becomes untidy after a few years, so trim plants back in spring and again in early fall.

Please Note – Lavender seeds are by nature ‘ low and slow’ germinators and one of the harder varieties to grow from seed.  Lavender seeds have a short shelf life (these are the freshest possible), and therefore the germination rate (how many seeds out of 100 come up) is usually pretty low.  They can also take a long time to sprout (two weeks or more) and this increases the risk of fungal problems, with the potential for seed to rot if insufficient temperature is provided.  We offer a large quantity of seed to compensate for these natural problems, from which with care you should generate more than enough plants to populate the largest garden.