Lavender needs extremely well drained soil and will only tolerate clay soil in extremely dry climates, so you will need to ammend your soil with lots of organic matter or soil conditioner. They also need alkaline soil, so you may need to apply lime as well. The most cold hardy lavenders are the English types (Lavender augustifolia) like 'Hidcote', 'Graves' and 'Mitcham Gray.'

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Your County Extension Office can help with a soil test kit. They are not expensive. Maybe $10 or $12. Could be free. Usually requires four to five small baggies of soil samples. In general, our clay soils are slightly acidic in the south. All the pine and oak matter decomposing. Depending on where you are in N. AL , your soil may be a little more alkaline due to the limestone subsurface.

I would also suggest looking at Auburn or Alabama University web sites for Extension Services for a list of state provided resources including Extension services. Whichever school has an Agriculture program will be more likely to house the site. The NC State one is quite good.

I do not know how to root plants...I was thinking the same thing, I mean about just planting them and see how they do. I found a Nursery with ROCK Bottom prices!!! That has lavender plants..So I was thinking the risk is not to high. I have a lot of LARGE Oak trees which have acidic leaves. So I think I will have to lime in the areas where the leaves fall. I could go back there and mow up all the Oak leaves.

Here's the link to the Nursery with Rock Bottom prices.

http://www.autumnridgenursery.com/index.cfm

Bonjour Oui, I have 100 huge oak trees and still have 2 thriving lavendars. I also have clay soil. The plants aren't directly under the trees and they get a lot of sun. Give it a try.

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Opps.... The typos strike again... *nothing

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Oui,

quote:

---

I do not know how to root plants...

---

If you have a plant that is living and is in the
ground right now, you can probagate your lavendar,
by pulling down a stem, laying it side ways on the ground **do not detach it from the plant, just
lay it on it's side** and then take a tiny bit of soil, lay it on top of where a leave would come out of the stem~you can strip one or two of them if you need to right were the stem touches the soil~ and then put something heavy on top, like a rock, not too heavy where it crushes it, but something just to hold it down..
or something like a wire "U", do you know what I mean by those, they are used in wiring to put two or three wires together and as they wire them along the beams, they hold all the wires in place?
What I wouldn't give for a pen and paper !!!!!

But, the lavendar will root from that way..

If you do that method you can take a number of them from the plant and start it, but make sure you leave enough upright for the plant to maintain it's own food and such for it's sustainint it's self...

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Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





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I'm currently "air layering" my camillia.I took spagum moss soaked it in root starter by MG.I squueze it out.I bought me a roll of that new cling wrap stuff "press& seal"(really kewl.I recomend a less windy day)I pressed it all about the moss stuff sealed it up& after eating a few more baked potatoes.I'll have all 10 starts covered with some foil(they said birds would try to take my moss) I DID scrape the wood& put a lil root hormone on the scrape before covering with moss& press& seal.I've NOT been able to ROOT camillia cuttings with any success.In the spring.I go cut some Gardenia& oak leaf Hydragea limbs,throw in some water in a 5 gallon bucket with about 6-8 inches of water& they all root.but I can't root salvia....not even with rooting hormone.I do good with oleander too ....if keep hubby away from them.I air layered some azealia before and they DID take.I planted them at lake lot and hubby& BIL managed to help them die.hubby has still abused this azealia.Its shape is just awful.I did improve its looks with a "skirt" of white PVC lattice& well see what it thinks of more sun this year.

Sorry got lost Lavender.I've not had much luck with growing Lavendar.I can TELL you Hydicote cannot take TX heat.I got it in the fall and it DID grow till about MAY when it shut down.I pulled out of ground& returned to where ordered it.Gurneys did not credit me for the lavendaer...reason stated was not suitable to my climate.I'm currently NOT growing any lavendar...BUT I can grow spanish lavender& Melda back here has ( www.meldasherbsandmore.com )A few she carries,but the one I masacered it she said down in the humid south they have to have good air flow.so I imagine growing in a feild WOULD be a good benifit,But I think I'd turn the earth 1st.Hey maybe a good rain will come through....take the horses out and have them walk all in the area and they'll loosen it for ya.when its not as muddy rake it sow it& might work.

I got a 4 way analizer for christmas from outsiders pride.tells
LIGHT
FERT
MOISTURE
PH

I it

Oh...before I eventually killed my lavender.I had sprinkled some sand around roots. she said would keep mildew down(it was when we was getting actual rainfall..right after our wettest month 17 inches)

And I forgot this site Melda had told me about.

http://www.purplehazelavender.com/growing.html

I did some lavender candles one year(4 yrs ago)I learned to be sure lavendar was completly dry when useing in candles.It changed color as it dried& after a week it was affecting my candle...still unburned.It didn't affect the bath salts.

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