I'm getting into gardening this year! It's my new passion! I believe it will teach my girls so much! They love to get thier hands dirty!
We are putting in a vegetable garden and I'm growing a sunflower house for my girls to play in. We are composting and vermicomposting.
I also have this passion to grow lavender. I know that it's difficult to grow in this area, but I'm willing to put in as much extra work as required. Does anyone grow lavender? How did you grow it, and what type did you use?
And does anyone have any other gardening passions they want to discuss?
I have had luck growing the lavender plant that has rosemary and then shoots up lavender. This is different form just lavender but still lavender. I have a bunch in my perennial garden I ordered from burgess a couple of years ago. It is very hardy and my kids love to pick the lavender when it comes up and the rosemary other times.
HTH!
Every attempt I've made to grow lavender(from seed) outside was a flop. I would suggest buying a lavender plant, then planting. I did have success growing it indoors though. :) Since it's still early in the growing season, you could start some seeds indoors now, and see how they do, then plant them later. Or you could even start some inside and out, this way you'll be sure to have some either way. As far as the kind I used, I'm not sure. Good Luck, let me know how it goes.
Kudos to you for teaching your girls such great things. My youngest loves gardening. With this crazy weather we have though, we had to cover "his" tulips so we don't lose them before they bloom all the way.
I've got lavender, we're putting it in this coming weekend so will let you know in a few weeks how it goes. So far this year I've got spinach, cilantro, basil, oregano, tomatoes, spearmint, and glads.
I have English Lavender in my flower beds and they seem to do really well with a lot of direct sunlight. I bought them at a local nursery as I am by no means a very good gardener and know better than to try to start a plant by seed. I still can't figure out how they have managed to grow so well without me killing them! I did learn to plant them in a sand/soil mix and make sure you do not use Miracle Grow or anything similar as it will burn their root systems. In the winter, wrap them with burlap so the plants can survive the strong cold winter winds. Durring the spring and summer months I pretty much just leave them alone and so far they have doubled in size since last year.
I work at a local garden center, and we sell lots of lavendar. It thrives on neglect. You should be able to grow it where you are; just don't fertilize it, and don't water it except during severe drought. Cut it back mid-summer to keep it from getting scraggly, and it will bloom again for you.
I have lavender - I love it! I have it planted all around in different flower beds, getting all types of sun exposure (from full sun to little sun). I pick it often when it's growing which promotes new growth, and allows me to make good use of it indoors (in vases with other flowers, dried flowers, in the bath tub!...even makes a nice "bow" for gifts wrapped in brown paper and twine). I haven't had any problem keeping it growing. As mentioned above, feel free to neglect it - it should do just fine with no special care.
Kids are great for helping in the garden! Get them a little wheel barrel and they'll move anything you ask them too! Pint size shovels, hoes, and rakes (real ones, not plastic) are inexpensive (few bucks a piece) and really get them motivated and make them feel like pros! We put out a very large veggie garden (enough to eat fresh, store for winter, and share with friends) and grow a lot of different things. And I stick flowers wherever I can on the three acres here - even in the woods!
Lavender is very hard to grow. I have tried and am trying again but I am not getting my hopes up. I had my husband plant the seeds this year because I have discovered I can't grow anything from seeds except for vegetables. Every time I even try to repot a plant it dies so I have my kids do the repotting and they are fine. I have heard there is some acid in certain peoples skin that affects the seeds and roots of plants. I think I am one of those people.
My sister got my kids everything they need to make a sunflower house for their birthday. I am pretty excited about that I just don't know where to put them. We have lots of bees around our house. Sunflowers are my favorite.
My kids help with the garden every year and they love it. It is so cool when they help plant the vegetables and then they realize they grew food. We eat a lot of salsa in the summer and they love it. Have fun in the garden. I am not the best gardener ever but I have done a lot of research so let me know if I can help you with anything.
