Since the sowing of lavender is rather laborious, it is usually worth buying a lavender plant. We give tips and show what you should pay attention to.
Lavender (Lavandula) is a very popular garden plant that should not be missing in any herb garden. During the gardening season you will find the Mediterranean herb in almost every garden center and nursery. There are both mature plants and young plants and seeds for self-cultivation. Even hardware stores and discounters occasionally have lavender on offer. Sometimes it's not so easy to keep track of things.
So that you can enjoy your lavender for a long time, you should consider a few important points when buying plants and seeds. In this article we explain how you can recognize he althy and high-quality lavender plants.
Buying Lavender Seeds
Lavender is a subshrub and can be propagated not only by cuttings but also by seeds. You can also buy these in any larger garden center. Usually these are varieties of real lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) or French lavender (Lavandula stoechas). More unusual varieties and organic seeds are also available online. However, be sure to check the expiration date when purchasing. Lavender seeds lose their ability to germinate over time. However, when stored properly, most herb seeds have a shelf life of around two to three years.
Buying Lavender Plants
If you want to save time and effort, it is better to buy early young plants. The price usually varies according to size, variety and age. Even if the offers in the discounter are tempting, you should definitely pay attention to the quality of the plants. If you take a little more money in hand from the outset, you can avoid one or the other nasty surprise. Because only strong, he althy lavender plants will grow well and reward you with a rich bloom in the long term. You can also ask the staff in the nursery or garden center if you have any questionsbetter advice on technical issues than the employees in the discount store.
You can look out for the following quality features when buying lavender:
- Existing labeling (variety, location, size) and care instructions
- Good development and compact growth
- No damage
- Many side shoots
- Good rooting
- No smell of rot
When choosing the variety, be sure to consider the later use, because not every lavender is suitable for planting in the garden bed. While most of the varieties of real lavender on offer are hardy, the frost-sensitive French lavender is more suitable for planting in a pot or bucket in our latitudes.
Buy lavender: recognize diseases and pests
Because lavender contains essential oils, pest infestation is rarely an issue. However, mold and root rot are relatively common and can even kill the plant. You should therefore avoid waterlogging at all costs. Choosing the right location helps, because lavender prefers warm, dry locations with well-drained soil. You should only water your lavender during a prolonged dry period. Potted lavender should only be watered when the top layer of soil has dried anyway. A clay pot with a drainage hole and a drainage layer ensure that excess irrigation water can drain off.
Infestation with the fungus Phoma lavandulae can also be problematic. This is noticeable by brown spots on the branches, which later turn black. It is best to remove the infested parts of the plant early on, as this may prevent them from spreading.
Where to buy lavender?
In the garden center you will usually only find the most common varieties of real lavender and French lavender. You may be able to find rarer specimens in perennial nurseries and tree nurseries. It's best to ask around, there may be smaller nurseries or hobby gardeners in your area that specialize in lavender.
You can also find a larger selection of lavender varieties in online shops such as:
Horstmann Nursery: Wide range of different varieties. Very informative variety descriptions andclear profiles.
Gaißmayer perennial garden: Here mainly varieties of real lavender and the lavandin group (Lavandula x intermedia) are offered.
Gärtnerei Gartenrot: Offers a small but fine range of different lavender varieties from our own production.
Here we have put together a comprehensive collection of different types and varieties of lavender for you.