Lavender - southern shrubgrowing wild on the mountain slopes of the Mediterranean.
However, it is quite easy to grow on a summer cottage, because it is unpretentious and has undoubted advantages: in addition to flower fragrance, you can use it as natural medicine, cosmetic ingredient and spice.
Lavender: growing. The choice of planting material, seeds
Lavender seeds ripen in September, so it is better to purchase them in the fall. Their germination (when stored in paper bags at a temperature of + 12-18ºС) remains for a long time. After 2 years of storage, they need stratification before sowing.
When buying seedlings or delenki, pay attention to the appearance of the plant and its root system: they must be healthy, without signs of damage by pests. Also, when choosing planting material, the climatic conditions of your region should be guided.
What kind of lavender to choose for growing?
More than 20 types of lavender are known. They differ in the color of the flowers, the height of the bush, the shape of inflorescences. Of these, the most famous are:
• Broadleaf Lavender (French) - shrub up to 130 cm high with wide leaves. It has a strong aroma. On the stem grow up to 3 inflorescences simultaneously. The color palette of inflorescences is wide: shades of lilac, blue, pink, burgundy, white. Not hardy (tolerates frosts only up to -15ºС). In Russia, it is not cultivated in open ground, it can only be grown in flowerpots, in winter they need to be brought into a cool room with + 5-10ºС.
• Lavender Scalloped - compact heat-loving shrub up to 30 cm high. It grows mainly in the southern latitudes. In temperate climates, this species is grown as a potted plant. This lavender is very decorative: silver carved leaves, large inflorescences, their color scheme - all shades of purple.
• Narrow-leaved lavender. She is medicinal, English, evergreen, real. It is a branched shrub with peduncles up to 1 m high. Blossoms in June-July with tassels of small flowers.
Narrow-leaf lavender as the most cold-resistant (withstands frosts up to -25ºС) is suitable for cultivation in our country. This species has bred many varieties, which are divided into dwarf (bush height 15-45 cm), medium-tall (45-60 cm) and tall (over 60 cm). Munstread, Hidcote, Royal Blue, Felice, Alba are most suitable for the middle band. Of the zoned varieties, Benetatso, Voznesenskaya 34, Yuzhanka, Lublin Semko are recommended. In the southern regions, in addition to the above varieties, you can grow the following: Record, Isis, Stepnaya, Rannaya, B-34, Sineva, Krymchanka.
In the northern regions, lavender is not grown in open ground. It can be planted in tubs or flowerpots, which, with the onset of cooling, can be brought into shelter.
Lavender: growing. Sowing and planting
A place to grow lavender should be chosen immediately, because it does not tolerate a transplant. In addition, it can grow in a permanent place for more than 20 years. Lavender in the wild grows on rocks, mountain slopes on poor rocky soils. The same conditions must be provided to her in her area. Better choose for her sunny spot on the south or southwest side of the plot. In the shade of lavender will not be abundant flowering. Lowlands and flooded areas are also not suitable for growing lavender. If it is not possible to find a suitable site, then lavender is planted on beds 40 cm high, having previously arranged drainage from crushed stone or expanded clay in this place.
Lavender prefers moderately stony or sandy soils, without stagnation of water, with a slightly alkaline or neutral reaction. Lime, compost, sand should be added to heavy clay soils. With a high level of groundwater, it is necessary to take care of drainage.
Landing dates: Seeds are sown in open ground in October. Lavender seedlings are planted in the spring after the end of frost. In the southern regions, you can plant in the early fall.
Growing lavender from seeds
To grow lavender from seeds, they need stratification. They begin to do it in February. Seeds are sown in a bowl with wet peat or sand, covered with foil or glass and placed in a cool room with a temperature of + 3-5ºC (cellar, basement, refrigerator) for 30-40 days. Periodically ventilate the container and remove condensation. Then the container is transferred to a warm room for germination. The optimum temperature for this will be + 15-20ºС. It is better to put seedlings on a light windowsill so that they do not stretch. When 4-6 leaves appear, seedlings are dived into separate pots. To stimulate tillering, the top of the plant is pinched over 5-6 pairs of leaflets. Young plants are transplanted into the open ground in May after passing frosts. Plants will bloom in the second year.
You can sow the seeds in the fall (October) right into the ground or in a cold greenhouse. Sown to a depth of 4 mm, sprinkled with sand on top and slightly moistened the soil. In winter, you need to throw more snow on this place.
Growing lavender cuttings
An easier way to grow lavender is to cuttings. In central Russia, it is held in the summer (from late June to early July). It is best for cuttings to use the middle parts of semi-lignified annual shoots. They are cut into pieces 10 cm long. It is better to cut the leaves from the bottom. The lower ends of the cuttings are dipped in a root-forming agent (root, heteroauxin) and planted in a greenhouse in prepared soil (peat and sand 1: 1). The roots will appear in about a month. Rooted seedlings are planted in a permanent place until mid-August.
Cutting lavender
Growing Lavender Layers
You can also propagate lavender layering. To do this, in the spring, lower stems are bent to the ground, laid in a shallow groove (3-5 cm deep), sprinkled with earth or pinned. During the summer, the soil in these places is maintained in a slightly moist state. Next spring, new plants can be separated from the mother.
Bush division
To propagate lavender by delenki, the bush in October is cut to a height of 8-10 cm and is spudded so that there are no voids between the shoots. Young growth will appear next summer. In autumn, the bush can already be divided.
Before planting, lavender bushes and a seat should be prepared:
• The root system of the bushes is soaked in water for 60-90 minutes;
• For better tillering, the tops of the shoots are cut;
• Humus and sand are added to the landing pit about 30 cm deep;
Recommended planting density of lavender is 3-5 plants per 1 m2. The interval between plants depends on the growth of a particular variety and varies from 50 to 120 cm. If the bush is planted singly or as a tapeworm on flower beds, then its nutrition area should be at least 0.5 m2. When creating rabatok, borders, hedges to create the effect of a "continuous carpet" the distance between the plants is made half the height of the bush.
Lavender: growing. Care, dressing
Lavender care is quite simple: watering, loosening, feeding, pruning and shelter for the winter.
Watering. Lavender is drought tolerant and does not like waterlogging. Water it as the soil dries, directing a stream of water under the root, so as not to get on the leaves. Excessive watering will lead to rotting of the roots and yellowing of the stems.
Pruning. If lavender is not trimmed, then with age, its bottom is exposed, it loses its decorative effect. Immediately after flowering, it is not necessary to prune, as this causes late regrowth of shoots resistant to frost. In autumn, the shoots are shortened by 1/3. Last year's inflorescences are removed in the spring.
Pruning lavender
Shelter. In low snow winters with severe frosts (below -25 ° C), lavender bushes can freeze, so you need to cover them. Shelter should be light and not retain moisture. It is optimal to use fir spruce for this. It is not recommended to use sawdust or dry foliage, otherwise the lavender bushes may begin to melt.
Top dressing. In the spring, during active vegetation, lavender is fed with nitrogen fertilizers: urea or ammonium nitrate (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water). Instead of mineral preparations, you can use an aqueous solution of mullein (1:10). In the second half of summer, top dressing is stopped, otherwise growing foliage, the plants will not have time to prepare for the winter period. If you compost the earth around the bushes with compost, then this will be enough to feed the plants.
Collection and storage of lavender
If lavender is grown for practical purposes, then you need to harvest at the peak of flowering. During this period, lavender flowers contain the maximum amount of essential oils and have a saturated color. Dried flower shoots in a shaded and ventilated place, tied in bunches. After drying, the flowers are wiped off and stored in lightproof jars, hermetically sealed.
Application of lavender
Having planted lavender in your own area, you will not regret it at all, because it has a wide range of applications. This plant will give a unique charm to the site. Lavender looks good in rabatka, borders as a background plant, rockeries. Harmonious is its combination with roses, which will be grateful for such a neighborhood: lavender essential oils repel aphids and spider mites. You can create a sunny Mediterranean flowerbed by planting lavender with red daylilies, calendula, marigolds. In addition, the color of lavender is not limited only to lilac shades. This allows you to combine it with other contrasting plants. And you can create a "medicinal" garden, combining the planting of lavender with mint, sage, oregano, rosemary, lemon balm.
Lavender is a good honey plant, its aroma attracts bees that pollinate at the same time and flowering vegetable crops on your site.
Lavender essential oils scare away the moth, Colorado potato beetle, and moles. Therefore, it is advisable to plant lavender bushes along the perimeter of the potato field or in the beds between root crops.
This spicy grass will help to diversify and give a "twist" to traditional dishes and drinks.
Dried lavender flowers are used for interior decoration in the style of Provence, Country, as well as for aromatization of linen and premises.
The main pests and ways to combat them
Agalmatium two-bladed - an insect (up to 6 mm in size) that damages ethereal plants, including lavender. It lives mainly in the south of the Russian Federation. Females lay wintering eggs on the underside of leaves, which, due to their stickiness, become dusty and look like small lumps of dirt. Hatched larvae and adults eat leaves that are covered with dots, spots and slowly fade. To combat this pest it is necessary to destroy weeds, with severe damage to plants, insecticides are used.
Rainbow bug damages French and jagged lavender. Collect it from plants manually.
Rainbow bug
Penny slobbering - a polyphagous pest up to 5-6 mm long. Females lay eggs at the base of the shoots, from which larvae are born in spring. They live in their foamy secretions, feeding on the underside of leaves and shoots. Damaged parts of plants shrink and deform. With mass damage to the bushes, Inta-Vir and Fufanon chemicals are used.
Selenocephalus pale - brown beetle with a drop-shaped body shape. Females lay wintering eggs in August - September, from which larvae emerge in early summer. They, like adult insects, feed on the leaves of lavender. Insecticides are used to combat this pest.
Winged lepironia - brown cicadas. Both adults and larvae that release the softening stalks of lavender liquid cause harm. They settle on stems at a height of 20 cm from the soil surface. In places of damage, the shoots crack, the nutrition of the upper parts of the plant is disturbed. Damaged stems become thinner, lighten, bend, and then dry. In May, insecticides are treated to control pests.
Septoria - fungal disease. It appears on the leaves with many rounded red-brown spots. Affected leaves dry and fall. The development of the disease occurs in wet and warm weather. Sick plants are treated with preparations containing copper.
Alternariosis - A disease caused by the pathogenic fungus Alternaria. The first signs are manifested in the wilting and yellowing of the lower leaves, necrotic spotting on the stems. The top and side shoots fade. Damaged parts of plants are removed, and the rest are sprayed with Bordeaux liquid, Fundazol, Maxim.
Gray rot provoke fungi Botrytis cinerea. The disease develops in wet and cold summers. On the leaves and stems, brown, moist spots with a gray coating are formed. Infected plants cannot be treated; they are removed and burned.
