lavender

[woolybanana (ex tag)]

Why oh why can't I grow lavender from seed? I use good quality seeds from a packet, seed tray and bought compost. But nothing comes up. Help please.

[jardinière]

I have just been looking at my Lavender Hidcote seeds, they take a very long time to germinate, I have several coming through, the first lot to germinate have several pairs of leaves, while others are just coming through.  I did give them some bottom heat to start with, but now that the weather has improved! they are growing, in a shaded greenhouse. Please give it time, I was about to dump mine, when I noticed that there was signs of growth. Good luck.  

[woolybanana (ex tag)]

Thank you jardiniere. I will be patient.

[Ford Anglia]

Lavender are probably like foxgloves. Foxgloves come from a little known plant family, known as witekthepis, and will only germinate where THEY want to.[:D]

Put as many seeds in as you like. Wait for ever, NOTHING. But then, lo and behold, foxgloves have come up all over your gravel path, in the cracks of the pavement, in pots you didn't want them in, the list goes on. I even had one germinate in a semi-blocked gutter. Imagine if I'd left it[:-))]

I've given up, I just enjoy the stupid things WHEREVER they come up.

[chrisb]

[quote user="Ford Anglia"]

Lavender are probably like foxgloves. Foxgloves come from a little known plant family, known as witekthepis, and will only germinate where THEY want to.[:D]

Put as many seeds in as you like. Wait for ever, NOTHING. But then, lo and behold, foxgloves have come up all over your gravel path, in the cracks of the pavement, in pots you didn't want them in, the list goes on. I even had one germinate in a semi-blocked gutter. Imagine if I'd left it[:-))]

I've given up, I just enjoy the stupid things WHEREVER they come up.

[/quote]Evening Primrose also has this infuriating habit  -so the tall variety that was at the back of your border migrates to the front - and the miniature one has moved next door!

EDIT - pressed send before ready!

With lavender I plant the seeds in a pot just covered and leave it outside through the winter and get quite a few coming up the next year.

[chirpy]

[I]My wife has hidcote plants and last august took 60 cuttingsand found 40 gave 3inch plants this year .

seeds are sometimes tricky but at least with a cuttig you can notice the growth when it comesand less expensive than seeds.

[toots]

I prefer to take cutting too, this is the time of year to do it whilst there is still soft growth on the top of the plants. I put five round the edge of a  plastic pot and put the pot in a poly bag, once they show signs of growth, I open the bag and gradually get them used to being out of the bag, into a cold frame, then pot up into 3" pot and grow on throught the winter and plant out in the spring. I use a similar method for geraniums and have been very sucsessful with them, geraniums hate rooting compound, it makes them rot off, I root fuschias in water and then pot up.................they stay on a window cill in the house until the spring and then go into the cold frame for a few weeks to aclimatize before I pot them on pinch out the tops and wait for them to flower.

[Catalpa]

Another plant expensive to buy and easy to propagate from cuttings at almost any time of the year is the marguerite - the pretty, daisy type flowers, normally white but sometimes yellow and pale pink. Take a shoot that hasn't flowered, cut at a leaf node with a sharp knife giving you a 6cm (or thereabouts) cutting, remove a few of the lower leaves and insert about 3-4 cms into damp compost. Cover and leave for a month. No rooting compound needed. If you use very small pots, as soon as you can see the roots creeping out of the bottom of the pot, pot on.

We've had a couple of fridges break down (terminally) recently and the salad boxes with clear covers make excellent propagation containers. I seal them with a bit of cling film to prevent slug ingress. [:D]

[Eos]

I need to cut back a beautiful circle of lavender at the base of my olive tree as it's beginning to take over the path. The lavender has been there for years according to the previous owners and is pretty woody but gorgeous and fragrant nonetheless so I wouldn't want to lose it.

My question is, should I do it this time of year and how ruthless could/should I be?

 

[Russethouse]

I would wait to the spring, with Lavender you should never cut into the woody part only into the 'green'. If you are desperate you could give it a light trim now then a more proper cut next year.