How to Plant/Transplant Lavender in a Wet Climate ~ Fall Gardening Tasks #1

The weather is just miserable outside so far this week... very wet, gloomy and 45 degrees F (7 C). The plants love it of course, especially after a few weeks of dry weather. At least something is enjoying it!

Lavandula angustifolia over lady's mantle (Alchemilla mollis).

I thought I might take advantage of my time indoors to start a series of posts on all of the tasks that need to be done this fall. And I feel a little better remembering that I did do one already: transplanting my lavender.

Driveway Garden: the mature lavender to the left, new one going to the right

In the Driveway Garden, I have been doing some re-working, including: Routing out the bishop's weed (Aegopodium podagraria L. ) that has popped up everywhere, adding some late-summer interest (read more here), and working on adding a little more continuity.

One of my best ideas is to move the lavender getting squashed by our old rose bush,  allowing it some room and echoing the mature one across the sidewalk... Which brings me to sharing how I have successfully learned to grow lavender in our wet, freezing Pennsylvania climate.

The squashed lavender

Lavendula is a Mediterranean plant, liking the extremely well-drained sandy soil of a hillside in full sun. And I will never forget Joe Reardon-Smith's comment on lavenders needing only a few small pellets of goat fertilization once a year. Rather a memorable way to put it.

So let's get to the planting. Our main goal is adding drainage.

The new hole

Always dig your hole as deep as the root ball and twice as wide around. I like to loosen the sides of the hole with my japanese garden knife (my favorite garden tool by far!).

Gravel and sand for the lavender's planting hole.

Before putting in the lavender, add a one-inch layer of sand and gravel to the bottom of the hole. This will raise the plant's crown above ground level by an inch, and help keep water moving under its root ball.

Gravel and sand in the hole.

Toss in the gravel and sand, and you may even want to do a couple of layers as you adjust the height of the root ball later on. (I pulled out my lavender and added more gravel and sand after this first layer to raise the height.)

Digging out the Lavender angustifolia for transplanting.

When lifting a mature perennial or shrub, always dig as straight down as possible from the outer foliage circle around the plant. The feeder roots that are found just under the surface, under the leaf spread, are very important. Do not just cut it out of the ground two inches from its stem, for example.

I usually cut in several spots around a plant before lifting it out of its hole. It may work to use your shovel, but some root balls hold together better if you get in there with your hands (gloves please!).

Plant the crown of the lavender plant on a slight mound.

Once you have your lavender in the new hole, check the height. It needs to have its crown above the surface enough not to sit in water, but not so extreme that it will be exposed to freezing temperatures during winter. Mound the soil up to cover it, and press a 10-inch round trench one-inch deep around the plant.

Leaning tower of lavendula.

One more issue with my less-than-perfect lavender plant is the fact that it is leaning over. I remedy this by pulling the stems back and adding a small stake to the inside of the plant. This helps open up the center and encourage new growth in parts that were previously over-crowded.

Transplanted Lavender angustifolia, upright.

I hope this method proves successful for all of you longing after waving wands of lavender in your full sun gardens. They can really take the heat, so think about putting them near walkways or driveways where they will thrive when other flowers fail.

Driveway Garden in June 2010

Lavandula angustifolia with a mini lily in June 2011.

Happy fall planting!

Task #2... thinning the seedlings coming up.