[fatbelly]

Hi,

This year I am trying to grow all of Mrs FB's containers and hanging baskets from seed to save money.

She likes Lavender and as I have never grown this from seed before I was hoping for some  ideas.

Will Lavender seeds sown now flower this year?
Do they require any special sowing procedure?
Any other suggestions will be gratefully received.

[DD.]

I gew a load from seed.

Yes they flowered same year, (only small plants though).

Special procedure - threw them in a seed tray in unheated greehouse, pricked out into pots when big enough.

[fatbelly]

Thanks DD.
Will buy them and get them in this weekend.

[Lardman]

I gew a load from seed.

How long did they take to germinate ? I followed much the same procedure for some earlier this year, but theres no sign of them yet.

[DD.]

Blimey - you're asking me to think back 5 or 6 years!

I was a bit later sowing them, so it was a bit warmer, (unheated greenhouse), think of the order of 6 weeks or so, they're not fast germinators.

Got a dozen nice bushes on Mrs Digger's plot now.

[Trillium]

You've done better than I have, Dd. I've tried lavender seeds many times and never got a single plant up. Even the garden centres won't do seeds, only cuttings.

[LivvyW]

I tried lavender from seed, used a whole packet (possibly 100 seeds) and after a lot of effort got about 12 plants. They did take ages to germinate, and grew very slowly. Did'nt flower the first year.

Why don't you find someone that would give you cuttings. Much easier and quicker in my opinion.