[3759allen]

hi all.

i'm looking to grow a couple of large lavender plants to put in a couple of containers.

how hard are these to grow from seed? and how long will it take to get to roughly a foot tall bush?

would it be quicker to grow from cuttings?

any other advise about growing this shrub would be great.

many thanks. steve

[Yorkie]

I grew some from seed a few years ago and they got quite bushy in their second year.

I'd go for the English lavender varieties for hardiness; some get bigger than others.

I can't remember how I sowed them, other than quite free-draining soil and they took a while to get going.  Cuttings will definitely be quicker but it's not the right time of the year to do them - autumn is better.

[JayG]

Can only endorse what Yorkie has already said - I've never lost an English lavender but the 3 French ones I had eventually all perished (zut alors!)

They're very forgiving plants - the only thing they won't put up with is waterlogged soil or compost, although they do prefer a sunny spot if you can provide that too.

[Trillium]

I never had luck with lavender seed. Cuttings are the way we do it over here, and much faster. Even nurseries do cuttings only.

Lavenders hate too much water so be sure there's good drainage at all times.

[3759allen]

thanks for the advice.

think i may try them from seed, 2 years isn't that bad really. especially if i won't be able to do cuttings til autumn.

i'll look for some english lavender seeds when i order my veggy seeds.

plenty of gravel in the bottom of the container for drainage then.

[Goosegirl]

I've grown them from seed in the past and had no problem - just use multi-purpose compost mixed with with something like vermiculite or grit for good drainage.

[MrsPea]

Hi 3759Allen, I grew some last year from a free pkt of seed I'm not sure which one it was, if I remember I'll take a photo for you at the moment it's quite happy growing in the green house.