How long ago did you plant them? They are drought tolerant when established... so if they are young, they need more watering. I water mine 1 a week until it is over 100º then I water them more frequently.

How often is often in regards to watering? Could be overwatering.
L. stoechas is interchangeably called Italian, Spanish or French Lavender.
Still like the same conditions as the English types, but are more resistant to humidity.
None require fertilizing...better performance without. Spanish Lavenders don't mind acid soils where alkaline is the preference for others. They bloom from March-May.

Vera

Ha! That's not true, Vera! Here in Sacramento, they bloom a lot of the summertime, but I have to continually dead head.

I planted them Beginning of may and they never bloomed really good from the start. The soil is really dry and sandy (my Rosemary loves it- so I still cannot figure out why they died. ) I did water good to start and they slowly started to dye out starting in July. My watering was about the same (2-3 times a week.) It is about 100 throughout the summers here and very hot and dry for the most. I assume they just dried out. But who knows?

hello novice herbs,

I have had many deaths with my lavenders here in Singapore and I relised that sometimes it could be that your plants might have a fungus problem...the plants just starts dying for no apparent reason...and I also have had successes with using a fungicide....no harm giving it a spray of fungicide....it can be depressing to see them die on by one...remember to use the fungicide after the plants have had a drink. wait for like an hour before spraying them

Heathen...
The bloom time was just the description in one of my books...My 'Munstead' bloomed May-June and after harvesting all the wands and trimming up the plants they, they expoded in new growth and are now in full bloom again! Lovin' it :)

Vera

Know this is an old thread, but wanted to chime in, anyway :-)

Lavandulas (except for a hybrid L. angustifolia "Lady") typically won't full bloom the first year either from seed or cutting, just as you wouldn't expect any baby shrub to bloom.

I don't think your problem is the soil unless you've added "good garden" amendments like compost or manure to your sandy mix.

Usually if Lavs die the first year in the ground, it is because you are taking too good care of them. Remember -- benign neglect except for light watering ONLY to encourage root establishment is what they like. A really dilute fish emulsion in the Spring is all mine get for fertilizer, and that is just to enhance new growth before pruning.

And -- just as important -- don't mulch to the trunk. The best lav I ever had was a self-sown in a rock wall crevice.

Martie

I'll echo what Martie said. My lavenders were very late to bloom the first year- most did so past the usual bloom time. I mulch them with pebbles, as they seem to love the radiant heat. I don't water them unless I test the soil for dryness down to a depth of at least an inch. I've never fertilized them. Benign neglect does, indeed, seem to do the trick. I've noticed the same works for my Rosemary.

I wanted to plant Spanish Lavender (Zone 7a, same as the original poster, noviceherbus), but after doing some research, I found out that it is not hearty in my growing zone. Ideal growing zones for this variety are 8 through 11, so the problem noviceherbus is/was having is most likely related to the growing zone s/he is in, and not the soil, yard location, or the plant itself. Northern regions should stick to English and French varieties. Even though Spanish Lavender grows wild in France--Provence, actually, where they have a warmer climate--and is sometimes called French Lavender, don't confuse it with the varieties that are indiginous to France and England.

I have a great Spanish Lavender plant in a large pot.
The blooms are now dead looking after flowering for about 2 months. Do I cut them back to encourage new growth ??
Thanks
Brian B.

Yes, you should trim off the dead blooms as it will help shape the bush and encourage new growth and blooms.

I live in new mexico and have a pond and wanted to purchase a spanish lavender but don't know if it would be a good location to plant it

I planted tiny seedling sized plants this spring and am now enjoying a robust 3' wide drift of grey green aromatic foliage and looking forward to the promise of bloom next spring. I have mine along the edge of my driveway in a sun scorched border that slopes south. Obviously it likes neglect as I have only watered it to stablish it and occasionally through our long dry summer. Will continue to "ignore" it and hope for the best that it survives our Winter here in Atlanta.