I am planning to start a large Lavender garden soon and would love to hear from anyone in my area who has grown lavender. Any tips or advice on your experiences (good or bad) would be very much appreciated.

I am also interested in finding Lavender sources as I will need to get some plants in the very near future. Lavender plugs would be cheaper than plants but I don't know if I have the patience to wait several years for a harvest.

P.S. - Does anyone have any suggestions for inexpensive or recycled raised bed materials for my Lavender? I have horrible clay soil and a raised bed is a must. Or maybe you have some knowledge or pictures of planting Lavender in mounds? My concern with mounds is that it would be hard to keep the stone, marble or sand mulch in place and most books recommend this type mulch in humid areas.