I have never had any luck with lavender. If I were you I'd try to find one like you had; it sounds like it was a winner.

I've had both Hidcote and Munstead in my garden for the last 4 years and haven't lost them yet. They still bothlook pretty good in spite of the drought.

Christie, I started my Munstead lavender from seeds and still have maybe 10 plants doing well after 4 years. I plant them in my poorest dry spots but the one in a planter with a rose does well too and I water it now and then.

If your spot is low, build it up above the rest of the surface using some builders sand for drainage.

Glenda are you saying you didn't have to water the ones in soil this summer? My yard looks terrible and I have stopped the bathtub siphoning - too much trouble. I am really appreciating the blooming crepe myrtle which I only watered occasionally and four o clocks which were not watered at all. I have a blooming vine weed - climbing milkweed that smells sweet. It is a noxious weed but I prefer it to sweet autumn clematis which is more invasive. The four o clocks smell good at night. Does anyone else use their WorX rechargable blower to clean behind the refrigerator? That is the kind of housekeeper I am. Honey hates it.

Helen, the only time it gets water is if I use the sprinkler and I haven't used one at all on the Driveway Border this year. It has survived. That is where most of them are.

The blower made me laugh. My FIL once did that and blew dust all over the kitchen. My MIL was not happy! I rarely clean under mine and know I should. I never clean behind it.It is in a sort of closet and is 25 cu.ft. so it stays
in place.

If something blooms only at night, it is lost to me! I never am outside in the dark....probably in bed by that time.

I love the clematis, but it is a rampant grower and I have to prune it out of the gate each year. Mine never reseeds like some people's do.

"Clean behind the refrigerator?" What is that?? That's the kind of housekeeper I am when I can be outside. lol

Sunny

Sounds easier than trying to move the fridge. My mother has used her leaf blower to clean out her van. lol She loves that thing. She uses it for the carport instead of sweeping too.
It may have been the late freeze in 07 that finally killed off my lavender but I'm sure it was doing poorly before that. I will winter sow some and see how it does since yours did ok from seed Glenda. Thanks everyone.

Christie, I want to be sure you understand that I didn't wintersow. I just planted it in flats and raised it under my grow lights on the back porch and then transplanted outside.

Glad you told me that Glenda. I still might try a few though. I've seen lavender pretty cheap in the herb section so that's tempting too.

The secret to growing lavender here is excellent drainage and warmth for the roots. They'll grow very well for instance, at the top of a retaining wall - great drainage, warmth for the roots. You can incorporate slate chips or mulch with small rocks which will help with both issues as well.

It's a mediterranean plant so the goal is to try to mimic that environment.