Within a week of planting our test field, several plants died or were really struggling.
Admittedly, some of the plants that we planted were not in the best shape, but decided to plant them in hopes of a recovery once in the ground. Despite checking the soil moisture every 2-3 days with a soil tester and hand watering as needed [irrigation not set up; more on that later], the loss total was 23 or 26%. Was the loss due to heat/humidity, the varieties tested, planting so many weeks after receiving plants from the west coast, drainage not sufficient, something else or all of the above?
Disappointed that we already suffered a loss, we reminded ourselves this was a test, and not the best time of year to plant lavender. So, we regrouped and decided to also make this an opportunity to add Phenomenal Lavender to our test field and to add a small row of lavender in front of our newly renovated shed. Phenomenal is one of the best varieties to grow in zone 7a due to its heat/humidity tolerance. It was not available from Victor’s Lavender in Sequim, WA [our plant provider for the test field]. Although I’ve searched for a local lavender source close by before, after searching again I came across Daylily Nursery in Rock Island, TN about one hour and half away. I sent an email and quickly heard back that they had Phenomenal Lavender and made the drive. Upon arrival, I was thrilled to see how big, beautiful and healthy their 4” plants were!
We replaced all of the 23 failed plants in our test field. This time we mixed the gravel throughout the soil to improve drainage. Next, we tilled the soil in front of our shed and made weed cloth mounds with our bed mulch layer. Making mounds on a flat area was quite a bit easier than the sloped test field. We burned the 8" holes, post holed out the soil and mixed the gravel in, added hydrated lime then the plants and a little more lime. We also put more weed cloth down on both sides, topped with pea gravel, and added rock border with rocks from the test field. The row of 13 plants made a perfect addition to the front of our renovated shed located at the entrance of our farm.
note: Replaced 10 more plants with Phenomenal Lavender from DayLily Nursery on July 24th and August 7th. Three in front of the shed and seven in the test field. Post on updated plant stats in November.
