Relaxing at home.
Katie enjoying the new garden chair. She is on a harness.
Last night I had a great time with the folks of the Swansea Horticultural Society. They invited me to speak about lavender and there was a lot of interest as the seats were full and the questions excellent.
What a nice group!
My new BF Beverly called me a few weeks ago to organise my visit and not only did we talk about lavender but our cats! Last night I met a lovely woman with a cat called ‘Larry’. (Trust me to remember the cat’s name and not his owner’s.) She told us how her son and husband brought this fluffy grey kitten home and how she wanted no part of him. Quickly that changed as his personality worked it’s magic and Larry is now a valued family member and an excellent snuggling companion when you are not feeling well.
My own precious ‘Princess Katie’ was adopted from ARK, a Peterborough, Ontario rescue group. I can’t explain it, but this cat was meant to live with me. She was 1 1/2 years when she joined me and originally would only drink bottled water – hence her name ‘Princess”.
Thank you to everyone at Swansea for an enjoyable evening. If you live in that area of Toronto and would like to join a garden society, check them out. Information about Ontario horticulture societies is available at www.gardenontario.org.
Lavender Seeds.
Have you started tomatoes from seed? I consider those easy.
Lavender is a little trickier but not difficult. If you have never started seeds before, I wouldn’t start with lavender. L. angustifolias usually do not bloom until their second year. L. a. ‘Lady’ will bloom the first year from seed but you need to start it early – like now. Lavender started from seed will have some variation in flower color. If you have your heart set on a nice dark purple lavender, you are better to purchase plants already in bloom.
The larger L. x intermedia’s are sterile and do not produce seeds, so you can only purchase plants.
Lavender seeds are a little slow to germinate and to grow. Always use a sterilised potting mix to help avoid a disease called ‘damping off’, which will quickly kill off your seedlings.
There will be directions on the seed package letting you know how much soil to cover the seeds with. If you have a system where you can provide bottom heat, lavender seed appearantly like it. However, I have never used it. Once the seedlings begin to germinate, move into a sunny window, or under lights and grow as you would any other seeds. They need good light ot they can look stringy and weak. I find the only challenge with lavender is when the seedlings are a couple of inches tall. Do you transplant them to give them more space? They are more fragile than tomatoes at this point, so if you haven’t planted the seeds too close together, I would leave them until their roots have developed more fully and the seedlings look robust.
Eventually you will need to separate the plants and put them in larger containers. I would mix some horticulture sand with the potting mix at this point to help with drainage. When the outdoor temperatures are above freezing, day and night, you can begin to move the plants outside. Any plants that have been in the house, or in a greenhouse need to be “hardened off” (gradually aclimatised to outdoor light) gradually. If you put them directly outside in the sun, they will burn and die. You need to find a sheltered spot in your garden with dappled light and gradually accustom them to full sun.
I often leave my seedlings in containers well into the summer before moving them to their permanent home in the garden. Remember, while lavender is popular because it is drought tolerant, new plants need water. If they wilt, they will have trouble recovering.
Where can you buy seeds? Here are a few sources to get you started.
Vesey’s Seeds www.veseys.com
Richter’s Herbs www.richters.com
Renee’s Garden www.reneesgarden.com
If you have any questions about starting seeds, please ask.
