PHOTO: CELIA PEARSON

GARDEN DOCTOR Q l l t d O O T S

W h y w o n ’t m y lav en d er

b lo om ? I recen tly b o u g h t a

y o u n g plan t a n d it’s g ro w in g

q u ite w ell, b u t it h asn ’t

p ro d u c e d a n y flo w e rs.

D o I n e e d t o fertilize it?

Your plant m aybe too young. Most

kinds of lavender require a period of

chilly weather to prompt them to

bloom, w hich is w hy first-year plants

won’t bloom.

Two exceptions are ‘Lady’ and

‘Vicenza’, w hich bloom in their first

year. They’re both hardy to Zone 5.

Lavender does best w ith light

fertilizing—blood or bone meal

applied to the soil once a year w ill do.

I th o u g h t lav en d er w a s h a rd y

w h e r e I live (Z o n e 6 ) b u t m y

p lan ts didn’t m a k e it th ro u g h

th e w inter. W h a t co u ld h ave

g o n e w ro n g ?

French and Spanish lavender are

hardy only to Zone 8; perhaps this is

what you planted. English lavender

is the most cold-tolerant species,

hardy to Zone 5.

It is also possible that your plants

did not become well-established in

their first year of growth. Plants that

would normally be hardy when

mature may not make it through the

winter if they didn’t get a good start

the first year. Try the English

lavender varieties ‘Hidcote’ and

‘Munstead’—they’re considered to

be particularly hardy. ®

For Imyinginformatm

i see page

259

.

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