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Lavender is a herbaceous perennial plant that is loved by many for its pleasant smell. Therefore, it is often added to aroma sachets, used to create medicines and cosmetics. It is believed that a light and unobtrusive aroma soothes and relieves stress. In addition, the plant has a very beautiful appearance. During flowering, it is decorated with tiny purple-blue flowers. Flowering fields are an extraordinary sight. If you want to have the same beauty at home or in the garden, we tell you how to plant lavender.

All about how to grow lavender

How to choose seeds
How to choose a variety
Preparation stage
Landing in the ground
Seedling care

Features of the choice of seeds

When choosing seeds for growing flowers, you should pay attention to the manufacturer. It is recommended to take only those seeds that you are sure of. You can contact the suppliers you have verified or you know well, who have a wide range of products. And also buy them from well-known brands, reviews of which are easy to find on the Internet.

Do not trust the low price, as lavender is quite an expensive plant. The cost is due to the popularity of flowers. Seeds with a small price may be fake. Detailed information about the characteristics of flowers should be given on the packaging, as well as instructions for sowing.

If you are already growing the plant in the garden or on the windowsill, then most likely you will not need to go to the store for seeds. You can assemble them yourself. To do this, cut the branches with fully blossomed inflorescences. Then leave them to dry. You can collect small bouquets and put in a vase — so the composition will look beautiful in the interior. When the inflorescences dry up, the seeds will be easy to collect.

If you have an old bag of seeds, then do not rush to throw it away. The seeds of this plant are distinguished by amazing germination. Therefore, there is no need to use only freshly harvested. Five-year-old material is suitable for cultivation if it has been lying in a tightly closed container all this time.

Variety selection

When choosing seed, pay attention not only to quality, but also to the variety. Growing lavender from seed is usually easy if you choose a hardy variety. This one boasts good winter hardiness. In central Russia, there is one suitable one — narrow-leaved or English lavender. This species is a perennial shrub. The lower part of the shoots is woody and covered with leaves. And from above, beautiful narrow lilac flowers bloom. Usually a bush grows up to 30-60 cm in height, reaches 1 m in width. This species is quite unpretentious and is able to tolerate frosts. It usually blooms in mid or late summer.

If you are going to grow flowers exclusively in warm conditions, for example, at home, then the choice of variety is not limited. However, it is worth remembering that most of the species are demanding care and capricious plants.

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Angustifolia or English lavender

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Angustifolia or English lavender

Seed preparation

Before planting lavender seeds at home for seedlings, it is important to prepare them — to carry out stratification. This stage is considered the most important and difficult.

Stratification is a procedure that certain types of plants need. It helps the seeds to ripen. To do this, they must be placed in the cold. For example, perennial seeds after flowering at the end of summer fall into the ground and stay in it all winter. Such stratification is called natural. There is also artificial stratification, during which the seeds are removed in the cold, for example, in the refrigerator.

With natural stratification, seedlings should be placed in places where water does not stagnate. You can also place them in containers, cover well on top and leave them outside. In this case, they are not threatened by severe waterlogging and freezing without snow shelter.

With artificial stratification, you will have to create cold conditions yourself. To do this, take a suitable container, pour wet peat into it (you can use peat tablets), add sawdust and sand. Then the seeds are mixed with the finished soil mixture. After loosely close the container with a lid or tighten with a film. Place the container in the upper part of the chamber, where the temperature does not exceed +5°C. This is what is considered ideal. Leave it there for 1.5-2 months.

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How to plant and grow lavender

After stratification, the material is ready for sowing. It is correct to plant lavender seeds for seedlings at the end of winter or at the beginning of spring. To do this, prepare a suitable substrate, for example, it can be a universal soil that is suitable for growing indoor flowers. Ready soil mixture should be disinfected. This can be done by hardening or treatment with a solution of potassium permanganate.

It is best to sow the prepared material in a shallow, but wide container. Cassettes are not suitable for this. When planting, the seeds are laid out in the ground one by one at a sufficiently large distance: 1.5-2 cm from each other. The fact is that plants in the future will acquire a powerful root system that will prevent neighboring bushes from developing.

Otherwise, the sowing scheme does not differ from other plants. It is necessary to fill the containers with prepared soil, then moisten it. You can do this with a sprayer, so the soil will not be too wet. Do not compact the soil from above. Then the seed is placed, sprinkled with a small layer of earth. Then cover with glass or any plastic film to create a greenhouse effect.

Seedling care

Containers with seedlings are placed in a place with good lighting and room temperature. It should not fall below +15°C. At this time, be sure to monitor the condition of the soil: it should always be slightly moist. However, you can not fill it, otherwise the seeds will die. Therefore, once a day, you can spray the ground with a spray gun and briefly open the film so that the plantings are ventilated.

The process of germinating flowers is quite long. After sowing, the first sprouts may appear after 14 days, and actively begin to grow only after 30 days. When you notice strong shoots, you can remove the shelter. During this period, you should also not forget about moistening the soil, you need to do this every day.

You can transplant plants into full-fledged pots when they have 3-4 full-fledged leaves. Suitable containers with a diameter of 5 cm. Then the lavender should be tempered for at least 7 days. To do this, the pots are taken out into the street: on the first day — for an hour, on subsequent days the interval is gradually increased.

Plants planted in open ground will bloom only next year. In this they will grow roots and shoots. For their planting, it is better to choose a sunny place with light soil. Bushes should be placed in the ground at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other.

In the first year, lavender needs special care: emerging inflorescences must be cut off so that the bushes gain strength for flowering next year. It is also necessary to carry out regular weeding and get rid of weeds.