On Lavender and Roses
February Members Q&A
Lady of Shalott, one of my favorite roses!
One of the perks of being a Paid Subscriber to Wild Revival Gardening is the Monthly Q&A – and here we are for the first Q&A! Here's how it works: mid-month I send out a form to all paid subscribers asking them to submit their gardening questions for the month. Then normally I would film a video answering each question which will become a Friday feature. However, I have such a bad cold this week – no one wants to listen to me sniff and cough! So, this week I'm writing it all up instead!
How do you get to be a part of the Q&A? Become a paid subscriber! And founding members – Wild Revivalists – get a 1 hour zoom garden consultation, too!
So here we go… the inaugural Monthly Q&A!
Drumroll, please…
Choosing and Growing Lavender
"I have struggled to grow lavender in my flower garden. I’ve tried different kinds with no luck. Not only will they not flower, they usually don’t survive the summer.
I love lavender and really want to grow it! Are there varieties that grow better in my area? How do I help them thrive??"
Brooke | Colorado | Zone 6
Brooke, this is a great question! Lavender is a fabulous plant that is gorgeous in a garden, and beloved by bees. It's also a great choice at dry elevations here in Colorado. As a Mediterranean plant, Lavender evolved liking dry, sandy soil and lots and lots of sunshine. We have a lot of sunshine here in Colorado, but we have heavy clay soils. So it can take a bit of work to get Lavender to thrive. That said, it's totally worth it!
The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans loved Lavender as much as we do, adding it to their baths and using it in creams and infused oils for skin care. They weren't the first to discover Lavender's cosmetic and medicinal properties. It has been used for millennia from the Mediterranean region across Asia where it has been dried and oils have been extracted for a wide range of uses.
My Tips for Growing Lavender
Choose the right variety for your climate and location.
Choose the right Location.
Prepare the soil.
Don't overwater!
Choosing the Right Varieties
Lavenders are divided into four primary groups:
Lavandula angustifolia (English Lavenders)
English lavenders are the hardiest and do best in colder climates. They are also raised for their oils commercially. They are often smaller which may give them an advantage over the cold.
Lavandula x. intermedia/Lavandins (Hybrids)
These hybrids are newer crosses and have often been bred to grow in common garden soils. But they are not as cold hardy as English Lavenders, in general.
Lavandula stoechas (Spanish Lavenders)
Spanish lavenders bloom earlier in the season which is a disadvantage in climates that have late frosts (like Colorado) as the buds can be frozen in a late storm.
Lavandula dentata (French Lavender )
French lavenders can be the tallest and biggest of the lavender plants – up to 3 feet tall! They bloom the longest and have serrated leaves.
For varieties that thrive in Colorado, English Lavenders tend to do best with our wild weather changes. Personally, I have several Phenomenal® Lavender (Lavandula x intermedia Phenomenal® PP#24193) in with some of my roses, and they are, indeed, phenomenal!
I know that local flower farmer, Blossom and Branch Farm, also grows Phenomenal on a much larger scale. And I often look to flower farmers for variety recommendations because they have to grow plants at a large scale with as little work as possible. She Grows Flowers is another local flower farmer, and she grows lavender for a range of purposes including harvesting oils. Her fields include Edelweiss Lavender (Lavandula x intermedia 'Edelweiss') and Royal Velvet English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia 'Royal Velvet') amongst others.
I will be honest: having grown lavender in California as well as here in Colorado, I often see lavenders for sale in garden centers that will not last the winters. They are being treated as annuals – put them in a pot for the season and then toss them. But as a slow-growing perennial that is majestic in the right place in a garden, you can do so much better.
If you can't find any of these recommended lavenders at your local garden center, you may do better to order specific varieties. I have linked to High Country Gardens. They partnered with me on my Wildlife Garden, but I have such good luck with their plants, and I never hesitate to recommend them as a source.
Choose the Right Location
Full Sun: Lavender plants need at least 6 hours of full sun. And honestly, they can't have too much sun! So put them in a good sunny spot. I have some planted in with roses that also like the same soil and watering conditions.
Prepare the Soil
Well-draining Soil: this is critical! Lavender hates "wet feet" and the heavy, clay soils of Colorado can be problematic as they don't drain as well (by design). So amending your soil may be the answer if you have heavy clay soil.
Prepare your planting site by working small bark chips into the soil to improve drainage in a hole about 12" deep and 12" wide. The bark will create air pockets and will help to drain water away from the roots of the plant in a timely manner. Plant each plant in a mound so that water drains down and away and doesn't pool around the plant. And mulching around your plants with gravel can also help.
Don't Over-Water
As for watering: avoid over-watering. Plant away from sprinklers and irrigation systems. Overwatering is the biggest issue for Lavender plants! For the first few months after planting, water 1-2 times per week. But then cut back to every 2-3 weeks. Here in Colorado, because of our low humidity, watering from overhead is just fine, but if you live in a more humid climate, only water at the roots.
I hope this helps, Brooke! Let us know how it goes this spring!
Tequila Supreme
Choosing Roses
"We just moved into a new condo with a small patio. It has about two feet of soil along one side with nothing planted in it – and then a big tall fence. The patio is pretty sunny, so I think roses would be amazing in that little strip. But I don't have a clue what to choose. Do you have any rose recommendations?"
Carolyn | St. Louis | Zone 7
Oh, Carolyn, lucky you! There are so many roses to choose from, and in your climate, they absolutely thrive! Before you go buy any plants, however, let's get your bed set up for success!
How to Prepare a Bed for Roses
Without a photograph, I am left to imagine the setup you have back there, but since this is new construction, I can almost guarantee that strip of soil is pretty poor and REALLY compacted. So I would HIGHLY recommend that you build a little raised bed here to improve the soil and give your roses a good start at life.
Here's one of the easiest and least expensive ways I know of to build a raised bed: 2xEdge Staples. This is such a clever idea!
Decide how deep you want your raised bed to be.
Order your staples.
Buy your lumber – up to a 2x6 (which I would recommend to get the deepest bed possible for your roses). You can even have your lumber cut for you at most lumber yards.
Pound in the staples.
Fill your raised bed.
Seriously! It is that easy! And I think they are a great solution for renters, too, because you can just pull them out and take them with you when you move.
So here's what I recommend:
Take a hoe or a shovel to the soil that is already there. Break it up and just dig it over – down at least 6 inches.
Build a raised bed at least 4" deep (deeper is better over top of that soil.
Fill your raised bed with a peat-free, raised bed mix (like this from Back to the Roots).
Plant!
Distant Drums with some dahlias
How to Choose Roses
Choosing a rose is part-art and part-science. I have a general guide with some ideas for those of you thinking about roses in other parts of the country/world.
Let's start with the science. Not all roses are bred to survive in every climate. And with hot, humid summers in Missouri (I went to Wash U for grad school – I remember!), you need to choose roses that resist some of the fungal diseases that thrive in heat and humidity. Having said that, you also have a long, luxurious bloom time, and with a small patio, you want roses that will give you the most bang for your buck. That means choosing roses that bloom all summer long in repeat flushes.
Depending on how wide your patio is, you may be able to plant 2-4 Hybrid Tea or Shrub Roses, both of which will stay somewhat small, but will give you gorgeous flowers. Look for varieties that say:
Repeat Flowering or Everblooming
Disease-resistant
Height – within a size you desire
Now the art… You are so lucky to have the Missouri Botanical Gardens right there in St. Louis. I have visited many times in all seasons, and they have great resources online, too. If you can wait, go visit in late May or June to see what they have planted and what you like. All of their plants are labeled, so you can just take notes as you ramble.
They also have a list of suggested varieties which includes:
Mr. Lincoln
Imperial
American Spirit Homer
Tiffany
Memory Graceland
Peace
Sunbright Tropicana
Dolly Parton
Scarlet Knight
White Lightning
Tournament of Roses
If you can't wait, and I truly understand that, you need to consider a few factors:
Hardiness Zone: for roses and other perennials I always shop at least one zone down. So, you are in Zone 7 – I would look for something hardy to Zone 6 or even 5. That just gives you a little more insurance in case you have a colder-than-average period during a winter.
Root Stock: I have better luck with own-root roses here in Colorado. That means they aren't grafted onto a different rootstock. But that isn't a dealbreaker. It's just something to consider.
Your Seller: If you are buying roses at an independent garden center, they have probably chosen roses that are well-suited for your climate. Big box retailers are less reliable on this front, so buyer beware.
Soil Temperature: if you choose bare-root roses, you can plant them much earlier this spring. If you choose potted roses, you'll need to wait until your soil temperature is at least 60℉ before planting. That can help reduce transplant shock.
As for me: I try to buy bare root roses any time I can. I have great success with them over the long run, and they are cheaper, too!
Late summer blooms including Lady of Shalott
You also say you have a fence, but I'm not sure what type. If you are thinking of covering your fence with roses, here are a few things to consider:
Climbing Roses: tend to bloom once and be done. They are glorious while they do their thing, but then it is done for the year.
Rambling Roses: most bloom multiple times in the summer or are ever-blooming. Ramblers need more pruning and care, though, and can be very quick to grow.
If that sounds like more work than you are interested in, consider planting something as a green backdrop which will set off your roses like Creeping Fig (Ficus pumila) which is hardy to Zone 7 (especially with reflected heat, which you may have on a patio).
Darlow’s Enigma
One more note: I haven't grown it in St. Louis, so I don't know how it would do, but Darlow's Enigma is the champion rose in my garden here in Colorado. It is a rambler with pretty little white blooms that is consistently covered in pollinators all summer. It blooms from early June through to the first hard freeze. And it grows FAST. I love it and recommend it any chance I can!
Phenomenal Lavender, Salvia May Night, and my roses which are unknown
It's fortuitous that this month's questions featured plants that grow beautifully together! Roses and Lavender like similar conditions, and they look amazing together – roses providing height with lavender providing cover underneath. I have a rose bed planted with four different roses, Phenomenal Lavender, and Salvia May Night (Salvia x sylvestris 'May Night'). The Salvia blooms for months – longer than the lavender. So it picks up where the lavender leaves off. And since most of the roses bloom in flushes, this bed is beautiful from June through September or October. It's a little big of magic!
Ok. That's it for this month's Q&A. If you want to get in on the action, become a paid member, and fill out next month's questionnaire when it comes your way!
Happy Gardening!
Angela
