Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Planting for Provence


I'm still digging and delving in the dirt..............going to need a serious manicure any day now!


Trying Provence lavender again.....have just one old plant left in the garden and know it's in the wrong location.  Lavender requires lots of sunshine and good drainage - sandy soil helps.  I'm planting three of these healthy looking babies up on a slope, in full sun, and adding sand to the planting hole.  Wish me luck as I so want to pick bunches of lavender to dry.  I have more sun since the huge oak had to be removed.......before it fell! I also want to get a little feel of the gorgeous fields of lavender in Provence............guess I need a couple of acres and a few thousand more plants though, sigh!


If I ever get to gather like this I've gotta have this beautiful old wagon, and painted in French lavender blue.......heavenly!


Do you love the perfume of lavender? 
Do you grow lavender?  Any tips will be welcomed.

16 comments:

  1. We had 5 lavender bushes at the allotment I rescued fron a skip, I harvested all the spikes from 4 bushes and left one for the bees. I took cuttings last year which have rooted and I am about to plant them in bigger pots, they will go in the garden at the end of this season, give them a bit of a start before winter. There is a very straggly bush under the conifer by the shed, I might take some cuttungs off that and hook it out....its not been pruned at all.

    I love the smell of lavender especially on bed linen reminds me of my grand mother, she always had fresh lavender bags each year to put in the chest that held the winter/summer bed linen. That and fresh air on linen are two of my favourite scents.....

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  2. I have some in my yard here in Provence. We water it well the first year then that's it. Lots of sun and heat seem to be the secret and they make it through cold brutal winters too.

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  3. I have several lavender bushes, I love the scent! I need to do more with it when it blooms.

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  4. I whish I was there right now....I almost can feel the lavender smell.....

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  5. I love lavender. I have yet to try to plant it. I know exactly what you mean about a manicure. My daughter noticed the earth under my nails yesterday and suggested that it was time I did something about it!! Carla

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  6. I love lavendar! Mine is just starting to bloom.
    Anna

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  7. Hi Mary,
    I love lavender also :-). I loved your suggestion about our whole back yard filled with rows of Lavender....wouldn't that be wonderful?

    I just planted three this week in our front garden area, along with a lilac and a knock out rose.

    I plan on planting alot more lavender when we figure out our landscaping plans a little more. We would love to have a pergola or gazebo out back. We are looking into that.

    LOVE the picture of that lavender blue old wagon. I want one now!
    Hugs,
    Penny

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  8. Lavendar and Lilac are my two favorite scents, but with my black thumb I have NO tips for you, other than don't let me near it! hehehe!

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  9. I noticed just the other day that I need to weed around my lavender. I have had mine now for about 12 years which is a miracle that I can even grow it in this red dirt!! I have it at the top of the hill in full sunshine, and I did the same thing as you when I planted mine, I poured sand in the hole. I have read that it is good to keep a trench around them so when it does rain they will get a good soaking; although personally they do ok without it. I have about six plants now, and they are still the original ones. I did have around 15 or more, but the others did not make it. I only buy the Provence lavender as I find it does better here in the south. The others that I had were not Provence, the ones that died, but I have had Provence kick the bucket too! I also have some in pots that I planted last year, (so I guess I have more than six!) and they are doing fine. I am on the lookout for more, like you, I would love to see a field of it!! Perhaps this year I will plant some down the hill too, and then find a cute little wagon, which by the way the one you showed us is fantastic! Love, love, the color on it!
    Well, since I've finished lunch at the computer, I guess I better get back outside. So much to do!
    Take Care!
    Ulrike

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  10. I love the lavender sachet that you gave me; I have it hanging from the bedpost so I can release the fragrance when I hop into bed. I don't have much luck growing it, I think it is too humid here and maybe there too.

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  11. I adore lavender! But I have no experience in growing it so no tips, sorry....I've got my eye on some lavender for my garden too. You are an inspiration.

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  12. Love Provence lavender. We brought home some seeds for Provence pumpkins, which I can't wait to see them grow. Do you want a few seeds?

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  13. Lavenderr is a fav of mine and was a highlight of going to France last year. Our trip was planned around the lavender blooming and it was a treat of a lifetime! The best lavender tip I can share is to prune it back slightly in the fall then in the early spring prune it back more and into a rounded shape. This keeps my lavender plants nicely shaped and full of blooms. I usually get two to three harvests every summer from each plant. I have several and my fav variety is 'Royal Blue.'
    Hugs N Herbal Blessings, Mandy

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  14. Be still my heart. Lavender is one of my favorites. I'd love to have a meadow of it. Thank you for sharing.

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  15. I too love lavender and have several plants in my garden with plans to add more this year. The lavender is slowly coming back in my little corner of Prince Edward Island. It's been cool: the tulips and daffs are now in bloom and everything else is leafing out beautifully. I cut my lavender, then use the previous year's flowers in linen sachets. These I use in my dryer instead of commercial fabric sheets: they last for ages and the scent is so much nicer. I also love lavender lemonade and lavender in oat cakes or shortbread biscuits:-) Thank-you Mary for your lovely posts; I have been a follower for some time now,
    Trina

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  16. I have a lavender sachet that I slip under my pillow when I make my bed every morning. In the evening I remove it, flip the pillow over and then drift off to sleep in a lavender haze. Try it!
    We have a bank of lavender that goes from the veranda down a slope to the front pond - it smell heavenly.

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