As summer winds down, we will be taking stock of our Year of the Perennials. First up is our attempt at growing lavender. Like many of our projects, this required a long lead time, starting with stratifying seeds in the refrigerator over the late winter. When the seedlings were planted out in the spring, they looks great in their pots, but a bit fragile in the ground. Using landscape fabric was essential as it kept the weeds at bay and the bed looking tidy. The temporary fencing was also important, keeping the chickens away.
At the end of summer, the plants look great. They really filled out, and we only had two or three losses. There were several weeks where we picked small bouquets of Grosso lavender for the house. After a pause in blooming, the two varieties we started from seed are starting to bloom. We are picking and drying the stems, and will bundle them into wands to hang in the house or coop.
The next milestone will be getting them through the winter. These varieties are supposed to be hardy to Zone 4, and we hope their location next to the south side of the garage will create a microclimate that will help them survive. So far, this project looks like a success. There are a couple of culinary varieties I would like to add next year. They are not as hardy, so the experiment will continue.
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