I am quite new to the gardening scene. So new in fact, I have yet to plant a seed with my own two hands in the garden. So any advice would be greatly appreciated. This garden is located in Northern California in the Bay Area. The seeds I wish to plant are Lavandula Angustifolia. From what little I have read this plant is fragrant, deer resistant, and repels mosquitoes. The last part about repelling mosquitoes is the main reason I bought the seeds in the first place.
Can be grown in large pot. Leave it outdoors with some evergreen branches sheltering it and it will come back in spring. I grow it in zone 8, but years ago I grew it in zone 5. Pick flowers before they are fully open to dry for sachets and wonderful-smelling decorations.
Valuable source of nectar and pollen for honey bees.
Lavender is a must-have plant for me! I tried growing lavender 'Hidcote", 'Munstead' and 'Augustifolia' at various locations on my windy hilltop before finding 'Grosso', a French cultivar used for its fragrance in perfumes, etc. Sadly, in open, sunny locations, all the 'Hidcote', 'Munstead' and 'Augustifolia' plants died. In a protected area with morning sun, they thrived but grew woody and ugly after a couple of years.
English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote Blue') is an attractive, fragrant lavender with gray-green foliage. It is a pollinator magnet while it is in bloom, enjoyed by a variety of bees and butterflies. Lavandula angustifolia also reportedly attracts hoverflies, a beneficial insects that feeds on aphids and helps to repel moths and flies. These characteristics make L. angustifolia a very useful companion plant in the garden.
Lavandula x intermedia 'Phenomenal' was developed and introduced in 2012 by Peace Tree Farm. They are in the city of Kintnersville, PA, which is in Bucks County. It is a fantastic Lavender variety for the gardener to grow, especially for those of us in the northern U.S. zones. It can take the heat and can survive winters better than some other Lavenders. It is a highly sought after variety for Lavender lovers. Everywhere I looked, since 2012, it was always sold out before I could get it. I was so excited to finally find it last year at a local Meijer store in a one-gallon pot. You can find this wonderful Lavender through online sources, garden centers, and big box stores.
Seeds of Lavender (Lavandula multifida) can be winter sown, and plants will bloom about twelve weeks after germination. Plants are very drought tolerant and thrive in neglected, poor soil conditions.
An English lavender with very good winter hardiness. Free-flowering in heat and humidity. Good scent.
This variety is a great choice for areas that are typically difficult for lavenders. It's the only one I've found yet that will shrug off our cold, wet winters and prosper in our sticky clay soil. My first plant is a few years old now, and still going strong.
