To see photos of Lavender Growing at La Paix in 2005, click here.
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| This is Kate Walsh, summer apprentice 2001, holding a flat of lavender plugs from Hillcrest Nursery in Millers, Maryland. We planted almost 900 plugs of lavandin and lavender in May of 2001. Kate received three credits from the University of Pittsburgh for her apprenticeship at La Paix. She majored in Environmental Education, and graduated in December, 2001. |
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Beds were prepared in late
winterand early spring of 2001 by double digging and liming (lavenders and lavandins need a pH of 7.0 - alkaline soil). Dolometic lime was used. Beds measuring approximately six feet by four feet feet were planted thickly (25 to 50 plugs each ) so that they could be observed closely during their first summer. |
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Kate is in the upper left
hand corner of the photo, planting plugs of Goodwin Creek Gray
lavandin. Beds in the foreground have already been planted and
mulched with rocks or slate. Other mulches for lavender might be crushed limestone, black plastic, sand or gravel. Mulches are needed
to keep water from splashing up from the earth to the plant
causing bacteria damage. When first planting the plugs, (late Spring
is the best time) it is necessary
to keep them watered for the first week or so. After that, lavender is quite drought tolerant. |
| Some Herbs Which
Can be Grown in West Virginia for Their Essential Oils Angelica Root, Anise seed*, Basil (Sweet), Cedarwood*(Red), German Chamomile*, Cilantro, Dill, Enigeron (Fleabane)*, Eucalyptus (Annual)*, Garlic*, Hyssop, Laurel Leaf, Lavender*, Lemon Grass*, Sweet Marjoram*, Melissa*, Mugwort*, Oregano Vulgare*, Patchouli*, Peppermint*, Rose, Rue*, Clary Sage*, Spearmint*, Spruce, Tarragon, Yarrow*, Purple Perilla*, Goldenrod, Fir. *Those not usually devoured by deer in West Virginia. This list varies from farmer to farmer. For instance, my lavender was eaten and pruned hard by deer in the winter of 2001-02. |
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| Late Spring 2002 -
transplanted lavandin - Grosso. Cages may be taken off in late spring and reapplied in mid fall. The deer don't bother the lavender when other things are growing in Spring and Summer. |
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Left: Grosso lavandin in early July 2001 Right: Grosso lavandin in October, 2001, four months later. The bamboo is around the Grosso because the dogs thought the bed was a shortcut to the entrance of the garden. |
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Grosso, according to Art Tucker in The Big
Book of Herbs, is a lavendula intermedia, an intermediate hybrid
of common
lavender and spike, combining characteristics of both parents in a plant which
displays hybrid
vigor. Also called Fat Spike and Dilly Dilly, its origin is the Vaucluse District of
France, about 1972. It was
discovered by Pierre Grosso and developed after
a devastating bacteria blight in the lavender fields of
France. Grosso now
comprises 80% of the lavender grown in France. The flowers are lavender
blue and
Grosso yields 29 to 37% linalyl acetate,
27 to 32% linalool (lavender essential oil). The Grosso lavandin has
shown
itself to be particularly hardy, and because of this the approximately 500
Grosso plants here were
left exposed to the elements in the severe winter of
2002-03. It has survived fine. Grosso grows tall, about
three feet
by three feet at maturity in three years.
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Goodwin Creek Gray, shown
here on the left, also thrived in the summer of 2001. The plugs taken in September 2001 and kept inside under lights were quite healthy, but the plants outside looked very bad by mid winter and none of the two hundred Good Creek plugs survived, although they were beautiful until then. However, many more Goodwin Creek have been propagated from the mother plant which was kept inside in the winter of 01-02. It is a beautiful indoor winter lavender, flowering often. It sells for from $38. to $48. in a 6 inch pot in catalogs. Other lavandins and lavendulas planted are La Paix are: Seal, Dutch, Jean Davis, Maillette (2001). All survived the winter well except for some deer pruning. In 2002, Hidcote was added. All the lavender was caged for the winter of 2002-03. As of today, March 26th, 2003, the Grosso looks particularly hardy, already greening. The Seal and Dutch look a little the worse for wear. But lavender often can look dead in the spring, and gardeners dig it up only to find that other gardeners who let it stay find it greening again, often from the roots, in June. |
| The photo on the right shows the lavender beds in October, 2001. The plugs had become so close together as they grew that air circulation (necessary for lavender) could become a problem. In the fall of 2001, many beds were prepared and in the Spring of 2002, transplanting of the lavender plants was begun. Over 600 lavender plants were transplanted in the Spring and early Summer of 2002. |
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Plants grown from the plugs purchased in May of 2001 were large enough by Fall to take plugs two to three inches long from them. Over 100 plugs were grown out in the greenhouse which is heated to not go below freezing. |
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Cuttings are stripped of leaves about l/3 from
the bottom, and dipped in a combination of willow water and
Rescue Remedy.
Willow water is made from willow twigs of bushes growing by the creek which are
soaked
in water in the sun for two days. Rescue Remedy is a Bach flower
drop formula. All the plugs did beautifully,
rooting well,
UNTIL THE
INVASION OF THE MICE!
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The problem with
the mice was first noticed when soil was scuffed up, and later, plugs were found lying on the top of the flat with no roots left (the mice ate them!). The mice also planted seeds from the bird feeders in the plug pots - so various grasses were also sprouting up in competition with the plugs. After several attempts to thwart the mice, including detours constructed of lovely wet potting soil on the lower shelf, rocks from the creek were placed around the larger plugs. These plugs had already been repotted into 4 inch pots because they had grown so large. The smaller plugs had clay fritter scattered around them. But, the mice dug up around the rocks - Mighty Mice! So finally, my son, Bill, set four mouse traps. We trapped and killed (I'm sorry) at least 60 mice in my little 8 x 10 foot greenhouse that winter. However, this winter of 02-03 was quite severe, and the plugs which were potted in the greenhouse this winter have not grown as rapidly as those in 01-02. The greenhouse is kept barely heated, but was without electricity for almost six days. Most plugs survived, and now in late March, are beginning to show new green. On April 3rd, 2003, ) the plugs had grown about an inch each. I have read recently that plugs can be taken from lavender growing outside in late winter and simply stuck in the ground. I am going to try taking a few plugs in early spring and see if this works. |
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In the winter of 02-03, thinking that the proximity of the bird feeders might be drawing mice to the greenhouse, I moved the bird feeders to the Feng Shui garden. There was no sign of mice glee and debris in the greenhouse this winter.
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| Winter Protection 2002: Research continued as some lavenders were covered with a combination of remay or agricultural cloth held up by curved bamboo or wire fencing and others (Grosso in middle of this photo) left to the elements. The results were interesting: the Grosso left without remay cloth did better than the Grosso covered. |
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This may have been due to the
fact that better air circulation is achieved without covering. In the winter of 02-03, there are no plants covered. They have all been mulched with crushed limestone as they were planted in the spring. So far (early Spring 03) the plants look pretty good. I think I will prune them in early fall next year down about l/3 their height - to keep them from getting woody. |
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Seven new beds were prepared
in the fall of 2001 to transplant about 600 lavenders from the Big Garden where they had been grown out as plugs. We began transplanting in April 2002. To the left is one of the beds, on a south facing slope to the west of the Shop. Weeded, with a little compost and lime dug in, the whole area was covered with newspapers held down by rocks and large sticks. The newspapers were laid to keep the area weed free until Spring but to allow the daffodils all over this hill to come up through the paper, so that we would know where to plant the lavender so we did not disturb the daffodil bulbs. This worked very well, and now in late March of 03, the hill is covered with daffodils in bloom and lavender growing greener by the day. |
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April 2002: Seven tons of crushed
limestone is ordered and dumped in the front driveway. This is used as
mulch on the seven prepared beds for lavender transplants. The total cost
was $137. and the crushed
limestone covered all the current beds and five more
beds (in addition to the seven already prepared) which
were needed for the
lavender plants.
The lavender plants were planted about two feet apart to
allow for spreading. There are now approximately
900 lavender plants at La
Paix. The crushed limestone, silvery in the sun, looks good, keeps down
weeds and hopefully, furnishes more
lime overtime to the lavender. The
photo on the left is of the pile of crushed limestone being guarded by
Torma.
On the right, in the middle is a newly prepared raised bed in the front yard
which now has a dozen
Grosso lavandins circling a solar fountain in the
middle. This bed was raised particularly high due to
occasional high water
in the yard after lots of rain. Lavender does not thrive with wet feet!
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On the left: Grosso
lavandin on the front slope - Fall 2002. |
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On the left: Lavender
growing out in the original lavender garden. This is late Summer
2002. In the foreground are Dutch lavandin (on right) and Jean Davis
lavender. The Dutch has not bloomed yet, although the Grosso, Seal,
Jean Davis, and Hidcote did in 2002. Any blooms were immediately cut off in 2001 to allow the plants to become hardy. In the middle ground are Seal lavandin. The purple plant is Purple Perilla, an Asian basil used in cooking. In the background is the bathtub which is used in summer for end-of-the-day bathing. The bath water may be strewn with lavender and other fragrant leaves and flowers for a truly luxurious soak. The water is warmed in the day by filling multiple watering cans full of water which are left in the full sun for the day. The hose is also placed in the full sun and that water is used as it too heats up during the day. Placing the drapery around the tub is a rite of late Spring at La Paix and the drapery changes every year. |
| This photo shows the round garden in front of the Feng Shui Garden. This garden was completely renovated leaving only the Iris and a few Perilla. About thirty Seal lavandin plants were transplanted here in June of 2002. They grew beautifully in the summer, but this harsh winter has taken a toll on them. They look pretty ragged. Late Spring will reveal the results. |  |
The lavender in the Chinese pots are Goodwin Creek Gray, now in the house for winter and blooming. Seal is a very attractive, tall (3 feet at maturity) plant, hardy with prolific flowering even in the second year. That is a hand cut stone trough in the back of the round garden which was here when I arrived twenty-three years ago. The shop is on the left. |
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| Upper Photo Left: Seal lavandin in the foreground (round bed). Background lavandin is Dutch. Although it is quite hardy and bushy, drought tolerant, it has not flowered yet. Dr. Arthur Tucker, Big Book of Herbs, states that Dutch is an uncertain bloomer. At La Paix, he is certainly proven right! Hopefully, it will bloom in its third year 2003. |  |
Upper Photo Right: In the middle of the photo on the left is Dutch lavandin (sometimes known as Vera or True lavender). It is looking very healthy here , but has not bloomed in its second year 2002. Dutch is not as tall as Seal and Grosso. Lemon Grass grows by the tub. Bronze fennel right foreground. Anise Hyssop can be seen in the mid background, to the right of the bench. |
A view from the top of the Big
Garden. On the extreme left foreground are Hidcote plugs just planted in
2002.
On left middle of photo is Seal lavandin. Grosso, Maillette
and Seal are also seen on the right. The large yellowish/golden plant to
the left of the tub is bronze fennel. Purple perilla lines the edge of the
middle beds.
It seems like a good companion plant to the lavender.
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However, the lavender on the side of the creek where the house, greenhouse and shop are located seemed to look very well (except for those Seal lavandin planted in the round circle before the Feng Shui garden and they seemed to have more shade than they needed despite taking some limbs off the south facing side of the elm tree growing in the bed). The lavender in the half circle bed (see photo below) thrived and grew very well spring, summer, fall and even looks good as I write this in Jan. of 2004. So does the lavender in the round bed in front of the house and the lavender planted on the slope below the road leading to the house. And I think I know why this disparity exists.
Why the difference in the growth of the same type of lavandin growing at La Paix - one on the south side of the creek - the other groups of lavender on the north side of the creek. IT IS THE SUN'S POSITION DURING THE WINTER! And this discovery makes it so important that potential lavender growers know their land. The reason the lavandin growing on the north side of the creek is thriving and that on the south side of the creek is dying is: In the winter, the sun is lower in the sky. La Paix's gardens are located on a small area of flat ground between two hills, one hill on the south and one on the north. (like much of West Virginia farm land) Because the south side of the gardens are next to the hill on the south, there is less sun (by far!) shining on those beds during the winter as the hill hides the sun. However, the beds on the south have sun (whenever it is shining) all winter long because the hill is not as close to them. This is the only difference - all plants have been limed the same, the soil is similar, the drainage good. All plants get considerable sun in the summer. All the plants thrived the first year and looked good the second year (except for the aforementioned Goodwin Gray which need warmer weather than an iffy Zone 6 in the winter). It was the winter of 2003 which did the lovely lavandin in - with it's tremendous amounts of ice, snow, cold weather and no sun for weeks at a time. The plants on the south could be said to have suffered from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).....So when planting your lavender, make sure you know the amount of sun that can be expected to shine on it in the winter months. It makes a huge difference in their health. P.S. The Dutch lavender has never bloomed in the three years it has grown here (Art Tucker, the Big Book of Herbs, was quite right when he said it was an "iffy" bloomer).
I have decided to take out most of the sickly lavandin in the Big Garden in the Spring of 2004 (and I'm sure it will come even as I put on another sweater) and replace it with peppermint plants which thrive in the conditions the lavandin withers in. And I have also decided to plant at least 200 Grosso lavandin (80 of which are from the two biggest Mother Plants - now growing in the greenhouse) on the south facing hill by the road leading to La Paix. It is perfect for them. |
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Below is a photo taken July
7, 2004 of the new plantings |
The photo below was also
taken on July 7, 2004. |
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To see photos and information on the
La Paix Lavender Plants of 2005, click here.
La Paix Herb Farm
3052 Crooked Run Rd.
Alum Bridge, West Virginia USA 26321
(304) 269-7681
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