28 August 2007

Lavender Woes?



What is happening to our big luscious lavender shrub?? For some reason, the lavender has decided to start killing off branches. What was once a sprawling happy flowering shrub has--over the last 2 weeks--started dying back. What gives? Too much rain? Perhaps the shock between the rain and the heat is overwhelming it. I can't figure it out. It's clearly been very happy in its place for many years. Maybe its time is done...oh i hope not. I would miss the smell of lavender greeting me every day in the back garden, and new lavender plants are notoriously difficult to get off the ground and running. Speaking of, I decided that maybe the problem was that it never looks to have been pruned, which means it's pretty woody. So, last weekend, I pruned all the growing flowering tips off in hopes that I could save it. Still, large branches seem to be wilting and turning a bad gray color.

If anyone out there in the ether reads this and knows what's going on: let me know!

2 comments:

tmtx said...

Have no fear, mine is doing the same, so you aren't alone at least. Yes, I'd say it has been all the rain. Lavender is a drier climate plant much like Rosemary. Wet feet do not make it a happy plant. Leave it be for a few more days and look for signs of extensive wilt or die off, if it stabilizes water only once a week. If it does die off, it's a good reason to go to F-Berg and purchase a big plant!

Lee said...

Thanks for the tips! (By the way, the rosemary planted next to it is looking pretty yellowed and blech too...)