10 French Lavender Seeds

French Lavender stands out among lavenders for its distinctive flower heads: short, plump, pineapple-shaped spikes crowned with a tuft of showy, petal-like bracts in vivid purple. Its aroma is bold, fresh and slightly resinous rather than soft, and the silvery-green foliage stays handsome all season. That combination makes this imported variety a favourite ornamental for sunny borders, low hedges, gravel gardens and pots, where it draws bees and butterflies and perfumes the air whenever you brush past it.

Planting

Skip direct seeding in the ground. Instead, start the seed indoors in flats or trays and transplant later. Aim to sow about 8 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost. Set the seed only about 3 mm deep in a soilless seed-starting mix; because lavender needs a little light to sprout, cover it very lightly, for example with a dusting of perlite. Keep the trays at roughly 18 to 21 degrees C, ideally on a heating mat, since bottom heat improves results. Germination is slow and uneven, usually beginning in about 14 to 21 days. Move seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle, then plant them out in spring after the last frost. Plant shallowly, with the soil line sitting just above the top roots, spacing plants about 30 to 60 cm apart; for a low hedge, around 30 cm spacing works well. In Egypt, sow indoors or in trays during the cool season, roughly October to December, and transplant in the mild late-winter to early-spring window, about February to March, so roots establish before the harsh summer. In the cooler, more humid Nile Delta with heavier clay soils, plant on raised mounds or ridges 20 to 30 cm high (or in raised beds with added grit) and use the wider 45 to 60 cm spacing for good airflow. Avoid sowing or transplanting in summer anywhere in Egypt.

Fertilizing

Lavender wants very little feeding, since it actually prefers poor, low-nutrient soil. One option is a single application of slow-release fertilizer for the whole season, about one tablespoon per plant. Alternatively, work roughly 2.5 cm of compost in under the plants. In the open ground, no feeding is generally needed at all. Give it light, well-drained, gravelly soil that runs from poor and dry to only moderately fertile, on the neutral-to-alkaline side (pH roughly 6.5 to 8.3) — which suits Egypt's typically alkaline soils. Steer clear of heavy clay or waterlogged ground; on heavy soil, plant on a 20 to 30 cm mound or in a raised bed.

Care

Give French Lavender full sun, as it will not thrive in shade. After transplanting, water regularly through the first summer, applying about 3.8 L of water per plant each week until the plants are established. Once established it becomes very drought tolerant and only needs water during prolonged dry spells, so avoid overwatering: mature plants need only about 1.9 L every two weeks until flower buds form, then watering once or twice a week through flowering. In the drier air of Upper Egypt lavender does very well; get transplants in and rooted before summer, water deeply but infrequently during establishment, and afterwards keep water minimal. Watering sparingly at the base with drip is the best way to head off root rot. Trim the plant once a year in late summer after flowering, removing the spent flower stalks plus about 2.5 cm of leafy growth; never cut back into the old bare woody stems, because lavender does not regenerate well from old wood. Expect blooms in late spring and summer. The main disease to watch for is Phytophthora root rot, brought on by overwatering and wet, heavy soils, so sharp drainage and no waterlogging are essential. Pests such as rosemary beetle, leafhoppers and cuckoo spit usually cause only cosmetic damage, though grasshoppers can reduce yields and deer may browse the plants.