How to grow Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

Common problems

• Plant yellows, wilts, and collapses. Root rot from soggy, poorly drained soil. Plant in gritty, fast-draining soil or a raised mound and cut back on water.
• Woody, sparse base with bloom only at the tips. Lack of pruning over the years. Prune lightly after flowering each year, never cutting into bare old wood.
• Few flowers and floppy, leggy growth. Too little sun or overly rich soil. Give full sun and lean soil; skip fertilizer, which lavender does not want.
• Plant dies over a wet winter. Cold combined with waterlogged soil. Improve drainage, mulch with gravel rather than bark, and grow hardy English types in cold zones.