LAVENDER, MUNSTEAD Perennial Container Garden Medicinal Dried Deer Resistant Non-GMO 100 Seeds
Pure Seed – Non-GMO
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
About Lavender Seeds - Munstead
Lavandula angustifolia
SEED TYPE: Heirloom Seed
PLANT TYPE: Bush
Grow Heirloom Lavender - Plant Munstead Lavender Seeds
Named after the famed Munstead Woods in Surrey, this variety of English Lavender Has a low growing, compact and bush type habit which is perfect for edging paths or as a low hedge. With a subtle blue-green coloring, Munstead Lavender emits that wonderful, sweet fragrance that is so sought after. An earlier blooming lavender, Lavandula angustifolia is one of the richest in essential oils.
Hints of blues and greens compact enough for your English garden border
Great for rock gardens and containers
A favorite of bees!
Offers fragrant blooms Mid-Late Summer
Plant Information
(12-16" tall x 24" wide) As the quintessential culinary lavender, 'Munstead' has been a mainstay of the herb garden for years. Its high essential oil content makes it a great choice for fragrant crafts, such as creating potpourris, sachets, and soaps. Compact in size, 'Munstead' is a great addition to rock gardens and containers, and will create an easy-to-care-for hedge to line walkways and paths. As 'Munstead' is hardier than most English Lavenders, it overwinters well and blooms profusely each spring, attracting butterflies and native bees to its flowers.
Success with Lavender:
Originating in the Mediterranean, lavender prefers hot sunny days, dry air, and non-enriched, well-drained soil. While that’s great news for those gardening in the West, nowadays lavender can also be successfully grown in higher-humidity areas of the East and Pacific Northwest very successfully by remembering its basic needs. Be sure to pick a variety that is matched to your area. Depending upon your location and your desired use, there are lavenders for almost any setting. Next, follow the four basic elements to ensure lavender success:
1. SUN Lavender loves sun. Plant them in a sunny location where there is plenty of air circulation. Six to eight hours of sun is best, but some afternoon shade is fine in the hotter climates of the Southwest.
2. AIR Good air circulation is essential, especially in areas of high humidity. Lavender is not fond of damp, still air, which makes it prone to root rot. In humid areas, plant them with ample spacing, keeping in mind the mature size of your plant when in bloom and allowing for a bit extra space for good circulation.
3. SOIL Well-drained soil. This is perhaps the most important factor in success with lavender. One rule of thumb from is that the soil should be loose enough to dig with your hands, and not cake-like. You can add sand or small gravel to recreate this consistency if your soil is too compact. In areas where drainage may be a problem, mound the soil up to create a raised row or stand-alone mound.
In humid areas especially, a 1-2” mulch of pea sized gravel or white sand will do two things – it will help improve drainage, and it will reflect heat and light back up into the plant. More heat = more fragrant blooms! If you use a weed barrier, make sure it is breathable so the soil can drain and the roots can breathe.
4. WATER During the first year of your lavender’s growth it needs to establish a good root system. It will require regular watering (unless you’re experiencing healthy rain fall). Starting in the second year, your lavender will need less water, as it becomes the water-thrifty plant you’re hoping for, but to get there it needs to grow deep roots in year one. By the end of year three it will have reached its mature size and shouldn’t need any extra water. If water is needed, water in the morning, and deeply, to help root growth. A mature lavender plant is happy with only 9-12 inches of rain per year, but remember, with the right variety and good drainage lavender can thrive with more water.
FAST FACTS
LIFE CYCLE: Perennial
PLANTING SEASON: Fall, Spring
GROWTH HABIT: Bush, Mounding, Multi-Branching, Upright
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: Attracts Bees, Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Pollinators, Fragrant
USE: Container Garden, Culinary, Medicinal, Xeriscaping
GROWING CONDITIONS: Commercial, Drought Tolerant, Heat Tolerant, Indoor, Outdoor
HARVEST ADVANTAGES: Dried
PLANT RESISTANCE: Deer
PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS
Planting Lavender Seeds - Munstead
PLANTING SEASON: Fall, Spring
SEED PREP: Cold Stratification
SOWING METHOD: Direct Sow, Start Indoors
LIGHT REQUIREMENT: Full Sun
PLANTING DEPTH: 1/8 inch
PLANT SPACING: 12 to 18 inches
WATER NEEDS: Average
DAYS TO MATURITY: Blooms July to September
When to Plant Lavender Seeds
Prepare the seeds for sowing three months before the last spring frost and needs to be cold stratified.
Where to Plant Lavender Seeds
Lavender should be located in areas of full sun with adequate drainage and spaced far enough apart to ensure good air circulation. This will help reduce the chance of developing root rot.
How to Plant Lavender Seeds
While not required, Lavender seeds can benefit from a special 4 to 8 week treatment called cold moist stratification prior to planting them. Learn more about the importance and process of cold moist stratification here.
Allow them to reach room temperature while preparing a sowing container for them. Fill a 2” deep nursery tray with a mixture of equal parts washed medium-grit sand and seed-starting compost. Mist this sand mixture until it is saturated, then let the excess water drain off. Create shallow, 1/8” deep furrows across the surface of the sand mixture. Drop the lavender seeds into the furrows, aiming for one seed every inch. Sprinkle a very thin layer of sand over the lavender seeds so they are barely covered but still exposed to the light. Lavender seeds need light to germinate, so be sure not to bury them. Mist the sand heavily to settle it around the seeds. Place your tray or pots where they will receive 8-10 hours of sun exposure daily. Use a cold frame outdoors or a sunny window indoors. Soil should remain 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and as low as 55F at night. Use a sheet of plastic to hold in the warmth and moisture, ensuring that the plastic never touches the soil or seedlings. Leave one side open to allow some moisture to escape. Whenever the sand mixture feels dry on the surface, mist with a water bottle so as not to disturb the seeds. One week after germination transplant your lavender seedlings into individual 4” pots filled with the sandy potting mix. If you started in a large tray, thin your seedlings to one every 2-3 inches. Grow your newly transplanted seedlings in partial sun for one to two months.
How to Harvest Lavender
The best time to cut and harvest the flowers of lavender is the second flowering season. Start off on a dry, sunny day preferably between June to September. Pruning should be ideally done just before the growing season, which is early spring.
Stratification of seeds is the process of exposing seeds to cold conditions in order to encourage germination.
The exact process you choose (there are two options) depends on the flower variety you’re growing. Let us explain! The different processes are defined below.
Cold Stratification
Planting in Fall
If time is not a problem, nature itself can cold stratify your seeds. Just place them in the ground in fall and let them go through a winter. They will sprout next year, but not flower. The following year, having gone through two winters, the flowers will return and bloom as expected. Some varieties like poppies and coneflowers will bloom the first year.
Creating a False Winter
The second way to cold stratify seeds (especially if you want to save time!) is to create a false winter. This method tricks the seeds into thinking they have been in the cold ground, when they’ve actually been chilling in your refrigerator. The refrigeration times will vary by variety, so check the planting guide for your seed before beginning.
Before spring, place seeds in a plastic bag with a handful of slightly dampened clean peat, paper towels, or a mix of clean peat and sand. Seal and label the bag with your seed name and the date, then store the bag in the refrigerator (not freezer!) before planting in spring.
Once your seed has been treated, it’s ready to plant when spring arrives.
Cold Moist Stratification
In this technique, you simply add a small step to the process of creating a false winter—add moisture! The method involves dampening the seeds to soften them and allowing them to absorb water. The moisture helps spark germination.
Place seeds in a plastic bag with a handful of slightly dampened clean peat, paper towels, or a mix of clean peat and sand. You don’t want the seeds to be dripping wet! Place the bag in the refrigerator. The length of time it remains cold will vary depending on the variety of seed, so be sure to check planting guides for specific timeframes.
Frequently check the bag for mold or fungus. If any are present, plant your seeds right away.