Scabby, scrappy Lavenders

[Marb67]

Well, I just can't believe the failure I have with Lavender. The large one in the pot was replanted in soil advised, dry and free draining and yet it's scrappy, leggy, yellowing with scabby foliage. Newly bought French lavender going the same way. 😔

And why when I upload an image here that shows in preview do I get the message " please upload at least one photo"?

[nvidura]

I’m sorry to hear about your struggles with lavender; it can be a bit tricky sometimes! Yellowing and leggy growth can indicate overwatering or insufficient light. Make sure it’s getting plenty of sun and that the pot has good drainage. For the scabby foliage, consider checking for pests or fungal issues. If you’d like, feel free to share more details about your growing conditions!

[Marb67]

Aaaand again, 2 more plants bought this year completely downhill. Kept in sun all day and watered when needed

[Marb67]

No different this year. Healthy plants purchased last year now looking scabby and motheaten 😞

[Andraste]

How deep are those pots Marb? I think they might want something a bit deeper than the current ones.

The mossy bits on the soil surface make me wonder if they're either not getting enough light and/or are a bit damp? They'd rather dry out than have constantly moist soil really.

You could repot & mix in a good handful of grit (or even some of that gravelly stuff the pots are standing on in the pic rather than make a special purchase) to make sure they're really free-draining.

[Marb67]

They are in soil with plenty of drainage and sit on the gravel floor so no reason why they are not getting enough drainage. The only other thing I can think of is the garden in N/E facing and gets no sun in winter until the later part of Feb.

[Andraste]

You might have hit the nail on the head there Marb. Northeast facing wouldn't be ideal even in the warmer months as they do like a good 8 hours of direct sun if they can get it. Not that you can't grow them, but they're likely to only really 'survive' rather than thrive (as Beth Chatto told us - right plant, right place). x