Planting and caring for lavender in Siberia, growing rules and shelter for the winter

Lavender is a plant that will not only decorate any garden, but will also be useful in everyday life and during treatment. This flower has a pleasant, soothing aroma, which is why it is often used for aromatherapy. Growing lavender in your garden is not that difficult, even if you live in the northern regions. You just need to know the rules for planting and caring for lavender in Siberia, and also choose a cold-resistant variety.

Frost-resistant varieties of lavender

Lavender came to us from the south, so out of 20 plant species, only one is suitable for Siberia - angustifolia lavender. Its other name is English. Under a thick layer of snow, it can withstand frosts down to -35 degrees. Lavender angustifolia looks like a spherical subshrub, up to 70 centimeters tall. Below, the shoots are woody, the flowers are purple and lilac, similar to spikelets.

It was from this species that varieties suitable for planting in Siberia were bred:

1. Beachwood is one of the most cold-resistant. The inflorescences are a pleasant blue color, flowering time is from June to July.
2. Normandy - although this variety is an annual, it grows in almost any conditions. Quickly grows green mass and forms flowers.
3. Munstead - reaches a height of 40 centimeters, tolerates windy weather well. Flowers are deep blue.
4. Hidcote - the bush can grow up to 1 meter, produces a lot of young shoots, the flowers are dark purple. This variety blooms throughout the summer months.
5. Alba - up to 40 centimeters. The flowers are white and differ from other varieties in their bright, tart aroma. The composition from Alba looks interesting in combination with other varieties.
6. Rosea - pale pink inflorescences.
7. Buena Vista is one of the most interesting varieties. The flowers are blue, with bluish cups. It blooms in two waves - first in summer (until July), then in autumn.
8. Lavandin - blooms very luxuriantly, and also has the strongest aroma. Therefore, when growing it, you need to be careful if you have allergies.

The variety of varieties allows you to choose the ones that suit you based on color and blooming time.

Features of growing shrubs in Siberia

Many gardeners who decide to grow lavender in Siberia note that caring for it does not differ much depending on the region.But the flower must be carefully prepared for winter, and besides this, there are other nuances.

How to grow lavender seedlings from seeds

Seeds are the best way to grow lavender in Siberia. They are hardened off so that later the seeds and sprouted plants do not die due to temperature changes. The entire process of obtaining seedlings is divided into 4 stages:

1. Purchasing seeds. Be sure to check the expiration date and integrity of the packaging, otherwise the seeds may not sprout.
2. Hardening (or stratification) lasts 1 month, during which the seeds are stored in packaging on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
3. Sowing occurs at the beginning of March. To do this, use a shallow pot with fertile soil. You need to bury the seeds to a depth of 3 millimeters. Don't forget to water (the water should be at room temperature).
4. Picking - carried out after the appearance of two leaves. Each plant needs to be transplanted into a separate container.

To grow seedlings at the last stage, maintain the temperature at +20 degrees. After this, at the end of May and beginning of July, you can plant the plants outside.

Transplanting seedlings into open ground

Even for cold-hardy lavender varieties, location plays a big role. It must meet the following requirements:

• a lot of sun;
• warm enough;
• windless;
• there should be no stagnant water - this is harmful to the roots;
• ideal option - foothills, hills.

As for the soil, it is better to choose sandy-clayey soil with good drainage. You can replant when the temperature rises above zero at night, on a warm day without precipitation. Plant each seed to a depth of 30 centimeters, and the distance between the holes should correspond to half the bush. Crowding is harmful to lavender and prevents abundant flowering. After digging a hole, fill it with fertile soil, and after planting, water the plants.

Is it possible to sow seeds directly in open ground?

Even in Siberia it is possible planting lavender seeds on the street, in open ground. This is simpler, but this method significantly reduces the number of lavender sprouts. In addition, if you chose the autumn months for sowing (September or October), then there is a risk that the seeds will freeze after the first frost.

To prevent this from happening, after the first snowfall, throw as much snow as possible onto the planting site. This will keep it warm, and the seeds will harden naturally over the winter.

It is not so risky to plant seeds in the spring. But then you will need to cool them the same way as before sowing in pots. Place the seeds in a container with sand, and then leave them in a cool place for one and a half to two months. Then you can plant them.

Rules for caring for lavender

Lavender is an unpretentious plant and does not require any special care. Therefore, even a novice gardener can cope with it.

Watering

Excess moisture harms lavender. Therefore, water it only after the top layer of soil has dried. You need to increase watering during flowering, and then stop it immediately. But if you planted the plants on a slope from where water flows easily, dig holes nearby to retain it.

Feeding

Lavender does not need abundant fertilizer, and if the soil is fertile enough, then you can add nothing additional. In another case, fertilizing is done twice:

1. In the spring, when the bush is growing, nitrogen is good. For example, urea (half a tablespoon in 5 liters of water per plant) and organic fertilizers.
2. In summer, before flowering, use mineral fertilizers or again organic ones.

Organic fertilizers should be buried in the ground as deep as possible.

Soil care

Loosening is necessary for lavender to improve air exchange, although this is not easy to do with overgrown bushes. Don't dig too deep or you may damage the roots, and remove all weeds. To make it easy to care for the soil, you can mulch it with peat - this will prevent the growth of weeds and prevent the formation of crust. In addition to peat, only loose compost can be used as mulch, otherwise the earth will be too damp.

Trimming

In cold climates, pruning is usually carried out in the spring, according to the following rules:

1. Dried branches are pruned first, then those with damage.
2. Each plant should have 6 newly grown green stems.
3. In autumn, pruning is not carried out so that the branches create a layer and the plant overwinters in warmth.

If you do pruning in this way, the plant will rejuvenate, and the bush itself will become neat and grow wildly. But removing all the stems down to the woody parts can be detrimental to the lavender.

Shelter

Be sure to cover lavender for the winter, as it is a very heat-loving plant. To do this use:

• agrofibre;
• burlap;
• You can additionally put a layer of spruce branches on top.

Never cover with compost or fallen leaves. Moisture collects under them, which is why the lavender begins to rot.

Protection from diseases and pests

There are not so many diseases in lavender, and pests can also be found infrequently. First of all, these are the rainbow beetle (feeds on leaves) and the pennitsa (because of which the plant is covered with an unpleasant white foam). In this case, simply wash the plant with a strong stream of water.The same should be done if you notice aphids, but then treat all bushes with Actellik.

When affected by rainbow beetles and leafhoppers, it is necessary to change the layer of mulch under the lavender. But the most dangerous disease is gray rot. It appears when there is excessive moisture or in a damp climate. Diseased bushes must be destroyed, the remaining ones must be treated with a fungicide solution.

Breeding culture

The easiest way to breed lavender - dividing an already mature bush. To do this, at the beginning of summer, the bushes are covered with earth so that more roots can form on the stems. In September or October, the bushes are dug up and carefully divided into several parts with a shovel, which are then transplanted to the desired location. This lavender will bloom next year.

Another effective method is layering. The oldest shoot is pinned to the ground with a metal spike, soil is placed on top, but the top remains free. Roots grow on the part sprinkled with soil, after which the shoot is cut off and planted in a new place. You need to care for it in the same way as an adult bush.

Propagation by cuttings allows you to get new bushes at any time of the year. To do this you need to do the following:

1. Cut off woody branches from an adult bush.
2. Place universal soil for seedlings in tall pots, which you first water with warm water.
3. Stick the cuttings into the soil.
4. The pots need to be covered with film to maintain high humidity underneath.
5. Air the pots daily and spray the soil when it dries.
6. After one to two months, each shoot will sprout roots and leaves.

After this, in spring or autumn, new bushes can be planted in open ground.