Ever seen those tall aromatic lavender plants that bloom for so long? This is Lavender ‘Provence’ and it is a hybrid mix of lavender.
There’s much to love and many more reasons why you would want to attempt to grow and care for Lavender ‘Provence’ in your garden.
These reasons include its tolerance to USDA zones 5 to 9, longer flowering blooms, and distinct aroma.
Favorable conditions to grow Lavender ‘Provence’ include long hours of sunlight, poor well-draining soil, alkaline soil, and a spacing of 3 feet between plants. These requirements are crucial and non-negotiable!
Lavender ‘Provence’ is a hybrid between English lavender and Portuguese lavender. It boasts of having some of the best traits from each parent.
This includes excellent hardiness from English lavender and a longer flowering season from the Portuguese lavender.
Growing and Caring Tips For Lavender ‘Provence’
Lavender are low-maintenance plants.
But for them to be so, you have to create an ideal environment for them. Everything from the temperature down to the pH of the soil needs to be spot on.
Any factor deviating from these conditions could cause problems for the lavender. To make sure you have the best Lavender ‘Provence’, here are growing tips and how to care for Lavender ‘Provence’.
1. Sunlight
Lavender loves sunlight and hates shade!
They need to be put in a spot that sees at least 6 hours of intense sunlight. You may think that putting them in a semi-shade spot is a better idea, but it is not.
Make sure they receive full sun and not just glimpses of the sun now and then.
Being in the sunlight all day doesn’t mean the plants will wilt or become burnt. The sun is not powerful every hour of the day.
Lavender also loves the high temperatures that come with being in sunny climates. So no complaints there!
Lack of sunlight will cause a decrease in growth and flower blooms will not be as good as they can be.
This high amount of sunlight contributes to making sure the plant grows well and develops appealing flowers.
Sunlight doesn’t just help to make the Lavender ‘Provence’ grow large and flower. It also helps to make sure the flowers are colorful and fragrant.
If you aren’t letting your plant have lots of sunlight and warm temperatures, don’t expect much from your plants!
2. Soil
A garden’s soil usually decides what plants will grow best in it.
Lavender will be anchored into the ground and if soil conditions are not good, there is no way to escape it.
That’s exactly why you have to pay attention to their exact needs. Using any old soil will not do well with lavender.
Here are the qualities the soil to grow Lavender ‘Provence’ MUST have!
Soil pH:
If you have garden soil that is known to be acidic, that has to change. Lavenders do not like acidic soils.
Although some may tolerate mildly acidic soils, they don’t thrive in such soils. If you really want your lavender to flourish, you must provide them with alkaline soil.
Appropriate soil for Lavender ‘Provence’ is the one that has a pH between 6.5 and 8.
Nutrient levels:
Lavender ‘Provence’ like all other lavenders are low feeders.
Their nutrient requirements are minimal and they won’t need your attention. Just make sure not to feed them at all! Even the slightest excess of nutrients will make your lavender leggy.
This might not sound bad but there’s a catch. There won’t be any flowers either! Make sure to give them soils with low to medium fertility.
These are commonly referred to as poor soils. In case your soils are very rich, you can amend them with sand/grit.
The ideal soil for Lavender ‘Provence’ should have ⅓ grit/sand and ⅔ compost/regular soil.
Water draining capacity:
To allow the roots of your lavender plants to breathe and function, they need to be dry. But, wet soils prevent lavender roots from performing their job.
Soils with high amounts of sand and grit are well-draining. This is because of the high sand/grit content which lets the water pass through easily. Thus, water will not accumulate and keep the soil wet for long.
Give your Lavender ‘Provence’ well-draining sandy soils that do not retain water as Lavender plants are prone to overwatering.
Choosing the right soil can help. Avoid adding too much compost to the soil. Also, avoid incorporating organic fertilizers.
Lavender ‘Provence’ does originate from France. These soil requirements are similar to those in Southern Europe and France. You will have to try your best to mimic them.
3. Spacing
Growing lavender close to each other looks really attractive when they are all blooming. Sadly, this comes at a cost that may only later take effect.
If you have a large garden, planting your lavender at decent distances apart is fine.
But how far apart should they be planted? What happens if not enough spacing is provided between plants? These are just a few questions novice Lavender ‘Provence’ growers may ask.
Since these lavenders are quite large, a space of 3 feet or more is essential. This spacing will allow each lavender plant to have its own space.
As for the ill-effects created due to lack of spacing, these are some of them:
- Tangling of foliage or roots can make transplanting troublesome
- Lack of nutrients and water to sustain the plants in a smaller area
- More moisture between plants can lead to fungal infections or rot. Not to mention that diseases can spread faster when plants are spaced too close together.
- Certain portions of plants will be left without sunlight
Spacing is essential and if your garden is not big enough, you may want fewer plants instead of cutting down on spacing.
Reducing spacing will probably affect flower output, appearance, and aroma.
4. Watering
Sunlight, soil, and watering work in combination to assure the plants are not in a wet or moist environment.
Lavender ‘Provence’ likes to be dry and can easily tolerate certain drought-like conditions.
Watering too much, too frequently will definitely kill your lavender plants. To avoid this, draw up a watering schedule to make sure you water them constantly and at the same time intervals.
Lavender ‘Provence’ plants need different watering schedules depending on the state of the plants (established or newly transplanted). Follow these Lavender ‘Provence’ watering tips.
- Established plants: These plants have a root system that is complete and functional. The roots can easily reach down and collect water from the soil when necessary. Hence, regularly providing them with water is not mandatory. Water established Lavender ‘Provence’ once every two weeks.
- Newly transplanted plants: Water newly transplanted lavender plants as soon as they have been planted. Then keep watering them every 2 or 3 days for the next week. This will help to avoid transplant shock as the roots need to adapt. After this week, water them every 3 to 4 days for the next month. Now lavender roots will be established after this one month and you can adopt the once every 2 weeks watering plan.
- Watering Lavender ‘Provence’ plants in winter: During winter, the air is already saturated with moisture. Adding water to the equation would only create an overly wet environment for your lavender plants. In turn, this can be of danger to roots in the form of root rot. To prevent this from happening, don’t water lavender plants in winter! If the soil feels dry, water them once in 4 to 6 weeks (only if the soil feels dry).
5. Pruning
As you already know, pruning your plants is important.
For Lavender ‘Provence’, pruning is an important ongoing procedure occurring yearly. Sometimes even several times a year. Pruning is especially important for this variant to maintain its size.
Your Lavender ‘Provence’ can benefit from pruning in so many ways. Each of these benefits revolves around the appearance of the plant and the flowering capacity.
Prune your lavender either in spring (March/April) or fall (June). Choosing when exactly to prune your plants depends on your climate.
Pruning in spring can stimulate shooting from which flower-bearing stems will arise.
It may be easy to over-prune a Lavender ‘Provence’ plant. So you should stick to only pruning off a third of the growth. Shaping it into a ‘mould’ shape helps to improve its ability to weather winters without being completely damaged.
Steer clear of the woody stem as it is the foundation. Pruning into this area can easily create problems that may lead to your lavender plant toppling over.
Lavender ‘Provence’ is a tall plant and it needs a strong foundation.
Size of Lavender ‘Provence’
Lavender ‘Provence’ is quite large since it is partly an English lavender. The time it takes to reach a mature size will depend on your climate.
It may take a bit longer if you are in a colder country than if you were in a Mediterranean-like country.
Lavender ‘Provence’ takes around 2 to 3 years to reach full maturity. It reaches a height of 36 inches and a width of 32 inches.
But, regardless of geographic location, conditions, and climate, these lavender plants will reach the same size.
When Does Lavender ‘Provence’ Bloom?
If you are planning to plant or have already planted Lavender ‘Provence’ knowing when it blooms would be nice.
Lavender ‘Provence’ begins blooming in June (Summer) and can last through to the Fall with several blooms.
This lavender hybrid will bloom longer than English lavender thanks to the genes from Portuguese lavender. Constant pruning and deadheading (removal of faded/dead flowers) will ensure several flower blooms occur in a year.
Given their size, aroma, and long-lasting flowering season, Lavender ‘Provence’ is a great investment.
Another perk is that if cared for properly, these plants will live for an extraordinary 15 years! Better follow these tips to ensure it lasts as long as it can.
Conclusion
Lavender ‘Provence’ is an English lavender and Portuguese hybrid lavender that boasts of having some of the best characteristics. It blooms several times a year, can live for 15 years, and is hardy to USDA zones 5 to 9.
Growing tips for Lavender Provence include porous low fertility soils with alkaline pH, full sun, and infrequent watering (every 2 weeks).
Caring tips include adequate spacing (3 feet), pruning 1/3 of the green growth, and deadheading regularly.
Now that you have the tips and requirements, start growing your Lavender ‘Provence’!
FAQs
A mature lavender ‘Provence’ plant should be watered infrequently around once every 2 weeks. Watering efforts may need to be decreased as the harvesting season approaches. The lavender may need only one more watering till harvesting.
No lavender, especially lavender ‘Provence’ does not need to be provided with fertilizer. Adding fertilizer will reduce flowering potential and may damage or kill the lavender plant. Also, make sure that the soil is not too fertile. Limit the amount of organic material present as it may cause alterations to your soil.
