Pastor's Pride English Lavender
SKU: AM015032
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Overview
A cold-hardy, compact shrub that will give you blooms twice during the growing season, ‘Pastor’s Pride’ is an English lavender with stout, cylindrical blooms in a medium lilac color. Pollinators will delight in the generous display and you’ll love the drought resistance and fragrance of foliage and flower. Deer resistant. (Lavandula angustifolia).
key features
Botanical Name
Lavandula angustifolia Pastor's Pride
Advantages
Bee Friendly, Attracts Butterflies, Deer Resistant, Rabbit Resistant, Cut Flowers, Fragrant, Container Planting
Growing Zones
Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9, Zone 10
Light Requirements
Full Sun
Soil Moisture
Dry
Mature Height
18-24"tall
Mature Spread
24-30" wide
Bloom Time
Early summer to fall
SKU
AM015032
Description
18-24” tall x 24-30” wide. The Mediterranean look of ‘Pastor’s Pride’ English lavender belies the remarkable cold hardiness of this excellent woody shrub. This cultivar sports shorter, plumper flowers on stems held close to the foliage. Site in a well-drained, sunny position with plenty of ventilation and you will enjoy a copious display of flowers against resinous grey foliage in late spring. If you cut the display back in mid-summer after flowering, you’ll get a second flush of bloom in early autumn, attracting pollinators but repelling deer! As a compact to mid-height variety, ‘Pastor’s Pride’ is an excellent choice for edging pathways or gracing the front of the flower border, particularly in a gravel garden where its need for good drainage is met. Keep ‘Pastor’s Pride’ well-trimmed after both blooming periods to avoid the woodiness that can create a leggy shrub and you’ll enjoy this fabulous plant for many years to come.
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. Gardeners struggling with growing lavender successfully in humid areas are encouraged to try planting Lavender Phenomenal.
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.
