Growing Lavender ('Goodwin Creek Grey')

LIGHT: To keep its lovely silver coloring and to produce spikes of dark blue flowers from spring to fall, Lavender 'Goodwin Creek Grey' demands a sunny, south window indoors where it will receive 6-8 hours of direct sun. It will also grow well given 14-16 hours of light under a fluorescent light stand. Foliage will turn pale green if light is inadequate but will regain its silvery grey appearance in full sun.

TEMPERATURE: Daytime temperatures of 60–75°F are fine indoors. In fall and winter, place your Lavender close to a window that gets cold at night or, ideally, in a room where the nighttime temperature falls to 60°F.

WATERING: Like most silver-leaved plants, Lavender is accustomed to growing in very dry, lean soil. Water only when the top inch of the potting mix is dry to the touch, but water thoroughly when you do. A full plant such as this has an extensive root system that water needs to reach completely. We recommend taking the plant in its nursery pot out of the cachepot, basket, or saucer to water. Carry it to a sink and water very, very slowly, tipping the pot this way and that. This allows water to run across the surface of the soil and sink in, rather than running down the inside wall of the pot without reaching the center of the root ball. Keep watering, slowly, until no matter which way you tip the pot, water runs out the holes in the bottom of the pot. Set it in the sink to drain for 30-60 minutes. Never allow water to collect inside the decorative container or saucer. This would saturate the soil, causing roots to rot.

FERTILIZER: Fertilize no more frequently than once every 6 weeks, and only during the growing season (April through September) with a balanced fertilizer, such as 18-18-18.

CONTINUING CARE: Lavender 'Goodwin Creek Grey' would be pleased to spend summer outdoors in a sunny location. If you live in Zone 7 or warmer in the dry West, you can grow it outdoors in the garden year-round. Lavenders falter in rain and humidity and do not do well in the torrid summers and wet winters that are common in the South. If you summer your plant outdoors, keep it in a pot (you may want to upsize the pot; terracotta is ideal) and bring it back indoors before frost to enjoy for another winter.

Once the flowers have faded on a flower spike, cut off the spike close to where it attaches to the stem. Maintain the overall shape of your Lavender by selective pinching (between thumb and forefinger) or snipping of the new shoots. Do not shear the plant as though it were a hedge and avoid cutting into woody growth.