“I have a black thumb”, that’s what I told my dad every time I killed a plant or flower that he and my mom gave me. I seriously had no idea how to keep even the easiest of house plants alive.
My dad is the king of keeping things alive – orchids, bonzi trees, you name it… it stays alive in his care. I often wondered how on earth the “plant gene” passed me over. I could close a 69 million dollar transaction but I couldn’t keep a dandelion alive (yes, that is a resilient weed)… How was I going to plant, nuture and grow lavender?
RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH!
At the time of this blog post, I have read more than 200 articles, interviewed over a dozen experts and sought the guidance of several local farmers, contractors and Master Gardners. Across the board they all gave me one piece of advice, “test it.” Not just the soil, but my commitment to growing lavender… to keeping it alive and getting through our first harvest.
We hired Gregg Construction to clear a test field out at our proposed site and then the real work began. I mean the blood, sweat, and tears work – not the behind the computer researching work (both of which are important).
After the clearing was complete, I somehow convinced the entire family to participate in the next few phases – soil testing, soil amendment, laying ground cover, irrigation (which failed miserably) in anticipation of planting the lavender on Mother’s Day weekend.
Stay tuned for our planting escapades.