Impossible Gardening: Hot, Dry, Clay Soil, Part Shade-Part 3

» Dayzee - Lavenders

The article mentions that Lavenders are perennials. To the best of my knowledge, don;t perennials die down over winter.
Lavenders certainly don't. Aren't they a shrub?

-- posted by Dayzee

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» Marge_Talt - Re: Lavenders

In response to message posted by Dayzee:

Hi Dayzee...jumping in here, hope Diana doesn't mind:-) Good observation! Lavenders are sub-shrubs, but are generally lumped into the perennial category as herbs when people talk about them. Not all perennials die to the ground every year; there are quite a number of them who remain evergreen or at least maintain an evergreen rosette of foliage that is visible in winter. Arum italicum, for instance, makes most of its growth in the cooler months and dies down in the heat of summer.

Actually, any plant that is not a true annual or biennial is a perennial. We tend to use perennial when talking about non-woody plants, but there are some - lavender, Santolina and Phlomis fruticosa come to mind - who are sub-shrubs because they get woody with age, but don't start out woody...rosemary is another one, and those are often lumped in with other perennials in conversation, writing and even in nursery catalogs.

-- posted by Marge_Talt

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» Diana_Pederson - Re: Re: Lavenders

In response to message posted by Marge_Talt:

Marge--
Thanks for jumping in here. I was away from my computer for a few days due to physical problems. I've always seen lavender advertised as perennials but they do get woody. In my yard, I prune them back to the woody part each winter.

-- posted by Diana_Pederson

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