My Adventure in Lavender Propagation                             

By Janet K. Hough, Master Gardener

It is always exciting when I visit our local 123 Lavender Farm in Cherry Valley; it is the largest organic lavender farm in Southern California and was started in 1854. Over the years we have attended several Lavender Festivals with friends and family, celebrated our wedding anniversary with a stay-over at the Highland Springs Resort, and now I finally get to add “helping propagate lavender plants” to my list of “done that” activities.

It was a cool and pleasant Saturday morning. I found out the lavender propagation was a fundraiser for our local MGs – new starts that grow and prosper would be purchased by the folks at 123 Lavender Farm for replanting in their fields [about April 2015]. Some of our MGs have volunteered to tend to the new cuttings through the winter season to ensure they are watered, kept warm, etc. You go ladies and gentlemen! I hope to make a few visits, myself, to see how things are going between now and April.

I met two very nice ladies from the Farm – Christina and Tina – who graciously provided instruction in the fine art of selection, cutting, clipping, and planting the delicate and somewhat fussy lavender plants.

Our instructions included:

1. Make sure we have a sharp edge on our pruners; sharpening tool available if needed

2. Fill our 6-8 pack pots with a mix of peat moss and vermiculite (ratio 3 to 2)

3. Water the potting mix, three times, so we could get it properly wet

4. Locate the specific type of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia,) that needed to be cut included – Vera (light purple), Hidcote (dark purple), Provence (medium purple), White Provence (white), and Melissa (pink). Christina took us on a walking tour so we could orient ourselves to the various beds.

5. We each had to cut 48 sprigs about 5” long, bring them back to the shade trees and work table where we carefully plucked all but 4-5 small leaves off the new stems; then make a delicate slice at 45 degrees across a leaf nodule about 2” below the leaves we had saved. I was told that this strategic cut encourages better growth as the hormone concentrate is strongest at a leaf node. Ever notice the small size of those leaves? They be very tiny when you are trying to salvage just a few of them at the tip of a new growth stem.

6. When we had our 48 small plants potted, we wrote their variety name on popsicle sticks, spritzed the new cuttings with water, and carefully slide the potted cuttings into clear plastic bags so they would remain moist for their trip to the Farm hot house where they will remain under MG tending.

The smell was very pleasant around the tables where we worked – crushed lavender leaves give off a delicate, hard-to-describe-fragrance, both calming and dreamy. But did you know that that same pleasant aroma from the lavender plants works just as dramatically as a natural insecticide in your garden – the smell is pleasant to us – but it is NOT liked by garden insects and will keep pests such as fleas, moths, and whiteflies away from your plants. Noted for my next garden re-make.

On our journey around the fields to see the various varieties of lavender, Christina, mentioned that several rows of plants were not doing well because of the shortage of water. It was very evident that the drought condition in Southern California, for the past three years, has been taking its toll. Yes, the plants are pretty drought tolerant, but they do need some water. It seems that the water system at the 123 Farm relies on an underground river of water. They have to water approximately 20 acres of lavender plants. When the underground water supply dwindles so dwindles the amount of water the plants get. Our MG work this weekend became even more important as we help stabilize new starts and get them ready for next year's planting season.

The one variety I worked with was the Hidcote (sounds like Head-cock); there were very few plants available for us to clip and take cuttings. Blooming season is June through August, so most plants were not in bloom, but many more were just tired and not displaying a lot of new growth potential. This variety of lavender only grows to about 20” high so there was a lot of bending and stooping involved. The farm staff said that they needed approximately 625 new Hidcote starts to replace plants lost this year. Drought is a special challenge for this variety which seems to have suffered the most from lack of water. 

Hard to see in the picture below – but the size of the cuttings were very small. This fine cutting will give the plants the best chance to develop new roots over the winter months. 

Lots of MGs were on hand to help; some from Riverside County and some from San Bernardino County. It was good to see folks that I had not seen in some time and to meet new MGs who have just recently joined our ranks. What I like most about our MG activities – everyone is helpful and friendly as we exchange ideas and our share gardening experiences. I gleaned some interesting things from our various discussions. Did you know that a mix of rose and lavender, with a little mint and some lemon juice [to activate the alkaloids] can make both a brilliant pink dye and some very tasty pink lemonade? A must try experiment. I also found out that lavender gets its name from the Latin word lavare, which means to wash. Ancient Romans used the aromatic herb to scent their bathwater. I even got to share about an old pest I first met while working at the Riverside MG Hotline a few years back – the infamous cottony cushion scale. Anyone encounter that little pest in their garden? But that is another story for another time.

Overall it was a great day at the 123 Lavender Farm; my thanks to all MGs, and 123 Farm Staff, Christina and Tina for a delightful day.

An extra note: anyone not familiar with the 123 Lavender Farm can take a virtual visit www.123farm.com. The Farm is located on a portion of 2,400 acres of the Highland Springs Resort. Did you know that the Resort is Riverside County's First Historical Landmark? Their Grand Oak Steakhouse, established in 1884, offers some really great food, much of which is grown on their organic farm. Throughout the year there are lots of activities to take advantage of for the whole family. Their school programs encourage our children to visit the Farm first hand and learn about healthy food and farming practices.