SLIDES FROM WEBINAR: Ball Tech On Demand is here to help you level up your lavender game! Over the course of this vpresentation, Darwin Perennials’ and Kieft Seed’s Chris Fifo takes us through the history of lavender and the different types commonly produced and then drills into how to select the best type for your specific product needs, pot size and market. He’ll spend some quality time on production – all the way from seed and URC stages through to finishing the crop – including ways he’s found common pitfalls in all stages. We’ll close with some variety specific info since there have been many new lavenders introduced in recent years, as well as how to use a grower-friendly scheduling chart that’s available from Darwin and Kieft.

1. Level Up Your Lavender Game
Chris Fifo, Darwin Perennials & Kieft Seed
Moderated by Bill Calkins, Ball Tech On Demand

2. Lavender is Everywhere
• Many, many varieties available
for a vast number of markets
and uses.
• How do I know which varieties
are right for me?
• How do I know which varieties
to select for my market?
National Garden Bureau declares 2020
to be the Year of the Lavender

3. Lavender History
• Origins more than 2500 years ago in
the Mediterranean and Middle East
regions.
• Lavender from the Latin ‘lavare’
meaning to wash.
• Ancient uses:
o Bath salts
o Aphrodesiac
o Mumification
o Insecticide
o Medicinal
Thought to have been first cultivated by the Shakers in England

4. Lavender Types and Varieties
English Lavenders (angusifolia) Spanish Lavenders
(stoechas)
SuperBlue
Ellagance
Blue Spear
Avignon Early Blue
Lavance
Many, many more
Bandera
Anouk series
Luxurious
Primavera
Many, many more
• Classic lavender look and smell
• Seed and vegetative selections
• Varieties suitable early spring through fall
• Generally hardy/semi-hardy
• More of a piney lavender scent
• Extremely showy
• Cool season flowering
• Seed and vegetative selections
• Not cold hardy

5. Lavender-production
• Use rooting hormone. 500ppm basal dip or 250ppm KIBA drip down
spray.
• Spray with ‘Pagaent’ fungicide day 1 or 2.
• Too much mist in propagation leads to quick deterioration of tissue.
 2 days of medium mist to rehydrate cuttings.
 Greatly reduced mist day 3-10. Allow media to dry slightly.
 Low salts under mist
 Move to high humidity/no water on leaves if not rooted by day 10.
 Well drained media. Plenty (25%?) ‘plug grade’ perlite
 Saturated media is a death sentence!
 70-72F media temperature
 A pinch or trim in the liner can be beneficial
URC:
Seed:
• Easy to germinate. Warm (72-75)
and wet. No cover.
• Avoid soft growth in plug tray.
• Transplant on time.

6. • Preventative fungicides for fusarium and
botrytis are beneficial.
• Keep foliage dry. Good air flow.
• Avoid fertilizer high in ammonium or
phosphorous.
• High light-Outdoor production is ideal
where possible
• 2500ppm B-9 PGR spray can tone nicely.
• Spanish Lavenders: grow cool at 50-55F
• English Lavenders: must be grown
warmer above 60F
Lavender-Finishing

7. Choosing the Right Variety
Size Positioning Varieties
Quarts
High Volume, Economical inputs, ideal for rack
programs
Ellagance, Lavance, SuperBlue, Blue Spear,
Avignon Early Blue, Bandera
4"-5" Decco,
Urns, Bowls
High Impulse, Gift Item, High Impact, High Volume
Ellagance, Lavance, SuperBlue, Bandera,
Luxurious. Blue Spear, Avignon Early Blue,
Primavera
Gallons Affordable impact for patio or garden specimen.
Ellagance, Lavance, SuperBlue, Anouk, Avignon
Early Blue, Blue Spear, Primavera
8 Inch Decorative addition to porch and patio SuperBlue, Anouk, Primavera
2 Gal/Decco Pots
Ultimate statement item. Tree form, Large
specimen
Anouk series. Primavera has potential.

8. Season long, frost to frost
lavender program
• Keep it fresh!
• Transition through the seasons with
different varieties.
• Choosing the correct varieties for
early, mid, and late season.

9. Lavender ‘Grosso’-Highest oil content
lavender

10. Early: Avignon Early Blue
English, Seed
• Earliest flowering English Lavender.
• Seed propagated
• Cool season lavender. Grows and bulks up well at
temperatures where other English Lavender stall.
• Season starter lavender
• Very easy to germinate and grow
• Testimonial “Early Blue Kicks *** for early sales”
• Zone 6
Markets:
• February-March South
• March-May North
• February-April West

11. Markets:
• February-May South
• April-May North
• March-June West
• First professional quality L. stoechas from seed.
• Heavily branched and flowering.
• Compact habit at 8”-10”.
• Uniform flowering for easily scheduled bench runs.
• Perfect for deco pots, mixed bowls.
• First year flowering
Early: Bandera
Spanish, Seed

12. • Most popular Spanish Lavender series.
• Container plant north, excellent garden performance
south.
• Very showy in novelty containers, deco pots, urns.
• Early season lavender.
• Requires a ‘cool’ treatment for full flowering
Markets:
• March-May South
• April-May North
• March-June West
Early: Anouk
Spanish, vegetative

13. • Early flowering – 10 hr photoperiod
• Later, warmer season lavender that Early Blue
• Novelty colors as well as purple
• Fleuroselect winners
• 10-12 weeks to finish with proper ADT
• Zone 5b
Markets:
• April-May South
• May-June North
• April-June West
Mid: Ellagance
English, seed

14. • Seed lavender that hits a lower price point.
• Larger and taller spikes than any other seed lavender.
• Upright and extremely branched.
• Zone 6 hardy.
• Impressive impact in high volume quart programs, though
also suitable for gallons.
• Can be used in a ‘mini’ program.
• Being researched for use indoors.
• 11-12 weeks to finish at proper ADT
and photoperiod.
Zone 6
Markets:
• April-May South
• April-June North
• March-May West*
Mid: Blue Spear
English, seed

15. • Extremely fragrant and showy. Large, deep blue flowers
• Excellent winter hardiness to zone 5
• Top performer at the Chicago Botanic Gardens 7 year trial
• Suitable for quarts, 1G, designer containers, combinations
• Earlier and much stronger flowering than the competition.
• 10 weeks to finish for spring/early summer
• 8 weeks to finish for fall
• Zone 5
Markets:
• April-May South, Southwest
• May-September North
• Suitable for fall sales
Mid to late: SuperBlue
English, vegetative

16. Mid to late:
English
Lavance Deep Purple
Seed
Annet
Vegetative
Markets:
• August-October South, Southwest
• July-September North
• Suitable for fall sales
Stand up well to the
heat of summer
production for fall
sales
Zone 5

17. A Lavender for ALL seasons
Lavender Primavera
Spanish, vegetative
Photo 8/14/18
1.5g planted 5/3/18
No vern
North Carolina trial
planted wk16.
Photo 7/2/19
Lavandula stoechas
• No cooling or vern
• Flowers winter in NL
• Summer flowers in IL,
NC, PA
A truly unique,
game-changer
of a Spanish
Lavender

18. Taken from in front of my house outside Chicago 7/9/20
Have had 2 weeks straight of 90F temperatures.
Game-Changer
Lavender stoechas ‘Primavera’
September 6

19. January February March April May June July August September October November December Weeks to Finish (gallon)
Anouk/Bright Luxorious 9-11
Bandera Series 12-14
Primavera
Avignon Early Blue 10-11
Blue Spear 10-12
Lavance Deep Purple 11-12
Ellangance series 10-12
SuperBlue 10-11
Anouk/Bright Luxorious 9-10
Bandera 12-13
Primavera
Avignon Early Blue 9-10
Blue Spear 9-10
Lavance Deep Purple 10-11
Ellangance series 10-11
SuperBlue 8-10
Anouk/Bright Luxorious 9-11
Bandera 12-14
Primavera
Avignon Early Blue 9-11
Blue Spear 10-12
Lavance Deep Purple 10-12
Ellangance series 10-12
SuperBlue 9-11
Southern Lavender Program
West, Northwest Lavender Program
Northern/Canadian Lavender Program
Lavender Regional Scheduling Tool

20. THANK YOU!

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