Lavender Cuttings

This morning, my friend Kim came by to make lavender cuttings for Abernathy and Spencer Greenhouse and Nursery in Lincoln, VA where she works. It was a lovely morning, given the heat and humidity that has been plaguing us here for over a week now and promises to continue into the coming week. Such is life during August in Northern Virginia. She took 64 cuttings of some of my favorite lavenders ( the truth is, they are all my favorites) and, I hope will be Abernathy and Spencer's, too and maybe available for A&S customers to buy next year. The lavenders she cut from were: Thumbelina Leigh, Croxton's Wild, Ana Luisa, Mitchum Grey, Backhouse Nana, Royal Purple, Blue Cushion, Martha Roderick, Nana Atropurpurea, Gros Bleu and Hidcote Giant. I also had potted plants of Betty's Blue which I rooted this past spring, which now seems so long ago. She took a couple of these as well to grow and use as their own "mother" plants.

I wish her and Abernathy and Spencer good luck with these cuttings. My cuttings always seem to be hit or miss and mainly miss because I seem to refuse to follow the tried and true ways of rooting cuttings. For whatever reason, it seems more interesting, and exciting, to see if my experiments work. She gave a glance to the cuttings I made and have stuck into peat pots, which worked for me really well 2 years ago--the last time I made a major cutting tour of my lavender plants. Kim looked doubtful, but I remain optimistic.

However, the best luck I have when making cuttings is during the spring when plants are just beginning to break. And, this coming year, I will have to take the time to do this. But for now, here on this August day, lavender cuttings in peat pots that will be kept moist and covered is my story and I'm sticking to it. Meanwhile, I can't wait to see the new and larger and more interesting selection of lavender plants that will debut at Abernathy and Spencer next year!