Growing layers of Lavender and Rosemary…
I really wanted to add to my Lavender and Rosemary plantings this summer without added cost, so I used my Auntie’s age old method for her roses of using jars like mini-greenhouses. I know you can also layer the plants, but I haven’t had much luck with that technique before. I decided to grow Lavender and Rosemary by layering which is an old growing technique to force roots and create new plants.
It’s easy to do! After stripping the branch of leaves except for at the very top and exposing some of the white stem part underneath by scraping back the thin bark, I put the bare, scraped bark in the loose soil, and keeping the ground damp place the jars over the top. I’ve learned a lot about using cloches including how to keep Rosemary alive all winter in the Midwest, where it’s considered a tender perennial.
I had hear you can use rooting hormone, but I didn’t use it, I wanted to see what would happen with out it. I had read somewhere that you can root both Rosemary and Lavender plants in water such as coleus, so I thought, why not, what have I got to lose by trying layering?
It took about 3 weeks, but then I had roots!
Once they are established I keep them moist. Anytime I have carefully removed them to check for roots, I’ve put them back in in saturated soil and replaced the jar. It was so easy and cheap. I’ve started saving them from everything like salsa and pickles.
Now since I am in zone 5a, My lavender does great year after year, but unless I dig up my rosemary and replant after winter, it just bites the dust every year. If you’re in a warmer climate such as zone 7 an over you should have no problem.
Though my garden does looks like it is growing glass jars.
Jen
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I love the english style of mini greenhouses …
yours are too sweet
Thanks for sharing, Jen! Beautiful!
xoxo
Donna
I have been wanting to start lavender as I have bees and they love it!! I will have to try this!
Wow, how resourceful! I’m going to try that, thanks for sharing this idea. Come see me!
Carol in GA
a little garden of glass jars, too sweet! 🙂
i love this idea….new one to me
What a great idea! I am going to have to give this a try!
~mary~
no root compound? impressive Jenn! I love how you just try things – no fear –
have a great rest of your week 🙂
xo+blessings,
Anne Marie
Thanks for the wonderful idea!
You make this look soooo easy! I planted 3 large lavender plants for my little patch and they all croaked! I am wondering if it is too humid here in our part of KS to grow it…I was so sad to see them die, it’s been a crazy summer around here! Yours looks lovely, thanks for sharing it with us!
What a cool idea 🙂 I bet it looks neat when the sunlight hits your backyard garden!
Great idea. I’ll have to try it when the weather cools down a bit. I think the glass jars might fry them right now!
Those are cute little greenhouses!
Manuela
I will definitely try this method. Lavender and rosemary are about the only plants that really thrive in the soil around here. Thanks for a great tip.
Smarty pants!! Cool idea…’course all I can grow in this Texas heat right now would be the jars…and they’d probably wilt!
Debbie
To funny! I think that your garden of glass jars in wonderful! It’s like a homemade cloche. Very cool Jen.
Thanks for sharing this idea. I am looking forward to giving it a try!
That’s a really great idea to propagate more plants. Thanks for sharing. I certainly never would’ve thought of using what I had growing. That’ll save me tons of money next year.
Blessings,
Shanna
http://www.revampedfrenchmaison.com
Hey girlie…
You know… you always make more work than you need to for yourself lol. Rosemary and lavender propagate all by themselves– easily. Just grab a long branch of either plant and where the branch touches the ground easily, strip a smidge of that area and just bury it using a U piece of wire to keep it in place…. water the plant & new buried piece of the plant like you normally would. Before you know it– ta da a new rooted plant. Then you just cut the new plant free from the “mother” plant. You can even do this directly into pots. Easy-peasy~