White Lavender has bloomed!!

[Lavender]

*doing a MAJOR happy dance!!!!*

:D :D :D :D :D :D

My white lavender has survived the winter & has finally bloomed! I've been searching for a white lavender plant for years now. When they finally bloomed, they are usually pale pink or something like that. This one is PURE white!!!! It smells wonderful & looks gorgeous! Last year, I got one teeny tiny stalk of flower. I had grown it from some seeds someone swore came from a white lavender. This year, the plant was huge & have lots of stalks. The flower buds were very pale purple & I couldn't tell if it would bloom white. BUT IT DID!!!! :D :D :D

Sorry...just had to share. I'm very excited right now. Have to go & look at my plant again. :D

[Sunday's Child]

White Lavender!!! I am sooo jealous. But really that's great. Wish I could see it and smell it.
Iam happy for you.

[Lavender]

I'm going to save some seeds this year 'coz next spring, we'll do a seed exchange!:D :D :D

[EasternPriest]

Happiness and stuff your way!!!!!!!!:D :D :D :D

[Sunday's Child]

Cool, cool, cool!!! A seed exchange, I'm already getting excited... oh, spring is a ways a way.. but I can start collecting seeds from now on. What a great idea!

[Spirahl]

I've been wanting to participate in seed exchanges too. I'd love my plants to have a "history" associated with others who grow for healing and/or magical purposes, or even just because they find gardening to be spiritually uplifting.
I know the excitement of seeing a plant bloom for the first time, especially growing it from seed. When it turns out to be just what you wanted or better...WOW! Your concern that it might not make it through the winter- BC has areas that are much less extreme weatherwise than where I am. Will white lavender grow in Zone 6? Although I love blues and purples especially, white varieties are always nice for the garden at night.
I'm looking for a white-flowered variety of creeping thyme for my cracked driveway. Does any one know if this exists?
Congrats Widchild- I'm excited for you!

[Lavender]

I think the white lavender should be ok where you are. I treat it the same as the others. And I had mulch them over the winter. It has been a very mild winter here last year as well. I've been using the neem oil & have found that I seem to have less damage done by bugs & slugs. This is the first year my chamomile manage to flower too. Usually the slugs will eat them. It's hard gardening naturally. I'm so tempted to go out & buy the most powerful anything to get rid of some of these bugs!

[Spirahl]

The thing I'm having the most trouble dealing with organically is the fruit trees. I know it's tough for even the most seasoned. Just more experience and learning needed. I think you have to have knowledge of the pests life cycles and get the timing just right. They have so many diseases and fungal problems to deal with too.
Most of my probs with herbs, veggies and flowers come from ants farming aphids. Major infestations! They are easy too kill though, sometimes I just use soap, if I have time I'll go over the plant's stems with my fingers and squash them. It's a sticky mess, but satisfying!
I live on a spring-fed pond so it is moist enough here that I do get slugs, but they are quarter-sized at most. Yes, I've heard on the West Coast that you grow slugs so big, that pets sometimes go missing...:p Diatomacious earth?

[Lavender]

The other night, I found a 4 inch slug! :D I should say it WAS a 4 inch slug!

Yeah, those ants & their aphids are my biggest problem too. They're everywhere! All you can do is keep spraying & squishing.