Shohin Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

[ABCarve]

I have posted this plant in a number of other threads but thought it would be good to start its own thread for those interested in the development of the species.

This was rescued from a perennial garden that I was redoing. As I was ripping it out I noticed it had quite an interesting trunk and thought it would make a nice kusamono. I put it in a cascade pot with some hakone grass hoping yellow grass would drape over pot and contrast the purple flowers of the lavender. No such luck. Seems there just wasn't enough room fro both plants to interact.

 

[ABCarve]

Last spring (2019) I decided to try it on its own and see how it would fair. It flowered nicely but were haphazardly arranged similar to the original try. This photo is after the flowers were spent and cut back. It was beginning to show promise.

 

[ABCarve]

The flowering this year was much more prolific and was naturally arranged in somewhat of a broom style. Very minimal spring pruning.

 

[ABCarve]

So after the flowers were spent I cut them off back to where the foliage starts. After the cut back a second flush of foliage started and what was left of the spring leaves grows large, turn brown and is cut off. These two photo are about 3 weeks apart. The ramification is becoming tighter and the broom style much more apparent.

 

[HorseloverFat]

So after the flowers were spent I cut them off back to where the foliage starts. After the cut back a second flush of foliage started and what was left of the spring leaves grows large, turn brown and is cut off. These two photo are about 3 weeks apart. The ramification is becoming tighter and the broom style much more apparent.

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Absolutely gorgeous!

Love love LOVE the pot, too.

Y’know that it’s rumored that herb “trees” where among the first bonsai specimens because the traders kept live rosemary, thyme, lavender in small pots and these plants traveled the trade routes with them.. after time, clipping.. ect.. these herbs began to resemble miniaturized trees/shrubs...

Just a rumor... still quite interesting to think about.

 

[jaco94]

I have rarely seen such beautiful photos, thank you!
This lavender has fallen into very, very good hands, a magnificent result.

 

[ABCarve]

Absolutely gorgeous!

Love love LOVE the pot, too.

Y’know that it’s rumored that herb “trees” where among the first bonsai specimens because the traders kept live rosemary, thyme, lavender in small pots and these plants traveled the trade routes with them.. after time, clipping.. ect.. these herbs began to resemble miniaturized trees/shrubs...

Just a rumor... still quite interesting to think about.

I think herbs make wonderful bonsai. Bay Laurel, Rosemary

 

[jaco94]

My glasses exploded this time

 

[HorseloverFat]

My glasses exploded this time

*as velma*

“and I can’t see a THING without them”

 

[ABCarve]

To answer your question @leatherback its putting out a second set of flowers.

 

[leatherback]

Lavender is turning out really well!

 

[ABCarve]

Just got done giving the winter cut for a Lavender silhouette. I really have no idea if this is the right path for refining this species or not but I do like the look. Doesn't seem to be much info in regard to bonsai training. Maybe in a few more years it will make itself evident.

 

[queenofsheba52]

That is one very beautiful Lavender!

Well done!

 

[Colorado]

Beautiful.

What type of winter protection do these require as bonsai? Must they be kept from freezing at all? The lavender in our perennial garden seem to die back to the ground every year with full exposure to our winters...

 

[ABCarve]

Beautiful.

What type of winter protection do these require as bonsai? Must they be kept from freezing at all? The lavender in our perennial garden seem to die back to the ground every year with full exposure to our winters...

As you can see from the trunk caliper this mostly died back to the ground each year. The few branches that survived is what there is now. This goes into my un-heated garage for the winter which can get down to 26F. but not for long periods of time. I don’t know a lot about how this develops as bonsai. I’m going by the seat of my pants. Stay tuned.

 

[SC1989]

That is beautiful. My wife makes salves and oils, she started a bunch of seeds. By the end of the summer she had too many , and the lavender were all twisted , as they were too leggy/kept falling over. These five are about 3 years old now. Ive kept them in my attic with my less hardy trees. They've made it through 10 -15 F with some protection. No flowers yet though

 

[amcoffeegirl]

First let me say that I love lavender!
This is an awesome little tree.
I can smell this photo.
I am absolutely going to try this!
Most of my landscape lavender doesn’t come back every year. A few have though.
I will keep trying.

 

[Sechkooleg]

Hello! That's a gorgeous lavender you have right there! Could you share some info about growing it in a container? Do you have to water it often (say, does it drink same as rosemary or more/less)? Have you tried stripping some bark to create driftwood? Does it backbud? And what about fertilising? Seems like there are not many people trying this plant, so any tips would be awesome!

 

[ABCarve]

Hello! That's a gorgeous lavender you have right there! Could you share some info about growing it in a container? Do you have to water it often (say, does it drink same as rosemary or more/less)? Have you tried stripping some bark to create driftwood? Does it backbud? And what about fertilising? Seems like there are not many people trying this plant, so any tips would be awesome!

Thank you. It seems to need more water when it starts flower spikes. It’s growing in akadama/pumice and watered once or twice a day. It gets treated as you would any other bonsai and fertilized once a week. It does backbud. I have not tried creating deadwood on it.

 

[Sechkooleg]

Thank you. It seems to need more water when it starts flower spikes. It’s growing in akadama/pumice and watered once or twice a day. It gets treated as you would any other bonsai and fertilized once a week. It does backbud. I have not tried creating deadwood on it.

Right, thank you very much! Forgot to ask if you've ever wired it, but I guess it is all the same as with rosemary in this regard. Anyway, wish you good luck with that lovely lavender!