After reading a bit about lavendar, I realize why I fried some of them. Is there any cultivar that likes more heat and humidity than others? Would I be able to grow it as an annual only in the cooler months? If so, what names? I have Spanish Lavendar right now in a shady spot and it's not dead yet...! I know here I can only grow parsley, cilantro, & dill as annuals. If they get too warm, they bolt. (I have many other herbs that do well, though). BTW, my Lemon Basil is very prolific. I don't use it much and it goes to seed easily. I had it growing everywhere, even in the gravel path! I just got a chocolate peppermint that smells heavenly and plan to plant it in a hanging basket. My other mints are in clay pots sunk in the herb garden.
Anyway, what about the lavendar or any other pretty flowering, good smelling herb that will do well in 9a?
Thanks, herbuddies!
Specific herbs questions (lavendar) for Houston/9a area
Southern Herb Gardening is a good southern herb reference. They say if you plant lavender, place it in full sun, good drainage and lots of neglect. It doesn't care for heat or humidity.They recommend a French lavender L. dentata or a Spanish lavender L. stoechas . If you are interested that might be a good reference book to track down. The authors, Madalene Hill and Gwen Barclay, were located in Conroe, TX.
I am a bit north of you and we get some hard freezes but another herb that overwinters in ground is oregano and one that is heat and drought hardy is Cuban oregano although the smell on that one is a bit bodacious and it is cold sensitive.
I've had to treat lemon grass as an annual, a potted lemon verbena goes in the GH as does my allspice. A bay tree Laurus nobilis does well in a pot. I think in ground in Houston, it becomes quite large. This will be my first winter to leave a licorice plant in the ground. We'll know more next summer about that one.