What is wrong with my Lavender..Help Please

Hi. First time for me planting Lavender. I planted about 50 this spring. I live around the Stephenville, Texas area, where it has been extremely hot, 105 most everyday, no rain at all. Everyone told me not to over water, so I have listened, or so I think. I water them about once a week or so. I have noticed that some of the plants looks like they have been freeze dried. They are not yellow, like if you over water, not brown or wilted like under watering. They just simply look like I have freeze dried them. It starts with one clump on the plant, then slowly spreads to other clumps, until the whole plant looks like that. Does anyone know what is going on?
I have checked the soil, doesn't seem to be too dry or too wet, I have sprinkled some Seven dust on the plants that have started this process just in case they are being attacked from down under. We have a million grasshoppers this year, but to me it doesn't look like any plants have been chewed on. I sure would appreciate any clues, before I lose all of them.

Thanks!

I have tried lavender time and again without success. It becomes toast in the heat. Having just recently cooked one, it is fresh on my mind.

Along with less water, it is recommended to use a fast draining soil and mulch with a white gravel to deflect the heat from the soil. I plan to try again.

The one I had this year lasted longer so I am slowly learning lavender.

My 4 year old great granddaughter is enamored with Lavender. Someone told her it would help her relax. So funny for such a baby. Anyway, she loves my flower garden and asks if every single purple flower is lavender. Point is: I have also tried it in the way distant past and wasn't successful. Do you think it might grow in a container? Must say I have already lost a couple of plants that are in the shade and getting enough water. The heat just overwhelms them, as it does me. This was a beautiful Spring and ow everything is suffering greatly.

I have tried 3 different species of lavender and they all die in the summer heat. I even tried spanish lavender thinking it would do better but no. I would like to know if others can grow these and if so how?

I am bewildered. There are fields of it growing near me. Everyone told me it is a drought, heat loving plant?

http://www.gabrielvalleyfarms.com/growing-lavender-sucessfully-in-texas.html

There are multiple lavender farms in the Hill Country. Stephenville is on the edge and has much the same growing conditions. I am just outside Dallas and we have black clay over caliche. Hard to grow anything without immense amending the soil. Maybe the above website can give you some help.

Our humidity here is probably the culprit. Quickerhorses ~ it would be interesting if you could talk to the people who have fields of it growing to find out more about the growing culture and which lavender they are growing...

http://www.texaslavenderassociation.org/GreenHome.html

By following links, I came upon this listing of Lavender farms in Texas. There is more than one in Stephenville. You could get your starter plants from one of them as well as specific growing instructions.

Everything I've read indicates lavender needs excellent drainage.

I cannot grow LAVENDER either ... don't feel too bad !!

Mine was in a raised bed with sandy soil. They do well until the heat comes. Apparently they aren't as easy to grow here as I was led to believe. Funny thing is I grew lavender in MI in regular soil and beds. Its humid and rains there and they came back and bloomed year after year.
C

This is my first year for growing lavender. I have spanish lavender and another noid lavender. I WS'd both and both have done very well. Spanish lavender is done blooming for now and is resting, however my noid lavender is blooming it's head off right now. I gues I have been lucky with both. They are both in morning sun afternoon non direct sun/very bright shade. I water them well every three days or so. I guess the true test will be if they survive till next year :)

My noid lavender.....

That sure looks beautiful Stephanie.

What!!!! I can grow lavender and drthor can't! Wow!!!!

congrats ... you are on your way ...

I've had trouble with lavender, too, but I have gotten it to grow. Problem is I don't know why some live and some don't. I kill about 2 or 3 for every one that survives. Stephenville's sandy soil should be great, but the humidity may be a problem. I have clay and I 've found that Provence handles clay better than the others. I do know that hot winds can kill it, so I try to put it in a somewhat sheltered area. Right now I have a Provence that is about 3 years old and 2 Hidcote that are in pots, but I've lost 3 others and have another that doesn't look long for this world. I'd check with the folks that are growing it locally. Good luck.

Just made a tour of my flower garden. Dear Lord, send us rain. Even with a water bill of $366.00, everything is dying. The leaves are purely scorched. Just thankful that I still have a home that I can escape to.

I've also tried lavender several times. This year has been the best so far. I actually have one left and it seems to be thriving. But it is definitely a "here today, gone tomorrow" kind of plant for me. I just lost 2 or the three I had. And they look similar to yours, Quickerhorses. Like it just dried up on the stalks, not yellow, not brown. The one left is about to bloom. I think it is the Provence, but I'll have to look at the tag tomorrow. If I remember, I'll post a pic when it blooms. Janet

The longest a lavender plant, including Spanish lavender, survived in my raised flowerbed planted in well drained soil with gravel for mulch was 3 years. The plants always succumbed to a fungal disease.I gave up trying to grow them several years ago. I might in the future try again planting them in a container. Congrats to catzgalore, rampbrat and hrp50 for being able to keep them alive! :o)

Blooming lavender!! I've started putting aquarium gravel on top of regular mulch for my potted plants (just for the color). I will try putting that around the base of my lavender to see if it will help it survive. Thanks for that tip, Htop.

Janet, you're welcome. Your plant is beautiful!