How should I move and overwinter this lavender?

I've had this little lavender in my summer garden, but I plan to have my garden somewhere else next year. I suspect that it might be an English lavender, maybe hidcote blue, but correct me if it looks like something else.

If I want to dig it up soon, would it be ok to put it in a container on my balcony in a somewhat similar lighting situation as it's already in? Or should I put it in a more permanent place? Or bring it indoors? If I've identified it correctly, Plant Files says that it can survive -15 degrees in my zone, which is much colder than it usually gets here.

Any recommendations?

Hi Indy! That's a nice, vigorous-looking lavender you have there. English lavender will need winter protection in your zone. If you containerize it, you'll need to insulate or bury the container, or move it into a garage or greenhouse, to protect the roots from repeated freezing & thawing. Outdoors, you'll also need to protect the shrub from windburn, either by spraying with an anti-dessicant or wrapping with burlap. I recommend taking some cuttings and overwintering them on a windowsill, just in case. Good luck!

I'm very happy with its progress. This is what it looked like in late June after extensive flooding and gardener inexperience. I thought it was a goner.

So the main idea here is to keep it from freezing, but it can get through the winter with little to no light (because it will be dormant)? Is that correct? I have a spot where I can keep an eye on it, as long as it doesn't need much light.

I'll take some cuttings too. Just got some root hormone to experiment with other plants, so I'll be sure to do this one too.

Thanks for your response! It's so nice of you to take the time to advise me.

Oops. Wrong photo. Here's the poor thing.

Indy, I use Rose Cones made of styrofoam to cover my lavender, and here in sw mich it really gets cold and they survive. I trim the plants back and fill the cone with loose straw cover the plant, has worked for several ears

Indy, since lavender is an evergreen it doesn't become truly dormant. The roots keep supplying water to the leaves all winter, and if the air temperature is warm enough there will be new leaves produced. So if you are overwintering it indoors, give it plenty of light.

annabelle, the rose cones are a great idea. I wish I'd thought of that!

well that's good news. I'll just put it under my indoor herb lights, where I can enjoy it all winter.

Indy, I am supposedly in zone 6. But, this used to be zone 5. Santa Fe is 7500 altitude and we can get a lot of snow. I seldom lose any lavender. I just mulch it, along with everything else, in the fall. I over-winter rosemary by putting it in a pot in the unheated garage which does have a window. I take it out for sun on warmer days if I think of it and haul it in at night. You could perhaps do that with lavender if it didn't freeze and thaw much. It might enjoy the indoor herb lights but if it is English lavender it kind of likes to be cold in the winter.

I dug it up and potted it yesterday. It had grown some nice, healthy roots. I don't have a picture yet, but I put it in a pot that is only slightly wider in diameter and narrows toward the bottom. From the longest roots to the bottom of the pot is probably only about 3 inches. Is this good - because I don't want it to grow a lot over the winter anyway - or too restrictive and should have a bigger pot?

It's currently at the edge of a south-facing balcony, so it gets a little bit of sun. So maybe I should leave it there and watch the weather (which I do anyway) and bring it in only when the temps are predicted to drop below the mid 30s? It will be warm inside when I turn the furnace on and it might not like that for months at a time.

If you get a lot of snow, though, that's probably insulating it, in a sense. We don't seem to get much snow around here anymore. Global warming, I guess.

Our snows are unpredictable and last year we had a very long, cold winter with only average snow, if that. The previous year we had record breaking snow. The year before that we had hardly any snow! It's anybody's guess. I don't know if the lavender will prefer the heat to the cold but I think maybe one or the other. They get confused going back and forth. I know I do!

Ok, here's the whole thing. Does the pot look too restrictive?

It looks very pretty. I think it won't grow much over the winter but will be ready for more space in the spring.

Here's my lavender today. It looks dead. I don't see any new growth yet, but temperatures have still dipped below freezing here.

Any chance it will bounce back? I moved it from the balcony (wind protection) to a spot that gets some sun in the morning. Should I prune it?

Indy, my lavender looks dead until the middle of May around here (zone 5, NY state). Then, I will start to notice some greening and zip!bang! it will grow like crazy. I know many people who threw away lavender way too early, assuming it had died. So, hang in there and good luck!

Hi, Indy. My lavender mostly looks dead now which is just as well since it is getting below freezing at night and not much better during the day lately. Have you given it water? I have been watering mine about every other week for awhile. Give it another month or so. I wouldn't prune it now.

Yay! Glad to hear it! :o)

I give it water only when it isn't going to freeze soon. Just gave it some yesterday, so it should be good for a little while.