Got told I was burying my perennials too deep at a garden swap

Last spring at the Bothell plant swap by the library, a retired landscaper named Frank watched me plant a lavender. He said I was burying it like a treasure chest, that the crown needed to be at soil level, not an inch down. I brushed it off at first, but then I looked at my garden and realized half my plants from last year had rotted at the base. Now I measure the root ball against the pot rim before I dig, saves me about 20 bucks a plant in replacements. Has anyone else gotten a random tip from a stranger that totally fixed a gardening habit?

2 comments

2 Comments

ellis.mia4d ago

Wait, aren't you overthinking this whole crown thing? I've been planting my perennials a solid inch or two below soil level for the last ten years here in the Pacific Northwest and half the time they come back stronger than yours probably do. You know why, because that extra dirt keeps the roots insulated during our cold, wet winters and stops them from heaving out of the ground when it freezes and thaws. Frank probably learned all his rules from some textbook written for dry climates, not for our soggy clay soil that holds water like a sponge. If your lavender rotted, it was probably from your heavy soil and not from depth, maybe fix your drainage instead of obsessing over a measuring tape. So yeah, I'm the guy who plants deep and my garden laughs at your measuring stick, just saying.

hannahk194d agoTop Commenter

Are you tracking the survival rate on those deep planted ones?