My Lavender Plant’s Identity Crisis

Last spring, the Toronto Star recommended a new kind of lavender that grows well within containers. I have always loved the pretty lavender plants, so I bought these seeds from the Renee’s Garden website. While I was waiting for the package to arrive, I found out through forums that lavender seeds are actually very difficult to germinate. I figured I probably should have bought lavender plants from the garden centre instead. But since I have already paid for the seeds, I might as well give it a try. Maybe beginner’s luck is all you need because in my case, the seeds germinated within a week without any special treatment. However, after almost five months, the plant is still only 5 inches tall which is half the size of what it is supposed to be and I have yet to see any blossoms.

When I saw some lavender plants in the Music Garden, I started to wonder if my lavender plant is in fact rosemary. Since it smells like rosemary and the leaves shape like rosemary. While I am really hoping to have a beautiful lavender bush in my backyard, I guess rosemary is not that bad as well. I can always use it to make the delicious rosemary chicken. But in the mean time, I should bring the pot inside the house so that it won’t be killed by the harsh Canadian winter. Hopefully, it will flower next year and by then, I would be able to identify this mysterious plant.