Question
Hi,
I purchased a lavendar plant in the early spring and placed it in a pot.  It wasn't doing well and so I trimmed the dead hoping this would help.  It actually did and looks great.  My question is, it's snowing outside and I don't know if lavendar plants survive in CT climate well.  Do they?  do I need to shift the poor thing indoors until spring or have I bought a heartier plant than I realized?

Thanks,
Gail

Answer
I need to know what type of Lavender plant you have first.  There are a couple of varieties that are cold hardy, like Munstead.  But if it is Spanish lavender, that one is not cold hardy, and there are several others that are not cold hardy.  If it looks still alive and survived frosts already, leave it outside and see if it makes it, you might want to insulate the root system with Hay if it is in a pot outside, but other wise don't cut it back any more, treat it like a small shrub and it could be a cold hardy variety that comes back year after year, if you can't cover it up with hay, then put it up close to your house and make sure it is able to receive moisture during the winter, either by you watering it or the snow, but the root system will still need water even when it is dormant, even though it would do this better if it is planted in the ground, it can survive the winter in a pot if it is cold hardy enough.  If you bring it inside, it won't survive if it is a cold hardy variety, because it needs a period of dormancy and the house is usually too warm for it to stay in dormancy.