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If you build it, they will come.
Bees, birds, butterflies, and other pollinators were all invited to make our property their home. We decided on three different cultivars of lavender and two different species. We prepare the soil for our first two-hundred 2" plants we'd purchased for their organic certification. We added more decomposed granite (dg) to our soil (a natural occuring material from the granite mountains above us) to ensure good drainage for the new plants.
Once we measured out our rows and spacing, we dug up every hole in preparation for the plugs. Prior to placing the plug, we added to each hole a mixture of homemade compost and potting soil. Then, we gently placed the plug in the hole and filled around it with remaining material.
We put our lavender on drip lines to control the amount of water they'd receive. After the first week, we discovered that we had some drainage problems. Once we solved the issue, we were back on track. Now, all we had to do was wait. We had placed our plants in the ground early in the summer so as to take advantage of our high desert growing season.
Late summer arrived with its blistering daylight followed by a welcomed chilly evenings. Fall came and went; leaves changed color and then fell to the ground. What was once a lush pasture had now turned a dusty brown. All of our plants had survived two seasons: summer and fall!
Winter descended into our valley. We did not know if they would survive a winter in the Sierra Nevadas. We had to wait until the following spring to find out.