Question
Is it practical to grow lavender plants from seed?  Can I use the seeds from plants in my garden?  Please give me any tips/helps, etc.  I would like to have about 75 plants and the cost of buying plants in the nursery would be prohibitive.  Thank you

Answer
Hi Kathleen,
thanx for your question.  Lavender is very easy to grow from seed.  The seed from the garden may not come true to the parent plants if the plants are hybrids.  This means that due to much crossing of genes, the resulting plants will probably revert back to an inferior form of the plant but that doesn't necessarily mean the plant will be unsightly or not useful in your garden.  Plant the seeds in good potting soil and barely cover.  Keep warm and watered but well-drained.  Germination takes place in about 2-3 weeks.  Wait until the plants have their second set of leaves before transplanting into separate cells.  Keep under 40-watt shop lights extended about 8 inches above until after the last frost.  Take the seedlings outdoors and keep in a shaded protected area for about 10 days.  This is called hardening off and helps acclimatize the plant to the outdoors.  Plant in full sun after the hardening off period.  I hope this helps.
Tom