Lavender To Niamniamemsis

Question

My father took a cutting from a lavender plant, but when it bloomed, it turned out to be a niamniamemsis. The original plant is still a lavender plant, at my father’s friends house, and she doesn’t have any niamniamemsis plants around. How could this have happened?

Answer 1

This plant was most likely grafted from a rootstock of impatiens; the original took over when the cutting was propagated. There are many reasons why garden nurseries do this; it's usually to improve the existing plant's root system or other attributes. Here's a link to a page with several articles about grafting. I hope this helps: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/propagation/grafting