I purchased a lavender plant this spring and planted it in my flower garden. It is doing so well. Gets lot of sun and the butterflies love it! I am now concerned how I care for it coming in to winter. Do I Cut it back? Do I cover with burlap ( or something else) to prevent frost / snow killing the plant? I do not know the varietal of the plant.
The biggest risk to lavender during winter is poorly draining soil that stays wet with resultant root rot. Nothing you can do above ground will help; planting in well-draining soil, amending with coarse sand or pelite in heavy clay soil, is most important. Lavender needs pruning annually. Some do this in late fall when it is dormant or early spring as growth begins. Here are articles on lavender care: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/lavender/pruning-lavender.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/search?q=lavender%20winter%20care
Is it advisable to try to save a Costco Lavender tree over the winter? Or should I dispose of and buy another next spring?
You can, definitely, save this and keep it going indoors. The first thing that I would do is repot it, though.
This article will give you information on caring for these in container: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/lavender/growing-lavender-in-pots.htm
I have previously brought this plant inside during the winter.
Place your potted Lavender in good location. This means as much sunlight as possible with good air circulation. A sunroom is great for this although you could rig some broad spectrum or fluorescent lights up in a basement if you cannot find a sunny spot. Houses in winter tend to be drier due to heating so humidity usually is not a problem.
Make sure to check on your Lavender plant periodically and as for watering try to be lax about it erring on less and not more. Allow the top inch or so of soil to get bone dry. Rotate the pot every week so it receives uniform light and air.
Over watering potted Lavender grown inside is the main reason for plant fatality. Your plant will not need as much water and definitely not any fertilizer until warm spring weather returns. Be sure to wait until the last spring frost date for your area or you overwintered your potted Lavender for nothing!
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/lavender/growing-lavender-in-pots.htm
I have both brown and black seeds
Although they are far less likely to germinate, you will still see a very high germination rate, although it will be a slow process. This article will help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/lavender/lavender-seed-propagation.htm
My potted lavender topiary was doing well outside. I made sure soil was alkaline and I did not water frequently. Blooms died off in fall, so I used your website instructions and gave her a reshaping down to just above 2 inches from woody area. I brought her inside when winter came. She was in a sunny window area with minimal watering. I sprayed for spider mites. She did well for s month or two, then the leaves shriveled in areas. Now she is mostly like this grayish wilted leaf look. I moved her to southern sun exposure and later off the watering. I cannot stop the progression of dying leaves. I don't want to loose her, she is my favorite plant. Any suggestions for last minute salvage would help. Thank you.
Did you spray because you suspected spider mites, or that the plant already had them? If there were already spider mites, then this could be a problem. As they suck sap, they also introduce their own poison, which if left treated for too long will destroy a plant beyond repair. If you water with a few drops of rosemary oil in the water, then this will deter spidermites. You should only have to do this once a month or less. I would say just keep the soil slightly moist with a short dry period in between. This might keep it alive until you can put it back outside.
Lavender likes lime? Which other flowering plants do also?
If you are using simple Dolomitic lime, then most plants, unless they are specifically acid loving (and even then, sparing amounts won't hurt) can benefit from it. Hydrated lime can be a bit rough on some plants, so you will need to be much more careful with this.
Here is a list of plants that highly benefit from the alkaline conditions that lime has: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/plants-for-alkaline-soil.htm
The instructions say "...prune one-third of the plant.". Request clarification if this means; 1) Prune each stem 1/3 of its length. or, 2) Prune 1/3 of all stems back to their base. Thank you, Total Rookie
This can, actually, mean either! You can prune 1/3 of the length of the entire plant, or you can choose to take out 1/3 of the plant by limbs. This will be your preference.