Lavender is a bushy, strong-scented perennial plant from the Mediterranean. In most regions, its gray to green foliage stays evergreen throughout the year.
Prized for its fragrance, medicinal properties, and beautiful color, lavender is a valued plant across the world. It also attracts pollinators to the garden.
It is drought-resistant, low-maintenance, and – thanks to the strong essential oil it produces – undesirable to foraging critters and pests.
Although all lavender (Lavandula) is native to the Mediterranean, there are many varieties offering a vast selection of bloom times, colors, flower forms, and sizes. “Bloom time can vary drastically between different locations—where one lavender blooms at the start of June, only 20 miles away could be a very different outcome,” says Kristin Nielsen, president of the Lavender Association of Western Colorado.
Contrary to the name, not all lavenders are purple. Some hybrids come in other lovely pastel hues such as violet blue, rose, pale pink, white, and even yellow. The leaves can also vary in shape and color. To extend the bloom season as well as the color palette, consider planting several varieties.
How to Grow Lavender
As with most plants, your success in growing this coveted plant will depend both on what kind of growing conditions you can provide and which varieties you select to grow. Lavender plants will tolerate many growing conditions, but they thrive in warm, well-draining soil, and full sun.
Most lavenders are labeled hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9. While you can grow lavender in USDA Hardiness Zone 5, it is unlikely you will ever have a lavender hedge. More realistically you can expect to have plants that will do well when the weather cooperates, but experience the occasional loss of a plant or two after a severe winter or a wet, humid summer. They are breeding ever tougher lavender plants, so that may change.
Unfortunately, even if you do everything right and your lavender plants appear happy, the genus is generally not long-lived and most lavender plants begin to decline after about 10 years. So keep starting new plants to carry you through your rough spots.
How to Plant Lavender
- Lavender is best planted in the spring as the soil is warming up. If planted in the fall, use bigger plants to ensure survival over the winter.
- Plant lavender 2 to 3 feet apart. Plants typically reach between 1 and 3 feet in height.
- It thrives in any poor or moderately fertile soil. If you have heavy or clay soil, add some organic matter to improve drainage. Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting.
- Keep away from wet, moist areas.
Care
- Add mulch (rock or pea gravel work particularly well) to keep weeds to a minimum. Keep the mulch away from the crown of the lavender plant.
- Water once or twice a week after planting until plants are established. Water mature plants every two to three weeks until buds form, then once or twice weekly until harvest.
- In cold growing areas, cover the plants with a winter mulch of evergreen boughs or straw.
- In cold growing areas, if growing indoors over winter, place pot in a south-facing window with as much light as possible.
- Prune established plants in the spring when green leaves start to emerge from the base of the plant. Remove approximately one third of the top.
Pruning
Pruning is very important as it aims to slow down the growth of woody stems, and forces the plant to produce new foliage.
Lavender should generally be pruned right after it flowers, and again at the end of the summer months to help prevent a damaging winter.
Pruning in early fall helps slow the process of woody stems and increases flower blossoms the following year.
If you have an especially woody plant, prune lightly throughout the growing season for maximum results.
Harvest
The time has come to harvest, and lucky for you, it’s really rather simple. You want to be sure to cut the lavender above the start of the woody stem and then allow it to dry for two weeks. Pretty simple, right?
You can bundle dried branches together for a sweet addition to a bouquet, or for an added sense of elegance around your home. Strip the blossoms off for use in potpourri or baking.
The essential oils in these plants have various medicinal properties, and they are often used as antiseptics, sleep aids, and for stress relief. These can easily be added to homemade soap, cleaning solutions, shampoos, lotions, and more.