How to Plant, Grow, and Care For Lavender in Your Garden

When a spring breeze wisps the refreshing floral aroma of lavender through an open window, one can’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia and presence. Few things compare to a lavender planting in full bloom. And no garden is complete without it!

For centuries, this classic herb has been coveted for its decadent fragrance, calming presence, and even healing properties. It thrives in poor soils and can bloom year after year for decades to come. Once established, it takes very little maintenance aside from annual pruning and– of course– harvesting the dazzling lilac-colored spikes.

Growing lavender is almost a rite of passage for the avid home gardener. Yet in spite of its delicate flowers, it has a few strict preferences that it’s not willing to compromise. Fortunately, caring for this hardy herb easily becomes second-nature once you understand its unique needs. Let’s dig into everything you need to know about how to plant, grow, and care for lavender. 

About Lavender

Lavender (Lavandula spp.) is an herbaceous perennial herb in the Lamiaceae, or mint family. It is closely related to rosemary, sage, and thyme. It has silvery-green foliage and spike-shaped flowers that come in many hues of purple, pink, and white. Lavender shrubs are semi-woody and characterized by their square-shaped stems and evergreen foliage (in some climates).

Depending on the variety, lavender can be a dwarf 12” tall plant or a massive bush up to 36” tall and 3-4’ wide. This aromatic shrub has been cultivated for millenia for its perfumey blossoms that lend well to culinary, medicinal, and ornamental uses.

Lavender is native to the Mediterranean, where it still grows wild on dry rocky slopes beneath hot summer sun. Early travelers to the region quickly began collecting the dazzling purple flower and later helped spread it throughout Europe. Lavender is now cultivated almost everywhere in the world and is especially cherished in English gardens and North American backyards.

There are over 450 different lavender varieties of 45 unique species in the Lavandula genus. Many species are specifically adapted to containers, large bulk plantings, essential oil production, and hot or humid climates. Some cultivars even remain perennial in regions as cold as USDA zone 5.

It can actually grow perennially all the way down to hardiness zone 3 if you choose the right cold-tolerant variety. Lavender is impressively hardy, drought tolerant, and adaptable to a range of growing conditions.

Originating Climate

Wild Lavandula species originated in the mountainous regions of Mediterranean Europe, specifically Italy, France, and Spain. Some wild stands of lavender thrive at altitudes of 3,500 to 5,000 feet above sea level!

Lavender loves the sandy or rocky calcareous (calcium-rich) soils similar to those preferred by wine grapes. During the rainy winters, water moves quickly through these well-drained soils and down the slopes, giving us clues to what lavender prefers in the garden. By far, the most common mistake beginner lavender gardeners make is growing in poorly drained soils.

Lavender loves its native Mediterranean weather of dry, hot summers and wet, mild winters. Though it can grow in most climates in the United States, it thrives in areas that most closely match these weather patterns like the arid West and parts of the Pacific Northwest.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t grow lavender in the Midwest, Northeast, or South. It simply takes a bit more effort and special attention to variety selection, which we will cover below.

Given its dry highland origins, Lavender doesn’t do as well in areas with high humidity, which is why southern growers often opt to grow lavender as an annual or container plant. There are also several varieties of Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas) bred specifically for hot, humid climates.

Propagation

Lavender is most commonly propagated by vegetative cuttings rather than seeds. This is because lavender seeds can be difficult to germinate and take a lot of extra steps (and patience) that most beginners aren’t willing to endure.

Softwood or hardwood cuttings are far quicker, simpler ways to clone a lavender plant and get an abundance of new lavender plants for super cheap! Here’s the basics for trying one or all three methods:

Growing Lavender From Seed

Contrary to popular belief, you can certainly grow lavender the old-fashioned way: from seed. While most beginner gardeners purchase lavender from the store, lavender seeds are straightforward to grow as long as you have plenty of patience. It takes up to 2-3 full years of growth for lavender to bloom after being sown from seed.

Carefully choose what varieties you’d like to grow and purchase lavender seeds from a reputable disease-free source.

As you can see, growing from seed takes time. But it has many benefits, and some gardeners may argue that it’s more rewarding to grow from seed, than it is to propagate from cuttings or from purchasing transplants. Now that you understand the process of growing from seed, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of growing lavender from seed.

Propagation by Softwood Cuttings

Softwood cuttings are taken from the pliable, green tips of new lavender growth in the spring. These quick-growing tips are plentiful in the period before lavender starts to flower, but you can’t reliably root stems that have already started to bloom.

It’s important that your starting “mother plant” is healthy and vigorous enough to allow for pruning off several cuttings.

Whether softwood or hardwood, propagating lavender cuttings requires a few simple tools. Once you’ve collected your tools, you’ll move onto the steps for propagating lavender.

Tools Needed

• Sharp, sanitized knife or shears.
• Small pot or cell trays.
• Store bought rooting medium or a homemade mix.
• Rooting hormone or a homemade rooting method.
• Plastic cover (to conserve humidity for a greenhouse effect).

Now that you’ve taken the time to gather your tools, let’s take a look at the steps involved with propagation from cuttings.

Contrary to popular belief, propagation from cuttings isn’t simple. While it’s likely to yield quicker results than propagating from seed, there are plenty of problems that can pop up. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of softwood cutting propagation.

Propagation by Hardwood Cuttings

Hardwood cuttings are brown, woody, non-pliable parts of the lavender plant. They can be used to propagate lavender in the spring, summer, or fall.

Propagation of hardwood cuttings are similar to propagation of softwood cuttings. Follow the steps below for hardwood propagation.

The process of propagation of hardwood cuttings is similar to propagating from softwood. This propagation method will likely take longer for your lavender to root, but your plant will likely stand up to harsher elements since it’s being grown from a more established plant. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of hardwood propagation.

Planting

Lavender is hardy perennial in most climates, but it needs to be planted at the right time to get established before any extreme temperatures.

The best time to plant young lavender plants is in the spring after the chance of frost has passed. Use a temperature probe to check that the soil has warmed to at least 60°F.

Larger established lavender plants can be transplanted in the fall in mild climates (zones 9-10) so they can establish their roots during the cool season.

Preparing Soil for Lavender

Before planting lavender, be sure that you have properly prepared the soil. Don’t skimp on this part! It is much harder to fix lavender soil after it is already planted. Recall that this herb is perennial in zones 5-10, so it will be planted in this part of your garden for the next 5-10 years.

Start by digging a hole that is twice as deep and twice as wide as the lavender’s root ball. Then, use a broadfork or digging fork to loosen the surrounding soil.

To improve drainage, mix in a generous amount of sand, perlite, shredded bark, or fine gravel. If you want to use compost, make sure it is mostly bark-based or leaf-based and doesn’t contain materials with high-nitrogen content like manure.

If growing in a heavy clay soil, widen and deepen the hole even more to be sure that the lavender’s root zone doesn’t get waterlogged. As a rule of thumb, a lavender’s planting hole should always be at least two to three times as large as the root ball in every direction.

Lavender planted in a shallow hole or poorly drained soil will have a hard time pushing its roots down and getting established, which can lead to signs of stress (wilting, yellowing leaves, or slow growth).

Transplanting Lavender

Once you’ve sweated and dug, transplanting lavender is super simple! Begin with a homegrown or store bought lavender start at least 8-12” tall.

It’s best to transplant lavender in the morning. To reduce the risk of transplant shock, lightly soak the plant with a watering can to encourage the soil to stick to the roots. Grasp the plant at its semi-woody base and wiggle it out of the container. Place it in the hole, keeping the base of the plant at the same level as it was in its pot.

Cover the roots with soil and use your hands to gently firm the soil around the base. However, don’t use too much force or it will cause compaction (and lavender hates compaction!)

Optionally, you can use white gravel or stone to mulch around the immediate base of the plant. This is what commercial lavender growers do to suppress weeds and reflect sunlight upward to help keep the foliage dry (which reduces the risk of many common lavender diseases).

Watering Newly Planted Lavender

Once it’s established, lavender is remarkably drought tolerant. In fact, commercial lavender farms often only water their plants just a few times per year. But newly transplanted lavender is a bit more needy. You don’t want these babies to dry out! Follow this watering schedule for the highest chance of success:

Regardless of the life stage of your lavender, never water it from above! Lavender hates to have its foliage or stems wet (except, of course in unavoidable rainstorms).

Lavender Spacing

Lavender bushes can grow surprisingly large, often 1 to 3 feet wide and up to 3 feet tall! Most lavender bushes need at least 2 to 3 feet of space in every direction. Dwarf varieties like ‘Compacta’ and ‘Hidcote’, and ‘Irene Doyle’ can be planted closer together at 1 to 2 feet.

How to Grow Lavender

Once established, lavender is one of the easiest, most hands-off herbs you can grow. The hardy perennial is resistant to drought and only requires pruning once or twice per year.

Light

Lavender needs full sun, or at least 8 to 10 hours of direct sunlight every day. Ideally, they should be planted in a south-facing part of the garden.

Recall that these beautiful purple flowers prefer to grow on hot open slopes of Mediterranean Europe. They like to bask in the sun as much as possible. Be sure that your lavender isn’t going to get shaded out by neighboring trees, shrubs, or structures.

Water

Lavender plants are very drought tolerant and adapted to arid, hot regions. They are more likely to suffer from overwatering than they are from underwatering.

In fact, overwatering is often the most common reason for lavender disease, root rot, and problems with pathogens.

To prevent soggy conditions and ensure lavender is happy with its moisture level:

Soil

Lavender’s soil preferences are almost the opposite of our common garden crops: no rich composts, high fertility manures, or fluffy soil texture. In spite of its delicate floral fragrance, lavender prefers a rugged soil: gravelly, sandy, and extremely well-drained. It thrives in alkaline soil with a pH between 6.5 and 7.5.

The best step for success with lavender is to prepare the soil ahead of planting. First, double dig or broadfork the entire planting bed. Be sure to loosen at least 6-12” beyond the planting hole so that the lavender can spread its roots deep and wide.

Amend with one or more of the following:

• Coarse sand
• Peat moss
• Perlite or vermiculite
• Shredded wood bark
• Fine pea gravel
• Coconut coir
• Limestone
• Bark or leaf-based compost (not manure based)

Mulches are useful for protecting the soil from erosion, insulating the root zone from extreme weather and suppressing weeds. Lavender does best with a lightweight mulch like light wood shavings, pea gravel, perlite, shredded leaves, or chopped straw. This also prevents splashing water from going up onto the leaves and causing diseases. Avoid any heavy or deeply layered mulches that hold in a lot of moisture.

Climate and Temperature

In a perfect world, lavender would grow in the lovely warm Mediterranean temperatures between 65° and 85°F with minimal humidity. It really prefers dry warmth for most of the growing season, so if you live in an extra moist climate, be sure to widen your spacing, up your pruning game, and choose a Spanish (Lavandula stoechas) variety more suited to humid settings.

Most Spanish and French lavenders are not frost hardy below 30°F, therefore they need to be protected or brought indoors in the winter. However, English lavenders (Lavandula angustifolia) like ‘Munstead’ and ‘Hidcote Superior’ can tolerate temperatures down to a whopping -20°F once it’s in dormancy. Proper pruning and mulching also help lavender survive intense frosts.

Many varieties will have temperature tolerances somewhere between these extremes, so be sure to read our guide to lavender varieties to find what will be best for your climate. 

Fertilizing

Unlike most of our common garden crops, lavender does not prefer to be fertilized at all. High nitrogen soils or fertilizers can actually lead to less fragrant blooms and an excess of foliage growth. Avoid fertilizing lavender or adding manure-based composts.

The only mineral fertilizer your lavender may need is calcium (in the form of agricultural lime or eggshells). Eggshells have the added benefit of making the soil more alkaline.

Maintenance and Pruning

Pruning lavender is the most important step you can take to maintain aesthetically-pleasing, happy plants. Similar to mowing a lawn, the pruning process encourages big flushes of new growth while keeping the bushes in a nice rounded shape.

Un-pruned lavender plants can get quite mangled, woody, and unsightly if they are left to their own devices. This can even cause them to be susceptible to high winds and disease issues.

Most gardeners prune lavender twice a year:

• Once in the spring after the first round of flowers (“softer” pruning).
• Again in late summer or early fall (“harder” pruning).

The spring pruning is easy to do as part of your first big spring flower stem harvest. You simply use your shears to shape the plant in a big arched shape as you cut the lavender stems. Cut 2-3” above the woody growth, leaving 1-2” of green new growth to fuel the next flush.

In the fall, you will do a “harder” prune that cuts back up to one third of the lavender’s new growth. Cut just above the new growth and side branches, creating an oval arc over the top of the plant. Be sure you don’t cut into the inner hardwood of the plant.

Pro Tip: Use the pruned stems to multiply your lavender plants. Take cuttings at the same time as pruning and root them using the instructions above. Be sure there is at least one lower node to sprout new roots in the potting medium.

Proper pruning can help your lavender live for 5, 10, or even 20 years in the garden. But there is one very important pruning rule for lavender: never, ever, ever cut into the woody base (hardwood) of the plant. This can harm or even kill your lavender.

Varieties

Lavender varieties can be a bit confusing because the Lavandula genus has over 45 species and 450 unique cultivars. The four main types of lavender are:

Spanish Lavenders (Lavandula stoechas)

Known for pine-cone shaped flowers and “rabbits ear” bracts, these varieties tolerate the most humidity and heat, making them great for southern growers. Their scent is reminiscent of pine, rosemary, or eucalyptus. They are very drought tolerant and compact shrubs.

English Lavenders (Lavandula angustifolia)

Most coveted for their fragrance, English lavenders are the infamous “true lavenders” with slender stems and tight violet (or white, pink, or blue) flower spikes. They are the most cold hardy of all and great for northern climates.

Lavandin Hybrids (Lavandula intermedia)

Bred specifically for extra high essential oil content, Lavandins are hybrid crosses between English Lavender and Portuguese Lavender (Lavandula latifolia). They have lovely aromatic sage-like foliage, delightful perfume lavender scents, and wide adaptation to zones 5-10. They can only be propagated by cutting because their seeds are sterile. 

French Lavenders (Lavandula dentata)

These lavenders have fluffy flowers, tooth-shaped leaves, and an extra long bloom time. They are mostly ornamental, though they still have a nice fragrance and charm. Unlike English varieties, French lavender does best in the mild climates of zones 7-10.

The cultivar selections you make depend heavily on how you want to use your lavender (culinary, aroma, or ornamental), how hot or humid it is in your climate, the necessary frost tolerance, and the aesthetic you prefer.

Pests and Diseases

Thanks to their super strong smell and extreme hardiness, lavender is incredibly resistant to pests and diseases. There are very few bugs that tolerate the musky aroma and bitter flavor of lavender. However, pathogens can be an issue when lavender is exposed to large amounts of humidity, rain, or overhead irrigation. Thankfully, prevention is very straightforward and similar for all major lavender diseases.

Root Rot

Overwatering, rainy winters or heavy clay soils can lead to fungal attack of the lavender roots. These pathogens attack the root zone and cause discolored, blackened, or mushy roots. Above ground, the plant may appear wilted, yellow, brown, or droopy even when the soil is thoroughly moist. As the disease progresses, the plant can no longer absorb nutrients and water, ultimately leading to death.

Cultural controls are the most important ways to prevent root rot. Well-drained soil is key. But if your plants have already succumbed to the disease, you can try to stop it from spreading by pruning away damaged root tissues and treating the root zone with an organic fungicide like baking soda, horsetail (Equisetum), or sulfur.

However, this isn’t foolproof. Often the best means for dealing with lavender root rot is disposing of the plant and replanting in a new, better drained area. 

Other Diseases

Lavender is also susceptible to Crown Rot, Phytophthora root rot, Xylella bacteria, Shab, Alfalfa Mosaic virus, Botrytis, and Septoria Leaf spot. But the most important thing to remember is that they can all be prevented with similar measures.

Lavender Pests

Fortunately, lavender is virtually immune to pest issues. That’s why it has been used for thousands of years as a bug spray and pest deterrent! While some insects may hang out on the plant, they are unlikely to cause any major damage.

This herb is hardy and great for companion planting with other crops thanks to its pest-repellent smells. Believe it or not, lavender is also a perennial deer repellant plant!

The most common (but benign) lavender pests include:

• Spittlebugs
• Whiteflies
• Aphids
• Four-Lined Plant Bug (FLPB)

Frequently Asked Questions