How to Grow Lavender Plants: The Complete Guide (2024)

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As mentioned above, lavenderthrives in most soil qualities, from poor to moderately fertile. Lavender makes only one demand for the soil: It must drain well. Standing water and wet areas could encourage root rot. Amend compacted or clay soil with compost or aged manure to improve drainage. Plant lavender in a spot with at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight each day (“fullsun”).

When to PlantLavender

• Lavender is best planted as a young plant starting inthe springafterthe soil has warmed up to at least 60°F (15°C) and the threat of frost haspassed.
• If planting in the fall,choose larger, more established plants to ensure their survival through thewinter.

How to PlantLavender

• Lavender is challenging to grow from seed; we recommend purchasingsmall starter plants from a garden nursery or taking a softwood cutting from an existing plant. Seeds may take up to three months to germinate, and seedlings must be overwintered indoors in coolclimates.
• Plant lavender 2 to 3 feet apart. Plants typically reach between 1 and 3 feet inheight.
• Add mulch (rock or pea gravel work particularly well) to keep weeds minimal. Keep the mulch away from the crown of the lavender plant, however, to prevent excess moisture and rootrot.

Check out this video to learn how to plantlavender:

How to Care forLavender

• Water once or twice a week after planting until plants are established. Water mature plants every 2 to 3 weeks until buds form, then once or twice weekly until harvest.(Yellowing leaves are often a sign ofoverwatering.)
• In colder growing areas, plants may need extra winter protection. Cover the plants with a winter mulch of evergreen boughs or straw, insulating them from freezing winds and temperatures. Read more about winter care of lavender plants.
  • Another option for cold areas is to grow lavender in a pot, keeping it outdoors in the summer and indoors in winter.While indoors, place the pot in a south-facing window with as much light as possible—water sparingly, as the plant will be dormant at thistime.

PruningLavender

In cooler climates:Prune established plants in spring when green leaves start to emerge from the base. Remove about one-third of the top to keep the plant from becoming leggy and bare at the base, but do not cut back into old wood, as it will notregrow.

In warm climates:All pruning can be carried out inautumn.

The flowering stems can be harvested while in bloom or snipped off after the flowers fade to keep the planttidy.

• English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), the most common, is hardy to USDA Zone 5. Hundreds of varieties exist in many colors (white, pink, blue-violet, and many shades of purple) and sizes.It often blooms twice in one season.
  • ‘Hidcote’: deep purple flowers; silver-gray foliage; compactform
  • ‘Munstead’: violet-blue flowers; dark green foliage; compactform
  • ‘Miss Katherine’: deep pink flowers; aromatic foliage; moundingform
• Lavandins (L. x intermedia)—a hybrid of Englishand Portuguese lavender (L. latifolia)—are generally larger plants that bloom only once per year,later in the summer.
  • ‘Phenomenal’: vigorous variety highly tolerant of heat and humidity; resistant to common root and foliar diseases; long flowerspikes
  • ‘Provence’: vigorous, long-stem variety; veryfragrant
• Spanish lavender (L. stoechas) and French (fringed) lavender (L. dentata) are typically only winter-hardy in Zones 7 to9.

How to Grow New Lavender fromCuttings

• Cut following the plant’s bloom.Choose side shoots for cuttings that have nobuds.
• Cut very low near the root, getting several inches of stem. Gently scrape the skin off the bottom portion of the stem on one side with a knife. Remove foliage on the bottom 2 inches of thestem.
• Fill a small pot (4 inches or so) with potting mix. Optional: Dip each cutting in the rooting hormonefirst.
• Insert bare stem into potting soil.Firm the soil and water in. Cover the whole pot with clear plastic or a polythene bag to create humidity. Place pots in a warm, shadedarea.
• Allow about 3 weeks for roots to appear. (If you tug gently, the root shouldn’t move.) Then, remove thebag.
• Water when soil is dry an inch down; feedwith 1/4-strength liquid plant fertilizer once aweek.
• After a few weeks, transplant it into a largerpot.

Harvesting LavenderFlowers

Lavender is a wonderful herb for drying. Here’s how to harvestit:

• Harvest in the morning hours when the oils are the mostconcentrated.
• Snip off stems when about half of the flower buds have opened, cutting the stems as long aspossible.
• Gather them into bundles and secure them with rubberbands.
• Dry the bundles of lavender by hanging them in a sheltered, cool, dark place with good aircirculation.
• After a few weeks, the flowers will have dried fully and can be shaken gently from the stems into a lidded jar. Store the flowers in a cool, darkplace.

Use your dried lavender to make lavender sachets—a lovely gift. Lavender sachetscan help to keep your sheets or towels smelling sweet, repel moths and insects, and even promote a restful night’ssleep.

StoringLavender

Store lavender flowers in a lidded jar somewhere cool and dark, or pop them straight into a sachet to keep towels, sheets, or clothes smelling sweet and to repel moths. If you suffer from insomnia, try inserting the sachets into a pillow so the calming scent can help you drift off to a restfulslumber.

Catherine Boeckmann