How to Grow Lavender: Guide to Planting and Care

Lavender (Lavendula spp.) is a popular, fragrant perennial with gray-green foliage, upright flower spikes, and a compact shrub growth habit that reaches about three feet. Flowers usually bloom in summer and have a signature scent that is somewhat spicy but also calming.

Planting lavender is best in the spring after the risk of frost has passed and the soil has warmed up. It will grow at a moderate pace, often adding a few inches to its size each year. Note that lavender can be toxic to pets.

How to Plant Lavender

When to Plant

Be sure to plant lavender in the spring—around April or May—when the soil warms up and there is no chance of frost.

Where to Plant

Plant lavender in the ground in your sunniest spots. Lavender plants will tolerate many growing conditions, but they grow best in warm, well-draining soil, and full sun.

How to Plant

When planting lavender, dig a hole larger than its root ball, and place the plant upright in the hole. Then, backfill it with soil and some compost and water it to finish it off.

If you're directly sowing the lavender seeds, plant them at a depth of 1/8th inch and scarcely cover them with soil. Space them two inches apart, however, thin the seedlings so each seed has about six inches of room.

Lavender Care

Plant lavender in a location that receives full sun, or at least six hours of direct sunlight, in well-draining soil. Water young plants that aren't yet established, but avoid watering mature plants. Lavender is fairly drought-tolerant. Don't fertilize lavender, which grows just fine in poor soils.

Light

Plant or place lavender plants in full sunlight, which is the best way to guarantee a lot of buds and big, full bushes.

Soil

Lavender plants often prefer drier soil, so it's important to use a well-draining option like a traditional potting mix that's leaning more alkaline or chalky—this will help enhance your lavender's fragrance. You can also add some sand for better drainage.

Water

Skip watering when it comes to mature lavender. This is a resilient plant that is extremely drought-tolerant once established. When first starting your lavender plants, keep them regularly watered during their first growing season.

After that, they can handle extended periods of drought—in fact, too much water can lead to fungal disease and root rot.

Temperature and Humidity

Protect lavender from the dampness that can come with high humidity. Lavender can withstand a range of temperatures, hardy to zones 5 through 9, so it's usually dampness more than the cold that's responsible for killing lavender plants.

Space Plants Out

Make sure you have plenty of space between your plants for airflow, and always plant your bushes in a sunny location.

Fertilizer

Add a handful of compost into the hole when you are first starting lavender plants. Beyond that, feeding is not needed with these plants and can detract from the overall potency of your lavender.

Types of Lavender

There are many varieties of lavender, each boasting benefits and perks. Note that multiple species are referred to as "French lavender," which can be confusing. Some of the most popular include:

• English lavender(L. angustifolia): A varietal that's available in several cultivars, including: 'Munstead,' an old-fashioned standard with blue-purple flowers; 'Hidcote,' a version favored for its dark purple flowers; 'Jean Davis,' a unique blend that produces pale pink flower spikes. Perennial in zones 5 though 9.
• Lavandin(Lavandula x intermedia): A varietal with several cultivars including: 'Provence,' which is particularly popular for drying; 'Grosso,' a highly disease-resistant and fragrant standard. Perennial in zones 5 through 8.
• Fringed or French lavender (L.dentata): A bushy, spreading shrub varietal that produces dense purple-blue flower spikes that are only mildly fragrant. Perennial in zones 5 through 9.
• Spanish or French lavender (L. stoechas): A small and somewhat fragile shrub. Cultivars exist with white flowers. Perennial in zones 7 through 9.

Pruning

Pruning lavender is recommended to keep your plant well-shaped and to encourage new growth. The best time to prune lavender is in late summer or early fall, when the plant is done blooming.

Taller lavender varieties can be cut back by approximately one-third of their height, while lower-growing varieties can either be pruned back by a couple of inches or cut down to new growth.

Harvesting Lavender

A major reason lavender is so prized is that its flowers keep their fragrance once dried. For best drying results, harvest the flowers as the buds first begin to open. Hang them in small bunches upside-down in a warm spot with good air circulation until dried.

Harvesting Tip

To see if your lavender is ready for harvesting, run your fingers along its stem and then bend it. If it bends effortlessly, you're all set to harvest it.

Uses for Lavender

There are numerous ways to use lavender once you harvest it, ranging from aesthetic to practical. Regardless of how you choose to use your lavender, be sure to store it in an airtight container in a cool, dry spot that is not prone to heat or humidity. Here are a few ways to use lavender:

• Floral arrangements
• Herbal wreaths
• Scented sachets
• Lavender essential oil
• Natural pest repellant
• Edible uses (lavender-infused simple syrup, raw in salads, added to soups and stews, used as a seasoning, baked into cookies, brewed into tea)
• Companion planting in the garden, deterring deer

Propagating Lavender

Lavender plants are best propagated by softwood cuttings, which you can take in spring. You can also propagate via hardwood cuttings that are available in the fall. Here's how to propagate lavender by cutting:

1. Take a healthy cutting. Use a knife to cut a 3-inch segment of a healthy shoot. Remove the bottom leaves.
2. Prepare a pot. Fill a small pot with a moistened seed-starting mix.
3. Dip in rooting hormone and plant. Dip the bottom of the cutting in rooting hormone, and put that end into the prepared seed-starting mix.
4. Cover and place in warm area. Cover the pot with plastic and place it somewhere warm with bright, indirect light.
5. Remove covering. Once the roots are established, remove the plastic covering and place the pot back in a sunny location.
6. Transplant outdoors. After two or three weeks, the plant can be transplanted outdoors or into a larger pot with standard potting soil.

How to Rejuvenate a Woody Plant

Aim to prune your lavender plants in mid-August but if you don't notice new shoots the following month, it may be a clear sign to start over.

Potting and Repotting Lavender

Grow lavender in a pot that's just larger than the root ball. Use well-draining potting soil, and ensure that your container has plenty of holes at its base for drainage. Plant lavender in a clay or terracotta pot to help wick moisture away from the soil and keep it from getting too wet. Repot with fresh soil when roots grow out of the drainage hole or soil level, using a vessel that is one size larger.

What You'll Need

• Pruners are essential for encouraging lavender to continue growing and providing more blooms.
• A good planter with plenty of drainage holes will help you make a nice lavender container garden.
• A hose timer can be very helpful for ensuring you don't overwater your lavender.

Overwintering

Protect lavender plants from harsh winter winds by planting them next to a stone or brick wall to provide additional heat and protection. If you live in an area where the ground routinely freezes and thaws throughout the winter, your lavender plants will benefit from a layer of mulch applied after the ground initially freezes to protect the roots.

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

Lavender plants are not afflicted by many diseases. They may develop phytophthora, which is a soil-borne fungal disease that causes root and stem rot. Lavender can also succumb to septoria leaf spot, which is caused by a fungus and is also commonly found on tomato plants.

Many common pests are attracted to lavender, including whiteflies, spider mites, leafhoppers, and spittlebugs. Water spray, insecticidal soaps, and neem oil can be helpful to eliminate pests. The four-lined plant bug (FLPB) is another pest that can be found sucking on lavender plant leaves and can be controlled by pesticides. Fortunately, lavender is usually deer-resistant.

Pest to Watch

If you suspect spider mites on your plant, look for fine white webbing, stippled and yellowed leaves, and white dots.

How to Get Lavender to Bloom

When planted in the proper lighting and in the proper soil, lavender should bloom each year.

Bloom Months

Lavender usually blooms in late spring and in the summer, from May until August.

What Do Lavender Flowers Look and Smell Like?

Lavender flowers are small and purple, forming in columns along the stem. Their signature fragrance is somewhat spicy but also considered to be soothing by many.

How to Encourage More Blooms

Make sure your lavender plants get at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight per day. Make sure your soil isn't too fertile, as that can result in fewer blooms. Pruning the plant in spring, even if you like the size of the plant, can also result in more frequent flowering.

Common Problems With Lavender

Lavender plants are fairly trouble-free, but problems can occur. Here are common issues you may encounter when growing lavender indoors or outdoors.

Leaves Turning Yellow

Leaves turn yellow if the soil is too wet. If the lower leaves are yellow, that definitely means you are overwatering the plant. Many lavender plants will perish if their soil gets too wet over the winter months.

Plant Smells Bad

You have probably overwatered your lavender plant. The plant may have root rot. If you have a potted lavender plant that you think has root rot, prune the dead or affected roots with a sharp and sterilized cutting tool and repot the plant to see if it's salvageable.

Drooping Leaves

You have probably underwatered your lavender plant. In addition, the soil will feel parched.

Leggy or Woody Growth

Lavender will develop leggy or woody growth when it isn't regularly pruned. Wait until the blooming period has passed in late summer or early fall, and then prune back lavender.

From: thespruce