How to grow lavender successfully: a step-by-step guide
Growing lavender might seem straightforward but there are tips for how to grow it that will have a big impact on how good your plants look.
The key thing to remember is that lavender comes from the Mediterranean so loves baking in a sunny spot. It’s super easy to grow in most climates though and you can take cuttings from it to multiply your plants. It’s a nice flower to have around when you want to kick back and destress too, as the scent is so calming and relaxing.
For maximum impact, position lavender near doors, windows and paths in your garden landscaping to get the full benefits of the fragrance. And just watch as the bees and butterflies swarm all over it.
Getting started with growing lavender
Lavender is a hassle-free plant that will be equally happy in the ground or in a container. It thrives in flower borders, raised beds and gravel gardens, as well as being a natural fit with herb gardens.
Lavender is a great choice for low-maintenance garden ideas too. The flowers go on for ever so there’s not a lot of deadheading to do. You don’t have to fertilise it either, as lavender doesn’t like rich soil which means plants don’t need liquid feeds.
How to grow lavender successfully comes down to a few key pointers.
- Planting lavender is really quick and easy. Find a sunny spot with well-drained soil – it won’t do well in shady, damp or cold conditions.
- Thanks to its Mediterranean heritage it prefers dry soil, so if your garden has clay soil or becomes waterlogged it might be better to grow it in pots.
- Try to get your lavender planted as soon as you can once you’ve got it home.
- Dig the patch of soil where you want it to go and remove any weeds.
- Leave plenty of space for your lavender to grow if you’re aiming for lots together to get the sought-after effect of drifts of romantic planting.
- Water regularly after planting and pay particular attention to your plants during hot weather. Once established, lavender is drought tolerant. This is great news as it doesn’t need lots of watering.
- Lavender grown in garden planters may need a little more attention, particularly in the height of summer as the soil will dry out quickly in hot weather. In winter, keep containers fairly dry and stand them on feet to help drainage.
What type of gardens suit lavender?
Whatever your garden style there’s room for lavender. Perfect for your cottage garden ideas, this classic mixes beautifully with roses and foxgloves in a haze of romantic planting.
It also looks good in more urban-style spaces, so can be a good choice for modern garden ideas too, working equally well clipped into shape in modern raised garden beds or airy planting style in minimal Mediterranean-inspired gravel gardens.
Don’t miss a trick with containers either. Lavender looks great potted up, either as the main event or weaved in among other flowers.
How to choose the right type of lavender for your garden
Known mostly for their distinctive mauve flowers and aromatic foliage, there are in fact many different types of lavender to choose from. It’s one of the top bee friendly plants, so is a perfect way to attract pollinators to your garden, too.
- English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) This is the one most people think of when lavender springs to mind. It’s strongly scented, covered in masses of purple-blue flowers and the leaves are silver-grey. It’s hardy and can be left outside during winter as long as it’s planted in free-draining soil. It also flowers for months on end. Favourite varieties include ‘Hidcote’ (available from Thompson & Morgan) and ‘Munstead’ (available from Crocus). It’s also possible to buy pink and white varieties of English lavender.
- French lavender (Lavandula stoecha) and other tender varieties These are less hardy than English lavenders and don’t live as long. Grow them in containers that you can then lift inside for overwintering. A conservatory or greenhouse is ideal. These ones have flowers that are a different shape to the English varieties, topped by pretty feathery tufts, and their scent is not as strong. Try Lavandula pedunculata (available from Crocus) for an early flowering variety.
- Hybrid ‘lavendins’ These have been bred from a mix of Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula latifolia, which makes them more robust and tolerant of wetter soils and colder winters. They grow bigger than English lavenders and have more flowers for a longer period of time, which means more nectar for bees. Popular hybrid lavenders include ‘Edelweiss’ (available from Thompson & Morgan) and ‘Grosso’ (also from Thompson & Morgan).
Shop our favourite lavender varieties
Crocus
Lavandula Angustifolia ‘Hidcote’
A compact form of the popular English lavender, it produces dense spikes of fragrant, deep violet summer flowers above slender, aromatic, silvery-grey leaves. Good for edging paths and borders as the aromatic foliage perfumes the air as you brush against it.
Thompson & Morgan
Lavender ‘Munstead’
This neat, compact variety of English lavender bears masses of dark purple-blue flower spikes. The fragrant stems are ideal for cutting or drying, and the nectar-rich flowers are particularly attractive to bees.
Suttons
Lavandula × intermedia ‘Phenomenal’
A cross between a classic English Lavender and a Lavender latifolia, this is a hardy lavender variety. Will cope with heat and cold as well as attract lots of pollinators to your garden.
What’s the best way to prune lavender?
Everyone’s been in the situation where they’ve had a lavender plant that becomes dry and woody by late summer, and ends up looking half dead. Snip them into shape after they’ve finished flowering though and you will keep your lavender looking neat in your patio edging or alongside garden paths, as well as rejuvenating it for next year.
Trim any faded flower stalks (although birds like to eat these so you can leave them on if you prefer) but make sure you don’t cut the woody stems as this will limit any new growth.
Foliage can be clipped in spring if your plant has been damaged by frost. If your plants are looking really jaded it might be time to replace them with new ones though. But treat them well and they can last up to ten years.
Spear & Jackson Razorsharp Advantage Bypass Secateurs
Keep your lavender in shape by trimming it with these practical bypass secateurs. The ergonomic handles have a soft grip for maximum comfort and the carbon steel blade ensures sharpness for cutting. Has an average 4.5 out of 5 rating on Amazon.
How to dry lavender
Whatever type of lavender you grow, drying it is incredibly easy and you can use it to scent your linen cupboard or drawers.
- First snip your flowers. Follow the stem down from the flower bud until you reach a junction where two side leaves or new buds have begun to form.
- Snip the stem just there and the plant will continue to produce more fresh flowers. For longer stems, simply snip deeper into the plant.
- The simplest way to dry fresh lavender is to hang it up in small bunches.
- Secure each bunch loosely with twine, then hang them upside down in a warm, dry spot where the air can circulate around them.
- Alternatively dry your bunches of lavender in vases, making sure there is plenty of room for air to circulate around the stems to prevent them going mouldy.
FAQs
What is the best time of year to plant lavender?
As long as the weather is good, in the UK lavender is best planted out in the garden in April or May. This is because the soil starts to warm up at this time of year so it offers the ideal growing conditions for your plants to get established. You cna plant it at other times of the year, however.
Just remember to never plant out lavender on cold days though – it’s a Mediterranean garden plant and will need a little cosseting early in the year in case of any unexpected cold snaps.
Where does lavender grow best?
There is quite a choice when it comes to lavender varieties but the main thing to remember is that all of them love a sunny position, whether they’re hardy, half-hardy or tender species. So give your lavender what it needs by making it feel at home in a sun trap. It’s also a great plant for a gravel garden.
Plants in containers are always more susceptible to cold, as their roots are less insulated than when in the ground. Plus if the soil is waterlogged it can freeze. However they do have the added benefit of being moveable. To help lavender survive cooler temperatures, transfer your containers to a sheltered spot over winter.
Does lavender grow back every year?
Give lavender what it likes (a sunny spot, dry soil, a light prune every now and then) and the answer is yes. Some types of French and tender lavenders are not hardy though and won’t survive the winter outside so always make sure you check the label before you buy. Opt for a hardy English variety of lavender if you want to leave yours outside all year round as a pretty screening plant for your patio, for example.
Lavender bushes typically last for between seven and 10 years, sometimes longer. But generally at some point they will need replacing.
Does lavender grow well in pots?
Lavender loves growing in pots and is a great choice for pretty window boxes as part of your front garden ideas. Make sure there are adequate drainage holes and use a loamy compost such as John Innes No 2 with plenty of grit or perlite mixed in to help with drainage. A good ratio is 25% grit/75% compost.
Once planted water well, then continue to water at regular intervals throughout summer, more so if the weather is really hot. Keep an eye on the compost to see if it has dried out, and snip out any faded flowers to encourage more to grow.
Plant lavender in pots with these essentials
Westland J Arthur Bower’s John Innes No.2 Compost 25lt
Suitable compost for growing lavender in pots, although it will be best when enriched with horticultural grit to prevent waterlogging.
Vitax Horticultural Potting Grit
Mix in with your compost to provide better drainage for lavenders growing in pots. Can also be added direct to heavy clay soils to improve the conditions for lavender growing in the garden.
IDEALIST Chelsea Windowsill Planter
With pre-drilled drainage holes, this lead-effect window planter would work well with lavender for a pretty cottage-style planting scheme. It’s UV and frost resistant and comes in five different sizes.
Lavender plants are widely available from garden centres and online during spring and summer. Plants are usually sold in 9cm pots ready for planting out in your garden design.
If you want to get an early start lavender is also sold as plug plants in spring. This is a cheaper way to buy it, particularly if you’re planning on planting masses to get those desirable lavender drifts. But you will need an indoor space to nurture these plantlings until any chance of late frost has passed.
The original version of this article previously appeared on Gardeningetc, a sister website to Homebuilding & Renovating.