Lavender: planting, growing, pruning

Description and botany

Belonging to the Lamiaceae family (formerly Labiatae), cousin to sages, thymes and rosemarys, lavender is an aromatic shrub native to dry, sunny and rocky regions of the Mediterranean basin extending to India and Southeast Asia. It grows wild in mid-mountain areas up to 800m altitude.

The Lavandula genus includes 28 species and numerous cultivars and hybrids. Lavandula angustifolia or Lavandula officinalis, sometimes called ‘True Lavender’ or “fine lavender”, which can reach 1m in height and has many cultivars like ‘Hidcote’ with intense blue flowers, ‘Alba’ with white flowers or ‘Rosea’ with pink flowers, toothed lavender or English lavender (Lavandula dentata) with dentate foliage, Lavandin (Lavandula (x) intermedi), “butterfly lavender” or “French lavender” (Lavandula stoechas), are the most widespread and most emblematic varieties in our regions. The genus also includes Lavandula latifolia, also called “spike lavender”, from which an essential oil ideal for insect bites is extracted!

This undershrub forms a compact, rounded clump with dense vegetation, reaching between 80 cm and 1.20 m in flower at maturity.

Growth is fairly rapid, taking about three years to form a generous, floriferous clump, but with proper pruning, a lavender plant can live for 10 years.

The plant is distinguished by its bushy habit, sometimes untidy and ramified.

Lavandula – botanical illustration

The very aromatic evergreen foliage gives the plant a massive ball-like appearance. The sometimes quadrangular stems bear linear leaves, opposite, single and entire or dentate, pinnate with edges rolled inward. Narrow, oblong to lanceolate, sometimes broader and rounded, they measure 2 to 8 cm long and are sometimes particularly woolly and downy.

Pale green to dark green, most take on a lovely silvery-grey colour, even lighter or more pronounced in dry soil.

Lavandula intermedia (lavandin) differs from “true” lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) by its fuller foliage, less silvery and less fragrant.

Some (Lavandula intermedia ‘Walberton’s Silver Edge’) stand out for their unique variegated foliage of grey and white or cream yellow (‘Platinum Blonde’). In others, the silvery foliage sometimes turns purple in winter (‘Twickel Purple’). Others like toothed lavender are characterised by fringed foliage, making it very easy to distinguish from other lavender species.

They release a pine or camphor scent when crushed.

This evergreen foliage with silvery reflections will retain its appeal even in midwinter when the garden is at rest.
From this rounded bush emerge long, slender leafy stems, sometimes branched, bearing numerous spikes of fragrant flowers that perfume the garden. The earliest lavenders bloom as early as April (Lavandula stoechas), while others offer quite late summer or even autumn flowering.

At the tip of each stem forms a narrow, dense spike, more or less long, 3 to 20 cm bearing tiny flowers. Lavandula Angustifolia (“true” lavender) is distinguished by a short floral spike.

Lavender flowers of different shapes and colours: Lavandula angustifolia ‘Alba’, Lavandula angustifolia ‘Superblue’, Lavandula stoechas, Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’ and Lavandula intermedia ‘Edelweiss’, Lavandula ‘Bandera Pink’.

Lavandula stoechas bears the largest flowers in the genus and a very distinctive flowering that earns it the names “French lavender” or “butterfly lavender”. The flowers are grouped in spikes crowned with a tuft formed of several large petaloid bracts, resembling small raised wings.

Traditionally mauve or lilac in colour, the flower spikes are pure white in Lavandula angustifolia ‘Alba’ and Lavandula intermedia ‘Edelweiss’, dark violet in ‘Hidcote’, bright blue in ‘Munstead’ or lilac pink in ‘Rosea’.

Flowering is long-lasting, renewing in successive waves throughout summer. At the end of flowering, its fragrant, colourful dried spikes will remain decorative in the garden for many months.

Lavender foliage: Lavandula ‘Phenomenal’ (Niko), Lavandula ‘Platinum Blonde’.

Lavender harvest takes place in summer as high temperatures promote the rise of essence in the flower’s secretory glands.

Spikes picked just as they bloom make long-lasting dried bouquets, and dried lavender flowers and leaves placed in small sachets will perfume wardrobes.

In sunny, warm locations, lavender flowers will release an intense, herbaceous fragrance, fresh with floral notes, unmistakable among all. This nectariferous and melliferous plant irresistibly attracts pollinating insects, particularly bees which make from its abundant nectar one of the most sought-after creamy honeys.

Lavender flowers are particularly melliferous.

Lavender is a Mediterranean plant that nevertheless tolerates cold quite well. Fairly hardy (-15°C/-20°C for the least tender), lavender can be grown in all our regions. In cold, damp regions, some like Lavandula stoechas, which start to suffer below -5°C, will prefer to be grown in pots.

Lavender loves aridity. This dryland plant thrives in full sun, in any poor soil, preferably chalky, even stony and gravelly, very well drained.

Lavender fits wonderfully in all gardens, equally at home in rockeries, as a specimen, bordering flower beds, and even in low flowering hedges, as in a pretty pot on the terrace.

Lavender has been known since time immemorial for its fragrance, used notably in the form of essential oils. True lavender or fine lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), and lavandin (more for perfuming soaps and detergents) are today the most cultivated species for their essential oil. Grasse perfumeries use fine lavender essential oil to create their precious “juices”.

In Provence, its flowers are distilled to obtain an essential oil (fine lavender has held the AOC “Huile essentielle de Lavande de Haute Provence” since 1981), highly prized in perfumery and aromatherapy for its olfactory and medicinal virtues.

Making lavender sachets.

It has many therapeutic virtues: antiseptic, antispasmodic, healing, soothing…

It is also appreciated in cooking where dried lavender flowers flavour sugar or summer fruit tarts.

There are “lavender routes” crossing Haute-Provence. From June to August, lavender fields in bloom transform Haute-Provence into a violet ocean with an intoxicating fragrance.

Main species and varieties

The Most Popular

Our Favourites

Other Interesting Varieties

Lavandula intermedia Edelweiss - Lavandin

Compact variety, very bushy, dense and full, with pure white, fragrant summer flowering.

• Flowering time July to September
• Height at maturity 60 cm

See the product sheet

Lavandula angustifolila Rosea - True Lavender

Highly fragrant summer flowering in lilac-pink, with a compact, rounded habit.

• Flowering time July to September
• Height at maturity 60 cm

See the product sheet

Lavandula stoechas - French Lavender

The most original of lavenders! Moderately hardy in cold and damp regions, Lavandula stoechas prefers container growing in areas with very cold winters.

• Flowering time May to October
• Height at maturity 50 cm

See the product sheet

Lavandula angustifolia Munstead - True Lavender

A beautiful lavender with blue spikes. Very bright!

• Flowering time August, September
• Height at maturity 50 cm

See the product sheet

Lavandula intermedia Dutch Group - Lavandin

The hybrid 'Dutch' forms a large, rounded cushion with vigorous growth, reaching 1m in flower, 60cm for the foliage, and a spread of 80cm. This variety has the longest flowering period, though it can be slightly disappointing as it is never very abundant.

• Flowering time July to October
• Height at maturity 60 cm

See the product sheet

Lavandula angustifolia Hidcote - True Lavender

In summer, this lavender is covered in a multitude of deep violet, highly fragrant flowers. Ideal for borders, rockeries, pots, coastal gardens, and even low flowering hedges.

• Flowering time August, September
• Height at maturity 60 cm

See the product sheet

Lavandula angustifolia Alba - True Lavender

Abundant summer flowering in spikes, white and very fragrant. Perfect paired with grasses or at the base of climbing roses.

• Flowering time July to September
• Height at maturity 50 cm

See the product sheet

Lavandula angustifolia Twickel Purple - True Lavender

This lovely lavender charms with its generous habit and grey-green foliage that sometimes takes on a purple hue in winter.

• Flowering time August, September
• Height at maturity 70 cm

See the product sheet

Lavandula intermedia Grosso - Lavandin

Its very compact, dense and vigorous habit forms a well-rounded clump.

• Flowering time July to September
• Height at maturity 60 cm

See the product sheet

Lavandula intermedia Grappenhall - Lavandin

Compact, very bushy variety, ideal for small spaces and container growing.

• Flowering time July to September
• Height at maturity 90 cm

See the product sheet

Lavandula angustifolia Dwarf Blue - True Lavender

Dwarf variety with a compact, dense habit, perfect for small gardens and container growing.

• Flowering time July, August
• Height at maturity 40 cm

See the product sheet

Lavandula x chaytorae Richard Gray - Hybrid Lavender

Its evergreen leaves are particularly wooly and silvery. The contrast between the very pale wooly foliage and dark flowering is especially striking in this hybrid.

• Flowering time July to September
• Height at maturity 40 cm

See the product sheet

Lavandula intermedia Walburtons Silver Edge - Lavandin

A modest-sized lavandin hybrid distinguished by unique grey-green foliage edged in white, giving the plant a snowball-like appearance with fragrance.

• Flowering time August, September
• Height at maturity 60 cm

See the product sheet

Lavandula intermedia Platinum Blonde - Lavandin

This small, rounded lavender with grey-green foliage variegated in creamy yellow and silver is a true ball of light. This modest but robust lavandin hybrid stands out for its highly aromatic foliage.

• Flowering time September to December
• Height at maturity 50 cm

See the product sheet

Lavandula angustifolia Essence Purple - True Lavender

This lavender stands out for its dense, compact habit and long flowering period. This very hardy variety is perfect for those still hesitant about introducing this Mediterranean beauty to their garden.

• Flowering time July to September
• Height at maturity 50 cm

See the product sheet

Planting Lavender: In the Garden and in Pots

Where to plant lavender

Easy to grow, lavender, despite its Mediterranean origins, tolerates cold fairly well and grows throughout France. Depending on the variety, lavender is more or less sensitive to frost. The hardiest lavenders like lavandin (Lavandula (x) intermedia), can withstand temperatures down to -20°C, and most other lavenders easily tolerate down to -15°C without issue.

Only butterfly lavender (Lavandula stoechas) and its varieties are less resistant to severe frosts (down to -8/-10°C, they may start suffering from -5°C). It’s advisable to grow them in raised beds, sheltered by a south-facing wall, and in pots to overwinter in colder regions.

Lavender loves heat and withstands the long, arid summers characteristic of the Mediterranean climate without flinching. It prefers full sun and warm exposures, which will enhance the silvery colour of its foliage and intensify the intense fragrance of its flowers.

Lavender border.

This Mediterranean plant retains a preference for very well-draining, poor, stony, dry, even arid soils. Lavender ages better in poor soil. It requires very well-draining soil. It thrives in any good garden soil that is light and well-drained, preferably alkaline (except for Lavandula stoechas, which prefers acid soils).

Excess moisture and winter waterlogging are fatal to it: in overly wet soil, lavender may die within a few weeks. If your soil is too wet, plant it on a slope or in a rockery.

Highly versatile, lavender fits into all garden designs. Lavender is a boon for rock gardens, where it’s ideal for creating large or small flowered borders all summer, structuring a large rockery or exotic bed, or for occupying a slope or difficult area of the garden.

Compact varieties with their spectacular bracts are perfect for borders, small rockeries or gravel gardens.

The more opulent varieties can be used in beds or as ribbons to form beautiful, regular low hedges along pathways or as small dividing hedges. Lavender can also be grown in pots on terraces or balconies, to be overwintered frost-free in cooler regions.

When to plant lavender?

Lavender is planted in spring, in March-April when frosts are no longer a concern, or in autumn in September-October in mild climates.

How to plant lavender?

In open ground

Lavender absolutely needs perfect drainage. In heavy or clay soil, incorporate gravel or coarse sand at the bottom of the planting hole. Space plants 40 to 60 cm apart (allow 4 to 5 plants per m2). Don’t hesitate to mix different lavenders together to have beautiful spikes in autumn and to stagger the flowering periods of different varieties: the first lavenders flower as early as May.

• Soak the root ball in a bucket of water
• Dig a hole 4 to 5 times wider than the root ball
• Loosen the extracted soil well
• Tease out and lightly comb the root ball
• Spread a layer of gravel at the bottom of the hole
• Place the root ball in the centre of the hole, burying the collar well
• Fill in the hole and lightly firm
• Water after planting, then moderately without waterlogging the roots

Lavender in pots

The growing medium must be very well-draining to avoid stagnant moisture and root rot. Place it in full sun. It’s undemanding! Overly clayey soil will be harmful: improve drainage with gravel, coarse sand, or a mix of pebbles…
For Lavandula stoechas, which is more acidophilous, add one-third heather soil to acidify the medium and only water with non-calcareous water.
Many dwarf varieties are perfectly suited to pot cultivation.

• In a large terracotta pot at least 50 cm in diameter, spread a good layer of drainage (gravel or clay pebbles)
• Plant your lavender in a mix of garden soil or Mediterranean plant compost and coarse river sand or pozzolan
• Water after planting, then sparingly
• In cold regions, store the pot over winter and bring it out again when the weather improves

Lavender is well-suited to pot cultivation.

Finally, discover our article: How to Fail at Growing Lavender in 5 Lessons?

Care and Maintenance

Apart from annual pruning, Lavender requires minimal maintenance. It’s an undemanding plant when it comes to water: once established, it can do without watering.

⇒ More info: Pruning lavender: when and how?

Once well-established in well-draining soil, lavender will become increasingly drought-resistant and will only need watering during prolonged dry spells, when the soil is truly parched.

Water Lavandula stoechas or French lavender with non-calcareous water.

No fertiliser is needed for this undemanding plant.

For potted lavender, when cold weather is forecast, it’s best to wrap the above-ground parts with horticultural fleece. Bring the pot indoors before the first frosts, to a frost-free spot in regions north of the Loire. In winter, keep the growing medium almost dry.

When and how to prune lavender?

Pruning lavender is essential, as it helps maintain the plant’s attractive rounded, bushy shape and encourages vigorous regrowth along with abundant new flowering. Over time, lavender tends to become bare at the base, especially if it hasn’t been pruned annually.

Annual pruning with shears right after flowering is crucial to prevent it from forming woody growth: the parts that become lignified into hard wood gradually become bare and will no longer produce new shoots, which is why lavender must be pruned beforehand! Pruning also helps thin out the centre of the clump to prevent fungal diseases.

Pruning lavender after flowering.

Be careful—lavender dislikes overly harsh pruning. If the base is too bare, simply consider replacing the plant. It’s best to avoid pruning an old lavender plant, as you risk losing it. Pruning should only be done on this year’s growth, which is still green, tender, and has foliage—avoid cutting into old wood, as it won’t regrow, even from the stump.

Start pruning from a young age, always after flowering in late summer or at the end of winter, using shears or hedge trimmers.

• Always prune just above a leaf
• After flowering, cut back the faded flower spikes along their full length to avoid unnecessarily exhausting the plant—keep the spent flower heads (dry them upside down) to make dried bouquets or scented sachets for freshening linen
• Reduce the bulk of the young shoots by two-thirds of their length (about ten centimetres), cutting just above the first buds
• On older plants, prune all branches back by 10 cm

Diseases and potential pests

When grown under good conditions, a Lavender plant is rarely diseased. The main enemy of lavender is the stolbur phytoplasma, a bacterium usually transmitted by leafhoppers, particularly in cultivated areas: the plant withers and becomes covered in honeydew (black droplets). To eliminate them: rinse the foliage in the evening, prune, and destroy heavily infected young plants. Wait 4 years before replanting in the same spot.

Lavender fears excess moisture, which can suffocate its roots. It is susceptible to fungal diseases caused by the combination of heat and humidity, as well as waterlogged soil, which is why it is essential to have very well-drained soil. In overly damp soil, it may sometimes fall victim to botrytis, a fungus that causes grey mould on the branches. As a preventive measure, prune annually to aerate the young plant and spray with Bordeaux mixture.

In cases of waterlogged soil, lavender is also threatened by honey fungus or root rot, another fungus that lodges beneath the bark and forms white patches, leading to the death of the young plant. There is no cure: burn the young plant.

Propagation: Lavender Cutting and Sowing

Lavender can be easily propagated in summer by semi-lignified cuttings in July-August or by sowing in spring.

By semi-lignified cuttings

• At the end of summer, take just below a node, the tip of a semi-hardened, non-flowering shoot, already lignified, 5 to 10 cm long (i.e., in the transition phase from softwood to hardwood)
• Remove the leaves from the lower third
• Plant them in a cold frame in a well-draining mix of equal parts river sand and potting compost
• Keep the substrate moist until rooting occurs, which takes about 6 weeks
• Transplant your cuttings into pots and protect your young plants from frost in winter
• Plant out the following spring
• Pinch (cut) the tips to encourage bushier growth
• Water well during the first year after planting

To learn all about propagating lavender, check out Virginie’s illustrated tutorial: “How to propagate lavender”

By sowing

Sow seeds from the previous year or purchase lavender seeds in packets. Germination can be slow.

• In spring, sow lavender in trays, pots or buckets (4 or 5 seeds) in a well-drained seed compost
• Lightly cover the seeds with a little compost
• Place the sowing under a cold frame
• Keep the substrate moist throughout germination, which takes about 1 month
• When the seedlings reach 3 cm, thin them out, keeping only one per pot
• Transplant the young plants into 8 cm pots
• Let them grow under a cold frame, protected from frost and in the light
• Water regularly but avoid overwatering
• Plant out in the ground the following spring

Lavender seeds.

Pairing lavender in the garden

With its graphic form, floriferous nature, and silvery foliage, Lavender offers endless possibilities for gardeners. With its mauve, deep blue, violet, pink, or white bracts, lavender punctuates the landscape in a garden or in pots on a terrace.

It brings a refined yet exotic Mediterranean touch to the garden and always adds character to any setting. It effortlessly shifts between classic and contemporary, vibrant and romantic.

An example of a pairing: Nerium oleander Red Single, Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’, Rosmarinus officinalis, Rose ‘Henri Matisse’.

An undisputed star of dry and wild gardens bathed in sunlight, it’s also an asset in a scree garden or rockery, paired with Mediterranean perennial plants, equally undemanding, such as santolinas, clumps of creeping rosemary, cistus, helianthemums, daylilies, artemisias, and sedums.

In a modern garden, the spherical silhouette of its clumps will stand out in mineral-themed displays, accented by a few small ornamental grasses like Stipa pennata or Stipa tenuifolia, which will contrast with their wild and whimsical habit, or alongside Phormium for an even more contemporary look.

A contemporary pairing idea: Allium sphaerocephalon, Stipa arundinacea, Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’, Sedum ‘José Aubergine’.

With its slightly unruly shape, it will create lush, colourful, and fragrant scenes in midsummer alongside drought-tolerant perennials that are highly floriferous, such as Gaura, Nepeta, Erigeron karvinskianus, Epilobium, Salvia, blanket flowers, perennial flax, ornamental tobacco, and astragalus, which will complement its flowering throughout summer.

On an arid slope, it can be planted with small drought-tolerant bushes (Hertia cheirifolia, Hypericum olympicum) or at the foot of a beautiful olive tree.

The mauve spikes pair well with plants of similar hues, such as alliums, pinks, and hardy geraniums.

Its silver-tinted foliage and mauve bracts will make a striking impact when placed in front of dark bushes like dwarf conifers, viburnums, photinias, or will echo the deep blue or lilac tones of a ceanothus or a buddleia.

When flowering colours harmonise, lavender and roses (‘Ballerina’) or shrub roses often make a perfect match, creating fresh and delicate combinations.

In a chic and romantic style, lavender looks stunning with lilies or planted in rows at the base of climbing roses.

Its intense blue tones can easily be paired with complementary colours like the yellow of certain heleniums, echinaceas, euphorbias, Missouri evening primrose, or giant fennel for a vibrant effect, or with the carmine or crimson of Hesperaloe parviflora, Dianthus deltoides, coreopsis, penstemon, oriental poppies, or small cinquefoils.

An example of an exotic pairing: Yucca rostrata, Chondropetalum tectorum, Origanum vulgare ‘Aureum’, Lavandula stoechas.

Lavender blends effortlessly with cool colours and will look exceptional at the front of a flowerbed alongside the glaucous or grey foliage of Artemisia or Helichrysum italicum (curry plant).

It’s also possible to create mixed borders by combining several lavender varieties, which will form a tapestry of beautiful evergreen grey foliage, soft and elegant—even in winter, the rounded shape of lavender and its silvery leaves will stand out.

Mix aubrieta and dianthus, for example, in a lavender border.