Lavender Care: How to Grow Lavender in Your US Garden

Lavender care comes down to three things: full sun, soil that drains perfectly and very little water once the plant is established. Get those right and lavender is a fragrant perennial; get them wrong and it rots. English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is rated for USDA zones 5 to 8, and lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia) is a somewhat less hardy cousin that blooms later. If your soil is heavy clay or your winters are harsh, a pot is a perfectly good way to grow lavender. The problems our sources name most often are root rot and wet soil.

USDA zones

5–8 (English lavender)

Sun

Full sun, 6–8+ hours

Water

Regular in year one, then only when soil dries

Origin

Mediterranean

Container friendly

Yes

Soil

Perfectly drained, neutral to alkaline

Bloom time

Summer; lavandin July–Sept

Pets

Not covered by our sources

Which lavender are you growing?

Two kinds dominate our sources. English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is the classic: aromatic leaves, flowers and dry seed heads, blooming in summer (NC State). Lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia) is a hybrid that NC State says is somewhat less hardy than its parents and tends to bloom later than other Lavandula species, from July to September. Penn State adds that English lavender is started from plugs, while French cultivars are started from cuttings sold in small pots.

NC State does not list English lavender cultivars on the page we used, so the named cultivars above are all lavandins. We do not give a zone range for lavandin because our sources do not.

Where can you grow lavender?

Illinois Extension gives USDA zones 5 to 8 for English lavender. Cold alone is rarely the limit. Penn State says lavender will survive temperatures down to -20°F (-28°C) as long as it is not exposed to perpetual cold and wet. That figure comes from commercial field production in Pennsylvania, so read it as a sign of how tough the plant is rather than a home-garden guarantee.

Lavandin needs more care. NC State says that if your winter temperatures dip to zero, you will need to provide mulch or some other protective cover. Illinois Extension offers a different route for cold or wet climates: grow lavender as an annual you discard at the end of the season, or as a perennial you bring indoors for winter. See lavender in pots for how.

Planting lavender

1. Pick the sunniest, driest spot you have. Illinois Extension says full sun, at least 8 hours a day. Penn State says 6 to 8 hours of direct sun.
2. Fix drainage before you plant. NC State wants perfectly drained soil, preferably on the dry side, and says English lavender will die out in heavy clays. Penn State’s commercial growers plant in raised beds, which is one way to lift roots out of wet soil. If you have clay, NC State suggests a container with added grit or perlite.
3. Check the soil chemistry. NC State says lavender prefers neutral to alkaline soil and dislikes acid, clay soil. Penn State says lavender grows well in sandy loam with a pH of 6 to 8.
4. Plant in spring, after the last frost. Penn State plants lavender in spring after all danger of frost is over. Our sources give no planting depth for home gardens.
5. Water deeply but not often. Illinois Extension says to water regularly in the first year. Penn State says lavender does not tolerate wet soils and should be irrigated deeply but infrequently to establish good roots.

On spacing, the only figure we found is Penn State’s commercial one: 3 to 4 ft (about 1 m) between plants and 6 to 10 ft (2–3 m) between rows. That is field spacing for production, not a home-garden rule, and our sources give no home spacing.

Lavender care through the year

Feeding is the gap in our sources: none gives a fertilizer rate for garden lavender. The only fertilizer advice is for pots, where Illinois Extension says to use a potting mix with no added fertilizer.

Pruning lavender

Our sources disagree on timing, and it is worth knowing before you pick up the shears. Illinois Extension says to prune once in spring when new growth appears, cutting dead stems back to the first green leaves, with an optional cut of one-third to one-half of the plant after flowering. NC State says to cut English lavender back yearly and remove the spent flower spikes after the flowers fade. Everyone agrees on two things: do not cut into leafless wood, because it will not regrow, and skip fall trimming. The full comparison is in our lavender pruning guide.

Common lavender problems

Penn State’s commercial guide also notes that no commercial pesticides are labeled for lavender, which is one more reason to prevent trouble with drainage and airflow rather than treat it afterward.

Harvesting lavender

Illinois Extension says that for the best quality and scent, cut flower stalks when the blooms are about to open, then lay them flat or hang them in a cool, dry place to dry. English lavender blooms in summer and lavandin from July to September, so plan around your own bloom. Our lavender harvesting guide covers timing and drying.

What our sources do not tell you

We found no home-garden planting depth or spacing, no fertilizer rate, no zone range for lavandin, no difficulty rating and nothing on whether lavender is toxic to pets, so we say nothing on those. The -20°F figure and the plant spacing come from commercial field production at Penn State. If you grow a French or Spanish type, note that our sources give specific care for English lavender and lavandin only.

Grow these next

Lavender pairs well with other fragrance plants. Jasmine is the scent of summer evenings on a trellis, and it too needs a warm, well-drained site. If you would like more fragrance in a pot on the patio, our guide to lavender in containers is the place to start.