How to Grow and Care for English Lavender

Feeding is usually not necessary with English lavender. Fertilizing English lavender may inhibit its ability to flower.

Growing and Caring for English Lavender

Drinking in the aroma of English lavender on a warm, sunny day is one of the true pleasures of gardening. Get tips for planting, caring for, and preserving these intoxicating bloomers. By Anne Balogh Published 10/6/2022

Sweet Romance® lavender. Photo by: Proven Winners

Although it hails from the Mediterranean, English lavender was so named because it has long been a staple in English herb gardens and is perfectly content growing in cooler climates. In addition to being one of the most cold-tolerant lavender varieties, it is also one of the most attractive. The soft gray-green foliage and dainty purple flowers make it a good companion for many other garden plants. And its airy, shrub-like form lends itself to both formal and informal settings.

“Gardeners who limit their use of English lavender to the herb garden should expand their thinking,” says Jeff Cox, author of Perennial All-Stars. “Few things are as pretty as a large swath of English lavender in full bloom.”

BASICS

Botanical name:

Plant type:

Zones:

Exposure:

Size:

1 to 3 feet tall, 2 to 4 feet wide

Bloom time:

Early to late summer, with the blooms lasting 2 months or longer.

Foliage:

Narrow and lance-shaped, up to 2 1/2 inches long. Silvery to gray-green in color, remaining evergreen in warmer climates.

Flowers:

Typically shades of lavender or deep purple, although some cultivars have light pink or white blooms

Special attributes:

• Drought tolerant
• Intensely fragrant flowers and foliage
• Attracts bees and butterflies
• Rabbit and deer resistant

Toxicity:

Lavender contains a small amount of linalool, a compound that may be toxic to dogs and cats, according to the ASPCA, especially if ingested in large quantities.

PLANTING ENGLISH LAVENDER

Tip: Although English lavender will endure summer heat, it grows poorly in climates that have extremely hot, humid summers, preferring more temperate conditions. If you garden in the Deep South, consider planting Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas), which is more tolerant of high heat and humidity (see Common Types of Lavender).

When to plant:

In the spring after the soil has warmed up and the threat of frost has passed. If planting in the fall, give plants time for their roots to establish before winter.

Where to plant:

In a site that receives full sun (at least 6 hours daily) in loose, fast-draining, sandy soil. Avoid planting in heavy clay soils and in low spots prone to standing water. Because good drainage is essential, consider growing your plants in mounds, raised beds, or on slopes. A rock garden is also an excellent location for this drought-tolerant plant.

How to plant:

Lavender is often grown from nursery-started plants. Seeds do best when started with bottom heat, and may sometimes have low or erratic germination. Space plants about 2 to 3 feet part, depending on their width at maturity.

Growing in containers:

If your winters are harsh or your soil is heavy and dense, consider growing English lavender in containers in a high-quality potting mix with good drainage. In winter, bring your container plants indoors and place them in a sunny window where they will receive four to six hours of bright, direct sunlight daily.

ENGLISH LAVENDER CARE

Photo by: Ienic / Shutterstock

Watering:

Thanks to its Mediterranean ancestry, English lavender is drought tolerant once established and only needs supplemental watering during prolonged dry spells. However, new plants should be watered regularly (every other day for the first week after planting, then once or twice a week until roots become established). Depending on your location, lavender may require some watering during winter, especially if in containers.

Tip: Watering English lavender too frequently can cause root and crown rot and is the most common reason plants die. For established plants, it’s best to err on the side of underwatering rather than overwatering.

Amendments and fertilizer:

Do not use any amendments, especially compost or other organic matter when planting. Plants grown in poor, sandy, or rocky soils will be healthier and longer-lived than those grown in humus-rich soil. Feeding is generally not necessary. Over-fertilized plants will often produce fewer flowers.

Pruning and deadheading:

Prune lavender back by 1/3 to 1/2 its height in spring after new leaves emerge to stimulate growth and keep plants from looking scraggly. Make the cuts just above the new leaf growth rather than cutting into the woody base, since lavender will not grow back from old wood. (The exception is dead or damaged stems, which should be removed right down to the base of the plant). Another light pruning in midsummer, right after the first flush of blooms, will often encourage repeat flowering.

Overwintering:

In climates where temperatures dip below zero degrees Fahrenheit, insulate your plants with a winter mulch of evergreen boughs, shredded leaves, or straw, especially if there’s a lack of snow cover. Proper soil drainage is also essential to plant survival in areas with cold, damp winters.

Propagation:

From stem cuttings taken from new growth in early summer.

Pests and diseases:

Lavender has few pest or disease problems, but is susceptible to Phytophthora root and crown rot, particularly if the soil around the base of the plant remains wet for long periods of time. Septoria leaf spot, a fungal disease that infects the surface tissues of the plant’s leaves, can also be a problem. The best control measures are to avoid overhead watering and provide good air circulation around your plants.

How to Grow and Care for English Lavender

David Beaulieu is a landscaping expert and plant photographer, with 20 years of experience.

Debra LaGattuta is a Master Gardener with 30+ years of experience in perennial and flowering plants, container gardening, and raised bed vegetable gardening. She is a lead gardener in a Plant-A-Row, which is a program that offers thousands of pounds of organically-grown vegetables to local food banks. Debra is a member of The Spruce Garden Review Board.

English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), with its aromatic leaves and sweetly fragrant flower spikes, is often considered an herb. But it is actually an herbaceous perennial with a semi-woody growth habit. It’s often grown to dry its leaves and flowers to make sachets and potpourri, and for its oils used in sleep aromatherapy. It is also an attractive garden plant with vibrant purple flowers appearing in late spring to early summer.

Lavender is best started with small plants planted in the spring with a spacing of one to three feet apart. This plant typically grows to two to three feet tall, with narrow, gray-green leaves (a little over two inches long) on square stems. In warmer climates, the leaves might be evergreen. During the warm growing season, It has a moderately slow growth rate as its woody base gradually expands and new stem growth extends several inches . This aromatic plant repels deer, it is known to repel cats, but it is toxic to pets .

Light

Grow English lavender in full sun. Shady locations usually cause the plant to become leggy produce fewer blooms. In very hot climates, though, the plants respond well to some shade in the heat of the afternoon.

Soil

English lavender must be planted in a relatively sandy or gritty but very well-draining soil. Very humusy, damp soils frequently cause root rot. Strive for a soil similar to its native Mediterranean region, where the soil is dry and infertile. Adding organic material to the soil is not only unnecessary but might cause problems.

Water

Young plants should be watered once every other day for the first week. Once established, they are quite drought-tolerant and don’t like too much water, which could inhibit their ability to bloom. Water mature plants about once per week or so based on your climate, increasing the frequency to about every four days after flower buds form to promote a healthy harvest.

Temperature and Humidity

These plants grow best in conditions that are warm but not oppressively hot. They prefer relatively dry climates and respond poorly to high humidity.

Fertilizer

Feeding is usually not necessary with English lavender. Fertilizing English lavender may inhibit its ability to flower.

Types of English Lavender

• Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’ is a very popular and fragrant shorter variety (about 20 inches tall) with a mounded growth habit and dark purple flower spikes.
• Lavandula x intermedia ‘Hidcote Giant’ is a larger version with long stems, achieving a height of 36 to 40 inches with very fragrant bright violet flower spikes.
• L. angustifolia ‘Munstead’ is a slow-growing mounding variety 18 inches tall with rosy-purple flower spikes.
• L. angustifolia ‘Sarah’ is a 12-inch-tall compact cultivar with medium purple flowers that are ideal for containers.
• L. angustifolia ‘Jean Davis’ is a small, slow-growing variety with light-pink flowers that grows to about 18 inches tall.

Pruning

Remove faded flower stalks to promote continued bloom. You can prune to shape in spring after new stems and leaves appear. A light pruning again in late summer or early fall before the first frost encourages good air circulation, which guards against rot. So if you have the time, pruning twice a year can be beneficial for your plant. English lavender typically blooms only once per season, but some varieties might send up a second flush of blooms after pruning.

Once the plants are well established, in their second season and beyond, it’s usually best to prune the new spring growth after the plants leaf out, cutting about one-third of the green stalks. Never cut into the old woody stems. Shearing the plants to about eight inches from the ground in early spring every three years or so helps to control the plants’ size and promotes new growth .

You can also dry English lavender that you have pruned to make your own sachets and potpourris. To do this, harvest the flowers just as they open and then hang bunches upside down by the stems to dry in a cool dark room with plenty of ventilation.

Propagating English Lavender

Lavender is much easier to propagate through stem cuttings than by the challenge of growing plants from seed. Take these easy steps to propagate lavender plants:

1. Use a clean and sharp tool to cut six-inch-long shoots that do not have a flower or bud. Remove the lower leaves.
2. Dip the cut ends into rooting hormone.
3. Plant cuttings in a pot filled with potting soil or sand.
4. Keep the cuttings in a part-shade location and water frequently until they are well rooted (in about three weeks) for planting outdoors or in an indoor container.

Overwintering

English lavender might not survive through the winter if the soil is too wet or if temperatures dip well below zero degrees Fahrenheit without protective snow cover or mulch. At the cooler northern edge of its hardiness range, these plants should be protected over winter with a thick layer of mulch until spring. To combat issues with high humidity levels, mulch them with rock or gravel rather than organic mulch.

Common Plant Diseases

English lavender is not affected by many diseases. However, it is susceptible to leaf spot and root rot. Remove affected leaves succumbing to leaf spot. Plants with leaf spot might require better air circulation. To prevent root rot, do not overwater your plants; they do not do well in constantly moist soil.

Common Problems With English Lavender

English lavender is not a high maintenance plant, but there are a few environmental issues that can reduce or prevent flowering. If you notice your plants are producing more foliage than blooms in late June and early July, the following issues might be the cause:

• Soil is too fertile
• Plants are overfertilized
• Plants receive Insufficient sunlight, too much shade
• Soil pH is too low (acidic)
• Plants are overwatered; soil does not drain well
• Humidity levels are too high

It’s very easy to maintain if the plant is growing in the right conditions: medium to dry infertile soil in full sun. It dislikes fertile soil, humidity, soggy soil, and overly hot conditions.

It has a moderately slow growth rate. Prune new growth in the spring to maintain a rounded shape; do not prune its woody stems.

What is the difference between English and French lavender?

The French variety of lavender (Lavandula stoechas) prefers a warmer climate and is not as cold-hardy as its English cousin. It is also somewhat more sensitive and less durable than English lavender. Because nursery labeling is sometimes inaccurate, make sure you are buying true English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), especially if you live in the colder zones of its hardiness range.

English lavender is typically grown outdoors, but it can thrive when potted indoors if the plant is given a minimum of four to six hours of bright, direct sunlight each day. It also prefers low-humidity environments with consistent, moderate temperatures.

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1. “Lavender.” ASPCA.
2. “Lavandula Angustifolia – Plant Finder.”
3. Lavandula angustifolia. Missouri Botanical Garden