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How to grow lavender to achieve beautiful blooms

Fragrant lavender is easy to care for, as long as you avoid a few common mistakes.
Photographer: Armelle Habib

Lavender is an easy-to-grow plant that inspires peace, creates a blanket of colour and has a serene fragrance that is unsurpassed. Bringing to mind country and cottage gardens, the silvery-grey foliage provides a delightful foil for the flowers, which can be blue, purple, mauve, pink, white or green. While you may not have seen some of the colours before, they are not new – the white variety has been grown for about 400 years.

If you’re looking to add these beautiful blooms to your garden, read on for the ultimate plant guide to lavender.


Growing lavender at a glance

When to plant: Autumn is the best time to plant lavender, but spring is also an option.

Climate: A temperate, arid climate is best.

Sun: To thrive, lavender needs at least six hours of full sun each day.

Water: Allow water to dry between watering, but give it a good soak every few weeks in summer.

Soil type: Well-drained, neutral-to-alkaline (pH 7-8) soil.

Blooms/harvest: Lavender blooms from mid-spring through to mid-to-late summer.


Photographer: Brigid Arnott

How to grow lavender

1. Choose the right location

When growing lavender, you must choose a location where this fragrant bloom is going to thrive. First off, you’ll need a spot that gets full sun throughout the day and can accommodate well-draining soil.

Lavender is best grown in neatly clipped hedges, in pots, in a herb circle, knot garden or courtyard. Coastal gardens, rocky slopes and planter boxes are all good environments for lavender.

3. Select your lavender variety

Many types of lavender suit different climates and conditions, so it’s helpful to select the one that’s most appropriate for your garden.

English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), also known as true lavender, is a great choice for cooler climates as can tolerate frost, and is typically used in the production of potpourri and oil. Italian lavender (Lavandula stoechas) has two brilliantly coloured ‘wings’ at the top of each flower, and is suitable for warmer and more humid environments. French lavender (Lavandula dentata) is a large and billowy shrub with grey-green serrated leaves and a flat, furry-spiked purple flower which also prefers heat. Winged lavender (Lavandula sidonie) has ferny foliage and forked flowers.

It’s also worth considering the purpose of your lavender cultivation; whether you’re growing lavender for ornamental use, culinary purposes or essential oil production, this will influence the variety you choose.

3. Prepare your soil

Lavender prefers slightly alkaline, nutrient-poor poor and well-draining soil.

To test your soil’s acidity, you can use a home testing kit, which will measure the pH level from 0 to 14, with 0-7 being acidic and 8-14 being alkaline. An ideal pH for lavender is around 7-8. If your soil is too acidic for your lavender, you’ll need to add lime (the chalk kind, not the citrus fruit) to your soil before planting and again once the plant is established.

Drainage is also key when preparing your soil, so we recommend adding organic matter such as compost or farm manure, especially if the soil is heavy or clay-based.

Lavender loves nutrient-poor soil, which means fertiliser is usually not required. Using too much fertiliser on a lavender plant can cause it to stop flowering or even kill it completely.

4. Plant your lavender

To plant your lavender, dig a hole twice as wide and the same depth as the pot your lavender is currently in. You want to ensure the plant has plenty of space to expand its roots, so choose an adequate-sized pot, or, if planting in the ground, leave 30-40cm between plants.

Once you’ve placed your plant into the hole, fill it with soil and press down gently to remove any pockets of air. Ensure the crown of the plant – where the stem meets the root – is above the soil line to prevent rot.

5. Initial watering and care

Once your lavender has been planted, give it a light water.

Photography: Are Media Syndication

When to plant lavender

The best time of year to plant lavender is autumn, which allows plenty of time for the roots to grow in preparation for a spring/summer bloom and harvest. You can also plant lavender in the spring.

What type of climate does lavender need to survive?

Due to its Mediterranean origins, lavender prefers hot summers and dry winters. This is a concern for us, as many parts of Australia have high humidity during summer. If you have been disappointed in the past with lavenders that drop dead overnight and seem to dry from the inside out, it’s worth considering lavender called the Bee, Bella and Baby series; these plants have been bred in Australia to relish humid conditions.

How much sun does lavender need?

Lavender requires full sun to thrive, which means 6-8 hours of direct daylight each day. If lavender fails to get adequate sunlight, it can lead to stunted growth, poor quality flowers and an increased vulnerability to diseases.

How often should lavender be watered?

Lavender is a drought-resistant plant that requires deep, infrequent watering with well-draining soil, particularly during the initial growth phase where its deep roots are developing.

After planting, water once or twice a week during its first summer. Once mature, water lavender once a fortnight during summer, and less in winter. Lavender planted outdoors don’t need watering at all during the winter months.

What type of soil should I use?

Lavender tolerates soils with a pH between 6 and 8 – slightly alkaline soil is ideal. It is difficult to grow lavender in clay and acidic soils; clay soils in particular hold too much moisture, which can cause lavender to ‘drown’. If you have heavy or clay soil, you can add compost or farm manure to the soil to increase its ability to drain. For acidic soil, try adding lime such as calcitic lime or dolomite lime before planting and during the first summer to alkalise the soil.

Growing lavender in pots is an option where soils are poorly drained, however, take care that pots have ample drainage holes and water does not collect in a pot saucer.

Avoid placing organic mulch around plants in humid regions, or in poorly drained soils. Instead, use an inorganic product such as crushed granite as mulch.

When will lavender bloom?

In New Zealand, we tend to see lavender flowers starting to bloom in early to mid-spring and usually last right through summer until late January. There are actually varieties that flower in every season – French and Spanish lavender can often be found flowering into autumn, while some special hybrids can even bloom in winter.

Can you grow lavender indoors? 

Lavender can be grown indoors, as long as your space can provide the conditions it needs to thrive. Lavender requires a lot of sun, so choose a place in your home that gets full sun for much of the day. Lavender enjoys warm days and cooler temperatures overnight, so keep this in mind when growing it indoors as heating or air conditioning may impact growth.

Common mistakes to avoid when growing lavender

Root rot is the main fungal disease that affects lavender, which is caused by overwatering and/or poorly draining soil. It’s important to ensure the top couple of inches of soil are completely dry before watering your lavender plants, and that water is not collecting in a pot saucer or similar.

Another common mistake people make when caring for lavender is forgetting to prune, which can result in the plant becoming woody and unsightly. To avoid this, give your plant a heavy pruning each spring, and again in the autumn with a lighter touch. When pruning, it’s important to only cut into the green stems – cutting the woody growth can shock and even kill your lavender.

Lavender pests and diseases

Because of the aromatic oils in its leaves, lavender has few insect pests. The odd caterpillar can be picked off and squashed if it is causing damage. Spittlebugs occur, but they are merely unsightly. Prune off the twig they are on if they bother you.

What are the benefits of lavender?

Lavender oil, dried lavender and fresh lavender flowers have many benefits, making them one of the most popular flowers used in the home. The scent of lavender can relieve stress, improve sleep quality, improve headaches and repel bugs, in particular mosquitos, fleas, moths and ticks. Lavender also has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. You can also use lavender in cooking and baking.


Planting guides:

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