Beginner Seasoned
Pick your zone and the dates re-calibrate.
The Guide Flowers Vol. 003

Lavender

in Zone 9, this week

Lavender is a small woody shrub with silvery leaves and fragrant purple flower spikes in summer. It comes from the dry Mediterranean, so it wants full sun, poor dry soil, and very little water, and it actually does worse if you pamper it. The one job that matters is trimming it back every year after it flowers so it stays bushy instead of turning into bare woody sticks. English lavender is the hardy, cook-with-it kind; the frillier Spanish and French types are mainly for looks and are not cold-hardy. Lavender is a woody Mediterranean perennial sub-shrub in the mint family, grown for its fragrant summer flower spikes and silvery, aromatic foliage. It thrives on neglect in full sun and lean, sharply drained soil, and its defining care act is an annual hard cut-back after bloom that keeps it compact and prevents it from going woody and splitting open. English lavender is both the hardiest type and the one used in cooking, while the showy Spanish and French types are tender and ornamental.

Lavender mature plant
Fig. 01 · Lavender, mature Zone 9
Container
5 gal
min 2 gal pot
Sunlight
Full sun
6-8 hrs daily
Water
Low
Spacing
18 to 24 in
between plants
Soil pH
6.5-7.5
slightly acidic
Today · in your zone

What's happening right now

October 21 · Zone 9 · Stage 01 · Plant out

Off-season for lavender in zone 9.

Seasoned
Microclimate · Zone 9a vs 9b

Your zone, at a finer grain

Zone 9 averages a last frost around March 1. Within Zone 9, the colder half (9a, winters down to 20°F) runs about a week later. The warmer half (9b, winters down to 25°F) runs about a week earlier. The plant app picks your subzone from your ZIP.

SubzoneLast springFirst fallGrowing daysWinter minFruits reliably
9aMar 8Nov 24~26120-25°FYes · two seasons
9bFeb 28Nov 30~27525-30°FYes · two seasons

Averages from 8 weather stations per subzone, drawn from NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals. Your actual frost date can vary by up to two weeks based on elevation, proximity to water, and local topography.

Source: NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals Methodology
Your climate region in Zone 9
The growing year

Your lavender year, month by month

Grown as a perennial CA: Interior Valley, Zone 9

Lavender loves the Valley's hot dry summers and comes back year after year in the ground. Give it a sunny spot with fast-draining soil and do not let it sit wet. Plant it in fall or early spring rather than mid-summer.Perennial. The hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters of the Central Valley are close to lavender's Mediterranean ideal, so it lives in the ground for years as a woody sub-shrub. English lavender and the lavandins do well; Spanish lavender is the earliest to bloom. The real risk here is not cold but wet feet and crown rot, so plant high in sharp-draining soil and avoid overhead summer water. Plant in fall or early spring, not in the heat of summer.

Once established, lavender settles into the same rhythm year after year: a winter rest, fresh spring growth, an early-summer bloom you cut for fragrant bundles, then a hard cut-back that keeps the plant compact and flowering for years.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
▲ We are here
Lavender’s year
growing
bloom
prune
growing
Plant
plant
plant
BloomGrowingPrune
Plant
Oct - Nov or Jan - Mar
Bloom
May - Jul
Cut back after bloom Once it finishes flowering, trim about a third off the plant, cutting only into the soft green parts and never down into the hard, woody stems, because those will not grow back. Do this every year and your lavender stays round and bushy. Skip it and the plant gets tall and woody, flops open in the middle, and slowly dies off.After the flowers fade, shear the whole plant back by about a third, cutting into soft green growth only and never into the bare woody base, which will not resprout. This yearly cut is what keeps lavender compact and long-lived; without it the plant turns leggy, splits open at the center, and declines within a few years.
The season, mapped

Seed to garden

The easy and reliable way to grow lavender is to buy a small plant, or take a cutting from an existing one. Growing it from seed is slow and unpredictable, and seed-grown plants often do not match the parent, so most gardeners skip it. If you do want to grow it from seed, chill the seed in the refrigerator for a few weeks first, then surface-sow it and do not cover it, since it needs light to sprout; keep it around 70°F, start indoors about 10 weeks before your last frost, and be patient, because it comes up slowly and unevenly.Lavender is almost always started from a nursery transplant or from softwood cuttings taken after bloom, not from seed. English lavender does not come true from seed and germination is slow and variable (roughly 100 to 200 days from seeding to a plantable size), so named cultivars are propagated vegetatively. To raise it from seed anyway, cold-stratify the seed for three to six weeks (moist, in the refrigerator) to improve and even germination, then surface-sow at about 70°F since light aids germination, starting indoors roughly 10 weeks before the last frost; expect slow, erratic emergence.

  1. 01
    Plant out
    Oct - Nov or Jan - Mar
Start method
Nursery transplant
Soil temp
70-70°F
From seed to fruit

The growing journey

Stage 01 · Plant out
01
Plant out
A small bushy plant with silver-green leaves and roots that hold the potting soil together when you slide it out.A compact young plant with silvery foliage and firm roots filling the nursery pot, ready to set out once frost has passed.
Gently loosen the roots, plant so the top of the rootball is level with the soil, and water once to settle it. Skip the fertilizer and rich compost.Loosen the rootball, set the crown level with the soil surface, and water in once to settle the roots. Do not amend with rich compost or fertilizer; lavender wants lean ground.
FROM PLANT · Lavender does best in poor, dry soil, so do not add fertilizer or rich compost. Give it your sunniest spot, and if your soil is heavy clay, plant it on a little mound or raised bed so water drains away.Plant lavender lean and dry, not rich. Skip the compost-and-fertilizer routine other plants want, set it in the sunniest, sharpest-draining spot, and on clay build a mound or raised bed rather than digging in sand. Rich, wet soil is what kills lavender.
FROM PLANT · Leave about 18 to 24 inches between plants. That space lets air move around each one, which helps prevent the fungal problems lavender can get when it stays damp.Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart and give each one room to breathe. Good air circulation between plants is one of the simplest ways to head off the fungal problems lavender is prone to in damp conditions.
02
Establishment (year one)
New silvery leaves filling in and maybe a few flower spikes. You want it growing bushy and round, not tall and leggy.Steady new silvery growth and the first flower spikes. Light flowering is fine, but the plant should be shaping up bushy rather than stretching.
Water fairly often until the plant takes hold, then water deeply but less often. Pinch off the first few flowers and lightly shape it so it grows bushy. Do not feed it.Water regularly until the plant is settled, then taper toward deep, infrequent watering. Pinch or lightly clip early flowers and shape the plant to encourage bushy lateral growth. Hold off on fertilizer.
FROM PLANT · The first year is about growing roots, not flowers. Water fairly often until it takes hold, then water deeply but less often. Pinch off the first few flowers and lightly shape it so it grows bushy. It takes about three years to reach full size.Year one is about roots, not flowers. Water regularly until the plant is settled, then taper toward deep and infrequent. Pinch the first flowers and lightly shape the plant so it builds out bushy; it will reach full size in about three years and live well over a decade.
FROM PLANT · Try not to feed it. Lavender needs very little, and too much fertilizer gives you lots of leaves but fewer flowers. The same is true for water, where more is not better.Resist the urge to feed. Lavender has low fertility needs, and over-fertilizing produces soft leafy growth at the expense of flowers. The same goes for water: more is not better.
03
Spring leaf-out
Soft green shoots coming out low on the plant in spring. That tells you it survived winter and is growing.New soft green shoots emerging along the lower stems and crown, signaling the plant has come through winter and is growing again.
If you waited until spring to trim, do it now that you can see green growth and frost is over, cutting only into the green. Start watering deeply but not often.If you held a hard cut for spring, make it now once green growth has emerged and frost has passed, cutting into green only. Begin deep, infrequent watering as the soil warms.
FROM PLANT · In spring, look for new green growth low on the plant. That means it survived winter. As the weather warms, water deeply but not very often instead of a little bit every day.Watch for fresh green growth low on the plant each spring; that is your signal it came through winter. As the soil warms, settle into deep but infrequent watering rather than frequent shallow sips.
FROM PLANT · If you waited until spring to do the big trim, do it once you see green growth and frost is over. Cut only into the green parts, because the hard woody stems below will not grow back.If you saved a hard prune for spring, make it once green growth has emerged and frost has passed, around early in the season. Cut into green growth only; the bare woody stems below will not resprout.
04
Bloom
Purple flower spikes on tall stems. For the best scent and dried color, cut them as the bottom flowers on each spike are just starting to open.Flower spikes coloring up on tall stems. For fresh fragrance and the best dried color, harvest as the lowest flowers on each spike begin to open.
Cut flower stems as they start to open. Keep watering deeply but rarely, and do not fertilize, since too much water or feeding means fewer flowers.Cut flower stems for use as the spikes begin to open. Keep watering deep and infrequent, and do not feed; over-watering and rich soil reduce both flowering and fragrance.
FROM PLANT · For the best scent and color, cut the flower stems when the bottom flowers on each spike are just starting to open, not when fully bloomed. Cut in the morning after the dew dries.For the best fragrance and dried color, cut flower stems as the lowest flowers on each spike begin to open, rather than waiting for full bloom. Harvest in the morning once the dew has dried.
FROM PLANT · To dry it, tie small bunches and hang them upside down somewhere warm and airy, then store the dried flowers in a sealed jar. If you want to cook with it, use only your own lavender that has not been sprayed, and the English kind works best.To dry lavender, gather small bundles and hang them upside down somewhere warm, dark, and airy, then store the dried flowers sealed. For cooking, use only your own unsprayed lavender, never florist or nursery stock, and English types most of all.
05
Cut back
Faded, brownish flowers and a plant that is done blooming. Notice the hard woody stems below the green; never cut into those.Spent, browning flower spikes and a plant that has finished its main bloom. Below the green growth you will see bare woody stems; these are your no-cut zone.
Trim about a third off the plant, cutting only into the soft green parts, never down into the hard woody stems, because those will not grow back. Do it after it finishes flowering, not in the middle of summer.Shear the plant back by about a third, cutting into soft green growth only and never into the bare woody base, which will not resprout. Time it after flowering rather than in midsummer, when a cut removes the season's blooms in progress.
FROM PLANT · This trim is what keeps lavender going. After it finishes flowering, cut about a third off the plant, going only into the soft green growth and never down into the hard woody stems, because those will not grow back. Skip it year after year and the plant gets tall and woody, flops open in the middle, and slowly dies.This is the cut that keeps lavender alive. After bloom fades, shear the whole plant back by about a third, cutting into soft green growth only and never into the bare woody base, which will not resprout. Skip this yearly cut and the plant turns leggy, splits open at the center, and declines within a few years.
FROM PLANT · Do the big trim after it flowers, not in the middle of summer. Trimming in July cuts off flowers that are still forming, so wait until the main bloom has faded.Time the cut after flowering, not in midsummer. A July prune removes the season's blooms while they are still developing, so wait until the main flush has faded before you shear.
06
Dormancy (cold zones)
A plant that has stopped growing. The hardy English kind keeps much of its gray leaves; the tender frilly types fade in the cold and need shelter.A plant that has stopped growing for the season. English lavender holds much of its gray foliage; tender Spanish and French types decline in cold and need protection or to come indoors.
Stop watering and feeding, and save any big trim for spring. Shelter the tender types or bring potted plants somewhere protected. In very cold areas, a sheltered spot or mulch helps the hardy kind survive.Stop watering and feeding, and leave any hard pruning for spring. Protect tender types or move container plants under cover. In zone 4, mulch or a sheltered south-facing spot helps English lavender overwinter.
FROM PLANT · In winter, do almost nothing. Stop watering and feeding, and save the big trim for spring. A resting plant sitting in wet soil rots, and a late trim leaves it weak, so do not water it or cut it back now.Over winter, do almost nothing: stop watering and feeding, and leave any hard pruning for spring. A dormant plant in wet soil rots, and a fresh fall cut leaves it vulnerable, so the worst things you can do are water it and prune it late.
FROM PLANT · Shelter the tender kinds. Spanish and French lavender are not cold hardy, so grow them in pots you can bring somewhere protected for winter. English lavender can stay outside through cold winters if it has good drainage and a sheltered spot.Protect the tender types. Spanish and French lavenders are not cold hardy and are best grown in containers brought under cover for winter, while English lavender overwinters outdoors through about zone 5, or zone 4 with good drainage and a sheltered, mulched spot.
Beginner
Know your soil

Your soil

Identify yours

Not sure what soil you have? Grab a small handful of damp soil from your garden bed and squeeze it. If it crumbles apart easily, it's sandy. If it holds together but breaks when you poke it, it's loam (what most vegetables want). If it stays in a hard, slippery ball, it's clay.

What this crop wants

Lavender likes poor, dry, gritty soil and full sun. That sounds backward, but it comes from the dry Mediterranean hills, so rich, damp soil actually makes it weak and rot-prone. If your soil is heavy clay, mix in coarse material so water drains fast, and skip the compost.

If your soil doesn't match

You have sandy soil

Mix 2-3 inches of compost into the top 6 inches of your bed before planting. Compost holds moisture (which sandy soil drains too fast) and adds the nutrients sandy soil tends to lack. Repeat each season. Compost breaks down over time.

You have clay soil

Mix 2-3 inches of compost AND a few inches of coarse sand or perlite into the top 6 inches of your bed. The compost feeds the plants; the sand breaks up the clay so air and water can move through. Don't add sand without compost. It can compact like concrete.

Containers and raised beds

If amending your soil sounds like too much work, or if your soil is heavy clay, full of rocks, or contaminated, build over it. A raised bed at least 12 inches deep filled with a 50/50 mix of compost and sandy loam gives you ideal growing soil with no battles. A 5-gallon container with quality potting mix does the same for one plant at a time. Both bypass your native soil entirely.

Learn more about your soil
The specs

Care guide

The numbers that matter, at a glance.

Sunlight
Full sun · 6-8 hrs/day
Water
low
Spacing
18 to 24 inches
Soil pH
6.5 to 7.5
Container OK?
Yes · 2+ gal pot
Germination temp
70-70°F
In a pot

Yes, 2 gallons and up

Lavender does fine in a pot, which is handy if your winters are very cold or you are growing one of the tender types. Use a wide pot with holes in the bottom and a gritty mix, and tip out any water that collects in the saucer.Lavender grows well in containers, which is the standard way to keep tender Spanish or French types and to grow lavender in the coldest zones where it is treated as a bring-in plant. Use a wide, free-draining pot, re-pot into fresh gritty mix each spring, and never let it stand in water.

Pot size
2 gallons and up; 5 gallons is comfortable
Mature size
12 to 24 inches tall, 2 to 3 feet wide
Drainage
Drainage holes are a must. Empty the saucer after watering; lavender must never sit in standing water.
Watering
Pots dry out faster than the ground, so check the soil, but still let it dry between waterings and never leave the pot in a full saucer.
Depth and shape
At least 12 inches deep.
Self-watering pot
No. Self-watering containers keep the medium too consistently moist for lavender and promote root rot; use a conventional free-draining pot instead.
Mix
A coarse, free-draining potting medium; avoid peat-heavy moisture-retentive mixes. Add coarse sand, perlite, or fine gravel to sharpen drainage.
Feeding
Container lavender needs only a very light feed, if any; do not over-fertilize.
One to try

MunsteadCompact English lavender, sweet fragrance, good for cooking and borders.

1 more compact type

HidcoteDeep violet-blue English lavender, strong sweet scent, compact; a kitchen favorite.

Winter

In cold-winter areas, or with tender Spanish or French lavender, grow it in a pot you can move into an unheated but protected spot for winter, then bring it back out in spring.Where the chosen species is not reliably hardy, a container lets you overwinter the plant under cover (an unheated garage or porch); keep it on the dry side and protected from hard freezes, then return it outdoors after frost.

Hardy to zone 5 in the ground; roots in a pot sit colder than that.

Pot safety

Ask what your balcony or roof can carry

A balcony or roof can only hold so much weight. Before you set heavy pots there, ask a building architect what it can safely carry.Illinois Extension's guidance is to consult a building architect about weight limits before placing heavy pots on a balcony or rooftop garden. It gives no weight figure.

Never grow food in a container with anything toxic in it

Many kinds of containers can be used. Whatever you choose, keep anything toxic out of it, especially if you are growing food.Colorado State accepts nearly any container material but warns against using a container that holds toxic materials, especially for edible plants. Illinois adds that a vegetable container should be free of chemicals toxic to plants or people, and urges caution with treated lumber when growing food. If you cannot account for what a repurposed container once held, that alone is a reason to keep food out of it.

Secure hanging containers well

Fasten hanging baskets and window or rail boxes securely. Think about what is below them too, since they can drip on people or things underneath.Illinois Extension asks growers to secure hanging containers well and to think through the safety issues of hanging them. Placement matters too, since a hanging container can drip onto people or belongings below.

Soil chemistry

Soil pH for lavender

Preferred
6.5 to 7.5
Tolerated
6 to 8

Lavender likes soil that is neutral to a little bit chalky (about pH 6.5 to 7.5, and it copes up to around 8.0). If your soil is on the acidic side, a small amount of garden lime nudges it where lavender wants it.Lavender prefers a near-neutral to slightly alkaline soil, roughly pH 6.5 to 7.5, and tolerates alkaline ground up to about 8.0. In acidic soils a light addition of garden lime brings the pH up. This alkaline tolerance is part of why it suits dry-climate and high-pH gardens.

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Steady hand on the hose

Watering

When & how much
Frequency
Water deeply but not often. A new plant wants about a soak a week until it settles in; an established lavender needs only a little water every couple of weeks, with a bit more while it is flowering.Deep and infrequent. After planting, water about once a week until established; mature plants need roughly half a gallon every two weeks until flower buds form, then once or twice a week through bloom and harvest.
Amount
Roughly a gallon a week for a new plant, then much less once it is established.About 1 gallon per plant per week while establishing; roughly 1/2 gallon every two weeks once mature, until bud formation.
Method
Pour water at the base of the plant, not over the leaves, and let it dry out before watering again. Wet leaves and a soggy crown are what make lavender rot.Water at the base and let the soil dry between waterings. Avoid wetting the foliage and crown, which invites root and crown rot.
Signs of trouble
Too much water
If leaves yellow and shoots wilt or die back even though you are watering, the problem is almost always too much water, not too little. Soggy roots rot.Yellowing leaves, wilting or dieback of whole shoots, and a plant that fails despite regular watering signal too-wet roots and likely Phytophthora root or crown rot, not drought.
Too little water
Lavender almost never gets too little water once established. A little droop on a very hot afternoon that bounces back by morning is fine.Established lavender rarely shows true drought stress; brief wilting in extreme heat that recovers overnight is normal and not a reason to increase watering.
Feeding rhythm

Feeding

Frequency
rarely
Type
None to minimal
When to start
At planting only

Lavender barely needs feeding, and too much fertilizer actually hurts it. A little compost mixed in when you plant is enough. Feed it heavily and you get a big leafy plant with few flowers that is more likely to get sick or die back in winter.Lavender has very low fertility needs and is one of the few plants you can harm by feeding. A single inch of compost worked in at planting, or one application of a slow-release fertilizer for the season, is plenty. Over-fertilized plants put on lush foliage at the expense of flowers and fragrance and become more prone to disease and winter injury.

Lean soil, minimal feed

N/A. There is no fertilizer number to hit here, since the aim is to feed lavender as little as possible.N/A. Lavender is not fed by N-P-K targets; a lean soil and minimal-to-no supplemental feed is the goal, so no fertilizer analysis applies.

Who grows well together

Companion planting

Plant lavender next to other plants that also like full sun and dry soil, such as drought-tolerant perennials. Keep it away from plants that need a lot of water, because the wet soil those plants want will rot your lavender. Lavender pairs naturally with other sun-loving, low-water plants that share its lean, dry, sharply drained conditions; group it with drought-tolerant perennials rather than thirsty, rich-soil neighbors. As a strong pollinator draw it also supports nearby flowering plants. Avoid siting it among plants that need frequent water, which forces conditions that rot lavender.

Other
Echinacea (coneflower)
Likes the same sunny, dry spot and brings in pollinators.Echinacea is one of the most reliable lavender partners because it asks for the same things: full sun, lean soil, and not much water. That shared appetite is the real reason it works, you can run the whole bed on a waterwise schedule without the overwatering that rots lavender at the crown. The broad, flat coneflower heads also play off lavender's narrow spikes, and the two bloom together as a pollinator draw. Site them in the same free-draining ground and resist the urge to pamper either. Traditional
Salvia
Another sun-and-dry-soil plant that grows happily next to lavender.Salvia and lavender are natural bedfellows, many ornamental salvias are cousins of culinary sage and want the identical conditions: full sun, sharp drainage, low water. Growing them together means one easy, dry-loving border rather than a watering compromise. The salvia's flower spikes echo lavender's shape while often blooming longer into the season, and both keep the bees busy. Plant in the same lean, well-drained soil and water sparingly once established. Traditional
Rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan)
Tough and drought-tolerant, so it shares lavender's conditions.Rudbeckia is a tough prairie native that thrives on the same neglect lavender does, full sun, poor-to-average soil, and minimal water once it is going. That makes it an easy companion that will not pull the bed toward the rich, damp conditions lavender hates. Its golden, dark-eyed daisies are a bold contrast to lavender's purple haze, and both feed pollinators through summer. Keep the soil lean and well-drained for both. Traditional
Daylily
Easygoing and handles dry soil well alongside lavender.Daylilies are nearly indestructible and add bold strappy foliage and big blooms next to lavender's fine texture, which is why the pairing is popular. One honest caveat for the seasoned eye: daylilies are happy in richer, moister soil than lavender's lean, dry, sharply-drained ideal, so site them at the edge of the dry border rather than in the heart of it, and water to the lavender's tune (sparingly) so you do not push the lavender toward crown rot. A handsome combination as long as you manage to lavender's drier standard. Traditional
Perennial flower
Gaillardia (blanket flower)
A heat- and drought-tolerant perennial suited to the same lean, dry soil, named by extension among low-water plants grown with lavender. Traditional
plant alongside in full sun
Iris
Shares lavender's preference for good drainage and full sun; listed by extension among plants commonly grown with English lavender. Traditional
plant alongside in full sun
Provenance tagged inline · see methodology for the labeling system Key
Cutting for the vase

When to cut

For a fresh vase, cut the stems when about half the little buds on the spike have opened. For drying or cooking, cut a bit sooner, when just the first couple of buds have opened. Cut in the morning once the dew has dried, when lavender smells strongest.Cut for fresh bouquets when about half the buds on a spike have opened; cut for drying or culinary use a little earlier, when only the first one or two buds on the spike have opened, so the buds hold their color and oils. Harvest in the morning after the dew dries but before the heat, when the fragrance is most concentrated.

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Bloom yield

What to expect

A grown lavender gives you plenty of flower stems each summer, enough to cut for the house and to dry, especially once it is a few years old.A mature plant yields many cuttable flower spikes each summer (often dozens of stems), enough for fresh bouquets plus bundles for drying; productivity peaks once the plant reaches full size at about three years.

Do not expect much the first year. Trimming off the first flowers helps the plant bulk up for bigger harvests later.Expect little to no usable harvest the first year; pinching early flowers to build a bushy framework pays off in later seasons.

What changes yield
Plant age and size (full production at about three years)Species and cultivar (lavandins yield more, larger stems than English types)Full sun and lean, sharply drained soilAnnual hard cut-back to keep the plant productive and non-woody
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Pick your variety

Recommended varieties

There are a few kinds of lavender. English lavender (like Munstead or Hidcote) is the toughest and the one you cook with, so it is the best all-rounder. The big hybrid types (lavandins like Grosso) are great for drying and scent. The frilly Spanish and French types are pretty but not cold-hardy and are mainly for looks, grown in pots in cold areas. If you want just one plant, choose an English lavender.Lavender reaches the grower as four practical groups on one plant page. English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia, e.g. Munstead and Hidcote) is the hardiest and the type used in cooking. Lavandins (L. x intermedia, e.g. Grosso and Phenomenal) are larger, vigorous hybrids best for drying and oil and nearly as hardy. Spanish (L. stoechas) and French (L. dentata) lavenders are tender, showy, ornamental-only types grown in pots and overwintered indoors where winters are cold. Pick English if you want one hardy plant for both the garden and the kitchen.

Munstead
culinary + ornamental
Hidcote
culinary + ornamental
Phenomenal
ornamental + drying/oil
Grosso
drying/oil + ornamental
Spanish lavender
ornamental (tender)
French lavender
ornamental (tender)
In the vase

Vase life

Dry lavender by tying the stems in small bunches and hanging them upside down somewhere cool, dark, and airy. When they are dry, you can leave them as bundles or rub the buds off into a sealed jar kept out of the light, so they hold their color and smell.To dry lavender, cut stems as the first buds open, gather them into small bundles of 50 to 100 stems secured with a rubber band, and hang them upside down in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place. Once dry, strip the buds and store them in a sealed, opaque container away from light and air, which fade the color and scent.

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When something goes wrong

Common problems

Leaves turning yellow or the plant dying backYellowing leaves or dieback
01 of 04
What happened For lavender, yellow leaves and dieback usually mean too much water, not too little. Overwatering and soggy soil are the biggest killer. The plant is drowning, not thirsty.With lavender, yellowing and dieback almost always mean too wet, not too dry. Overwatering and poor drainage are the number one killer, leading to root and crown rot. The plant is drowning, not thirsty. Next season Water much less and improve drainage. Use poor, well-draining soil in full sun, water deeply but only once in a while, and on heavy soil plant on a mound. Never let it sit in soggy ground.Cut back on watering hard and fix drainage. Plant in lean, sharply drained soil in full sun, water deeply but infrequently, and on clay use a mound or raised bed. Never let lavender sit in wet ground.
Tall and woody with a gap in the middleLeggy, woody, split-open center
02 of 04
What happened When lavender gets tall and woody and splits open in the middle, it missed its yearly trim. Without that trim after flowering, it stops staying bushy and slowly falls apart.A plant that has gone leggy and woody and flopped open at the center missed its annual cut-back. Without the yearly post-bloom prune, lavender stops renewing its compact form and declines within a few years. Next season Trim about a third off every year after it flowers, cutting only into the green and never into the hard wood, which will not grow back. A plant that is already very woody often cannot be saved and may be worth replacing.Shear by about a third every year after bloom, cutting into green growth only and never into the bare wood, which will not resprout. A badly overgrown plant often cannot be fully renovated and may be better replaced.
Hardly any flowersFew or no flowers
03 of 04
What happened Few flowers usually means too much fertilizer or too much shade. Feeding it too much gives leaves instead of flowers, and lavender needs full sun to bloom.Sparse flowering usually means too much feed or too much shade. Over-fertilizing drives soft leafy growth at the expense of blooms, and lavender needs full sun to flower well. Next season Stop feeding it and make sure it gets full sun. Lavender needs very little, and poor, dry, sunny conditions give you the most flowers.Stop fertilizing and make sure the plant gets full sun. Lavender has low fertility needs, and lean, dry, sunny conditions produce the most flowers.
Lavender and your petsPets and lavender
04 of 04
What happened Lavender is fine for people in small amounts in cooking, but eating a lot is mildly toxic, and it can make cats, dogs, and horses sick. Good to know, not a reason to skip it.Lavender is edible in small culinary amounts for people but is a low-severity toxin in quantity, and it is a hazard to cats, dogs, and horses, which can react to its compounds (linalool and linalyl acetate). This is worth knowing, not a reason to avoid growing it. Next season Keep pets from eating the plant, and only cook with your own lavender that has not been sprayed. If a pet eats a lot, call your vet.Keep pets from grazing on lavender, and use only your own unsprayed plants, never florist or nursery stock, for any culinary use. If a pet eats a large amount, contact your veterinarian.
The usual suspects

Pests & diseases

Pests
Spittlebug
P · 01
Symptoms Blobs of white froth that look like spit on the stems in late spring, with a tiny bug hidden inside. It looks worse than it is.Frothy white spit-like foam on stems in late spring, with the small nymph hidden inside. It looks alarming but rarely harms an established lavender plant. Cause Young spittlebugs hiding in the foam while they feed. They do little real harm, though you can find a lot of the froth at once in some years, and a shoot they have been feeding on may grow a little twisted.Spittlebug nymphs, which shelter inside their own foam while feeding on plant sap. The damage is mostly cosmetic on an established plant, though the foam masses are occasionally abundant, and a shoot tip that has been fed on may grow distorted. Organic treatment If the froth bothers you, spray it off with a hose. You usually do not need to do anything else.Knock them off with a strong spray of water if you find them unsightly. No treatment is needed for plant health in most cases. Prevention Clear the weeds around the planting in spring. Spittlebugs build up on nearby weeds and move onto lavender from there, so cutting weedy patches while the insects in them are still young is the step that actually prevents them.There is a published prevention step, and it is weed management on a spring clock: UC IPM advises cutting spittlebug-infested weeds before the insects mature and spread, and University of Minnesota Extension advises removing weeds near the garden. The weedy cover around a planting is the reservoir the nymphs arrive from.
The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

  1. Clearing the weeds that host it

    Spittlebugs build up on the weeds around a planting and move onto lavender from there, so clear that weedy ground in spring. Cutting weeds that already carry foam, while the insects inside them are still young, is the one preventive step worth doing.This is a timed clearance, not general tidiness. UC IPM's instruction is to cut spittlebug-infested weeds in spring before the insects mature and spread, and University of Minnesota Extension's is to keep weeds down near the garden; the surrounding cover is the reservoir, and once the adults are mobile it has already emptied onto whatever grows beside it.

  2. Water spray

    If the froth bothers you, a forceful stream from the hose washes the young insects off the stems. This is a tidying choice rather than a treatment, because an established lavender is not being harmed either way.A hard jet takes the foam and the nymph inside it off the stem, and that is the whole effect; the feeding itself costs an established subshrub nothing. Weigh it against simply leaving them: the masses are a late-spring event that passes on its own, and the Royal Horticultural Society asks gardeners not to remove these insects at all.

  3. Handpicking

    On a few stems you can wipe the foam away and lift the small insect out by hand. It is slower than the hose, but it leaves the foliage dry.Hand removal suits a handful of shoots or a small planting and is the option that does not wet the canopy. There is one generation a year in colder regions and at most two in mild ones, so a single walk through the planting in late spring usually finishes the job.

No spray for this one. Prevention is the control.

Whiteflies
P · 02
Symptoms Every so often, a few tiny white flies on the new growth. Lavender gets very few insect pests, and this is one of the minor ones.Occasional small clusters of tiny white flying insects on new growth. Whiteflies are one of only four invertebrates UC IPM lists for lavender, and on this crop they read as an occasional find rather than a recurring problem. Cause Small sap-sucking insects that sometimes show up. Lavender has very few pest problems and rarely needs spraying.Sap-feeding insects that occasionally find lavender. Lavender has few pests overall and is typically grown with little or no pesticide. Organic treatment Spray them off with water, or use insecticidal soap if there are a lot. Lavender rarely needs spraying at all, so this is a one-off, not a routine.Rinse them off with water or use insecticidal soap if numbers climb. Lavender is a low-input crop by reputation and few insect problems have been reported on it, so treat a whitefly find as a one-off rather than the start of a spray program. Prevention Check new plants for whiteflies before you bring them home, and keep ants out of the plant, because ants protect whiteflies from the insects that would otherwise eat them. Avoid piling wood chips or sawdust around the base; on lavender those heavy mulches are reported to bring more insect and fungal trouble, and a thin layer of white sand is the better choice.Inspect any new plant for whiteflies before it enters the garden, keep ants off the plants, since ants protect whiteflies from the insects that eat them, and hold off on broad sprays while natural enemies are present. Skip heavy organic mulches such as sawdust or wood chips around the crowns, which are reported on this crop to raise both fungal and insect problems; one to two inches of white sand is the mulch recommended for lavender instead.
The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

  1. Clean planting stock

    Look every new plant over for whiteflies before it comes into the garden. This is the first thing UC IPM tells you to do, because most whitefly problems arrive on a plant somebody carried home rather than flying in.Inspect new plants for adults and for the nonmobile nymphs on the leaf undersides before they join the planting. It is the cheapest step available and the only one that acts before the pest is present, which on a long-lived perennial matters more than on an annual you will pull out in autumn.

  2. Reflective mulch

    Shiny metallic-coated paper or reflective plastic laid on the soil repels whiteflies, and it works best around small plants. Lay it on bare ground with the edges buried, and take it up when the plant gets large or the weather turns hot.The published effect is repellent and it is strongest away from small plants, so on a perennial this belongs to the first season rather than to an established bush. Two removal rules ride with it and both are the source's own: take the mulch up when plants get large, and take it up when summer temperatures get high, to prevent overheating the plant. Clear the weeds off the bed before laying it.

  3. Garden sanitation

    Prune out isolated infested leaves as soon as you first spot them. If the plant is already carrying a lot, taking off the most heavily loaded leaves is still worth doing: it can bring the numbers down far enough for the insects that eat whiteflies to handle the rest.Two separate uses, at two different stages. Early, prune out isolated infested leaves at first detection. Later, hand removal of leaves heavily infested with the nonmobile nymphal and pupal stages may reduce populations to levels that natural enemies can contain, which makes this the step that hands the problem to the predators rather than one that stops paying once the infestation is general.

  4. Ant exclusion

    Keep ants off the plant. Whiteflies produce honeydew, the honeydew draws ants, and the ants then drive off the insects that would otherwise eat the whiteflies for you.Ants tending a honeydew source interfere with the natural enemies that do most of the control here, so excluding them protects the biological control rather than killing anything itself. UC IPM flags dust and ants together as the two things that most often disrupt whitefly natural enemies.

  5. Water spray

    Hose the adults off with a strong stream of water. Washing the foliage down also knocks off dust, and dusty leaves are part of what lets whitefly numbers climb.Syringing dislodges adults, and it does a second job: hot, dry, dusty conditions favor whiteflies and inhibit their natural enemies. Note the crop-specific limit, because the source is written for gardens generally. Wash the FOLIAGE; do not answer a dust problem on lavender by watering the ground more, since sitting in wet soil is what gives this plant its one genuinely dangerous disease.

  6. Yellow sticky traps

    Yellow sticky traps catch flying adults, but they are better at telling you whether whiteflies are present and building than at controlling them. Set the sticky part level with where the insects are, and face it toward the plant but out of direct sun.Treat these as monitoring first: the source is explicit that traps are most useful for detecting whiteflies rather than controlling them, and that they will not eliminate a damaging population. Whiteflies do not fly far, so useful numbers are high, quoted as one trap per medium-size vegetable plant and as many as one per two large plants. Keep the yellow surface level with the infestation, out of direct sunlight, and cleaned, or it stops catching anything.

  7. Beneficial predators

    Lacewings, lady beetles and tiny parasitic wasps do most of the work on whiteflies, and outbreaks usually follow something disturbing them. Do not spray when they are around, and keep dust down, because dust kills them too.Outbreaks frequently occur when natural enemies are disturbed or destroyed by pesticides, dust buildup, or ants, so conserving them is the center of this program and not a courtesy. Avoiding insecticides that kill natural enemies is described by the source as a very important part of whitefly management. Parasitized nymphs show round or oval exit holes; a healthy whitefly leaves a T-shaped one, which is how you tell whether the wasps are already working.

  8. Insecticidal soap

    Insecticidal soap is the last step and a limited one: it kills only the whiteflies the spray actually wets, so you need to cover the undersides of the infested leaves and repeat it. Use it only when the plant is not dry-stressed and the temperature is under 90°F, and spray the infested foliage rather than the flowers.Soap and the oils alongside it control only those whiteflies directly sprayed, so thorough coverage and repeat applications are both required, and the leaves that need it most are the lowest and hardest to reach. The limits are the source's: not on drought-stressed plants, not above 90°F. Early evening, with enough light to apply safely but no direct sun on the plant, is the suggested window. Confine it to infested growth, since it kills the soft-bodied beneficials it wets and lavender in bloom is a pollinator plant.

The bottom rungs are products with label rules: timing, pollinators, and days to wait before harvest. Before you spray →

Diseases
Phytophthora root and crown rot
D · 01
Symptoms The plant wilts, browns, and dies back even though the soil is wet, and watering more makes no difference, which is what separates it from a plant that is simply too dry. Whole shoots can die off while the rest of the bush looks pale and tired, and the bark at the base and on the upper roots often goes dark. It is the disease most likely to kill an established lavender, and it comes from ground that stays too wet.Shoots wilt, brown, and die back, and unlike a plant that is simply dry it does not recover when you water it; whole shoots can die inside the bush while the outer growth turns pale green with its flowers drooping. Darkened areas often develop in the bark around the crown and the upper roots. It is the disease of concern for lavender, and it takes hold where the soil stays wet. Cause A rot that takes hold when soil stays soggy and drains badly, attacking the roots and base. It is caused by water molds, a group of soil organisms that need wet ground to spread and infect, so soil that never dries out is what sets it up.Water mold pathogens that thrive in saturated, poorly drained soil and attack the roots and crown. Many Phytophthora species cause root and crown rot on their hosts, so this is a group of organisms rather than one, and prolonged saturation or standing water at the base is what lets them in. Organic treatment A plant that far gone rarely comes back, so pull out affected plants and throw them away instead of trying to save them. The answer is preventing it with good drainage, not curing it.A plant with a substantial infection rarely recovers, so once the crown is rotting the realistic move is to remove and destroy it rather than nurse it. Everything that works here happens at the site and before planting, and a fungicide is not a substitute for drainage. Prevention Plant in well-draining soil in full sun, water deeply but rarely, and never let lavender sit in soggy ground. On heavy clay, plant on a mound or a raised bed, keep soil and mulch pulled back from the base, and start with healthy nursery stock.Plant in sharply drained soil in full sun, water deeply but infrequently, and never let lavender sit in wet ground. On clay, plant on a raised bed or a mound with a gradual slope, keep the crown clear of soil and mulch, and start from certified nursery stock, taking a resistant variety where one is offered.
The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

  1. Improve drainage

    Lavender rots where the ground stays wet, so this one is decided by where you put the plant. Give it light, sharply drained soil in a dry, open, sunny position, water deeply but only once the top few inches have dried out, and never let water stand around the base.Prolonged soil saturation and standing water at the base are the conditions the water molds need, so drainage is the control here and fungicides do not stand in for it. On heavy or low-lying ground, plant on a mound: UC IPM puts that at 8 to 10 inches for annuals and up to 2 feet with a gradual slope for a perennial. Let the top few inches dry thoroughly between waterings and keep soil and mulch off the crown itself.

  2. Resistant varieties

    Variety choice shifts the odds a little. Among lavender types, the big lavandin hybrids are reported to hold up better against the wilt diseases than English lavender, and cultivars with gray foliage or dark flowers are the most susceptible. Treat it as a hedge, not a way to grow lavender on wet ground.Take a resistant variety where one is offered. The reported gradient runs lavandin over English lavender for the vascular wilts, with gray-foliage and dark-flowered cultivars at the susceptible end and pale-flowered types holding up better. NC State words that gradient for the wilt diseases, and its own pathogen list files Phytophthora spp. under wilt, so read it as tilting the odds on a site you have already drained, not as a substitute for draining it.

  3. Clean planting stock

    Buy certified nursery stock and look the plant over before it goes in the ground. A rot that arrives in the pot has already skipped past every other step here.Select certified nursery stock, and a resistant rootstock or variety where one is available. Root and crown rot has no in-ground rescue, so a plant that arrives already infected is a loss paid for at purchase; inspecting at the nursery costs nothing and is the last point at which the decision is entirely yours.

  4. Garden sanitation

    Dig out and get rid of a lavender whose crown has gone soft. It will not come back, and diseased tissue dropped on a compost pile can carry the problem on.A substantial infection rarely recovers, so removing and destroying the affected plant is the honest response rather than a rescue attempt. Do not put a susceptible replacement in the same spot until the drainage that caused it has actually been fixed, since the ground, not the plant, is what failed.

No spray for this one. Prevention is the control.

Leaf spot
D · 02
Symptoms Small spots on the leaves, more likely in damp weather or on crowded plants. It is a minor problem next to root rot.Small spots or blotches on the foliage, more likely in humid weather or on crowded, poorly ventilated plants. It is a minor issue compared with root and crown rot. Cause Leaf fungi that like damp, still air around the plant. Crowding and watering from above make it worse.Foliar fungi favored by damp, still air around the plant. Crowding and overhead watering raise the risk. Organic treatment Pick off the spotted leaves, give the plant more air, and water at the soil instead of over the top. The yearly trim helps too.Remove affected foliage, improve airflow, and water at the base rather than overhead. The annual cut-back also helps clear and renew the canopy. Prevention Leave 18 to 24 inches between plants, give them full sun, and keep air moving around them to help prevent leaf spot.Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart in full sun, with good air circulation to help prevent leaf spot.
The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

  1. Airflow and spacing

    Plant lavender 18 to 24 inches apart in full sun, in soil that drains well and stays on the dry side. Good airflow around the plants helps prevent leaf spot.Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart in full sun, on perfectly drained soil that stays on the dry side. NC State reports no significant problems for English lavender, though it is susceptible to leaf spot and root rot. Good air circulation helps prevent leaf spot, and root rot is caused by overwatering.

  2. Splash-barrier mulch

    One to two inches of white sand around the plants is the mulch recommended for lavender, and it is meant to cut fungal infection. Skip the heavy organic mulches such as wood chips and sawdust here, because on lavender they push fungal problems the other way.White sand at one to two inches is the lavender-specific recommendation, and a mineral layer over the soil surface is the barrier that keeps rain splash from carrying soil onto the lowest leaves. The heavy organic mulches are a documented contra-indication on this crop, reported to raise both fungal pathogens and insect problems, so the straw and wood-chip options that suit other crops do not transfer here.

  3. Garden sanitation

    Rake the fallen leaves out from under the bush and take off any foliage that is badly marked, rather than letting that litter sit there through the winter.Stripping spotted foliage and clearing the litter beneath the plant lowers what is left to start the next round. This is general leaf-spot practice rather than a lavender-specific finding, and on a crop where the disease stays minor it belongs as a light habit, not a program.

No spray for this one. Prevention is the control.

Verified · 9 sources View
Seasoned
Where to plant next year

Crop rotation

N/A. Lavender is not rotated like a vegetable because it is a permanent plant that stays put for years. If you replace an old one, pick a fresh, well-draining spot.N/A. Lavender is a long-lived perennial that stays in place for a decade or more, so annual crop rotation does not apply. When replanting an old lavender bed, choose a fresh, well-drained site to avoid carrying over soil-borne root rot.

In the app · pre-launch

When plant taps you on the shoulder

The plant app sends a timely reminder at every critical moment of your lavender season. The wording adjusts to whichever you pick: beginner or seasoned. Here are three you'll see in Zone 9.

p
plant
Time to plant your lavender Time to plant out lavender
It is time to plant your lavender. Put it in a sunny, well-draining spot now that frost has passed, leaving 18 to 24 inches between plants, and do not add fertilizer. Your plant-out window is open. Set the nursery plant in full sun in sharply drained soil after the last frost, spacing plants 18 to 24 inches apart. Skip rich compost and fertilizer.
p
plant
Time to trim your lavender Time to shear lavender back
Your lavender flowers are fading, so trim about a third off, cutting only into the soft green growth and staying above the hard woody stems, which will not grow back. This yearly trim keeps it bushy. Blooms are fading, time to shear it back by a third, staying above the woody base. Cut into soft green growth only; the bare wood below will not resprout. This yearly cut keeps the plant compact and long-lived.
p
plant
Get your lavender ready for winter Get lavender ready for winter
Winter is coming. Stop watering and feeding, save any big trim for spring, and shelter the tender frilly types or bring potted plants somewhere protected. Soggy soil, not the cold, is what usually kills lavender. Cold is coming. Stop watering and feeding, leave any hard pruning for spring, and protect tender Spanish or French types or move container plants under cover. Wet winter soil, not cold, is the usual killer.
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Methodology & sources

Every date, temperature, spacing, and recommendation on this page is sourced from university cooperative extension publications, peer-reviewed agricultural research, NOAA climate data, and direct extension calendars. Where claims are softer (traditional gardening wisdom not formally documented), we say so.

Research-backed Documented in cooperative extension publications or peer-reviewed research
Well-grounded A known agronomic principle, but not formally tested for this specific pair
Traditional Time-tested gardening wisdom, limited formal research support
Last reviewed
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Data version
crops_data_final · v1.0 · schema 2.9
Sources cited on this page
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Verified entries
Companion-planting claims tagged inline · zone dates verified against 5+ extensions
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  • University of Minnesota Extension umn_ext
  • University of Maryland Extension umd_ext
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension cornell_ext
  • Iowa State University Extension iastate_ext
  • Michigan State University Extension msu_ext
  • NC State Extension ncsu_ext
  • Penn State Extension psu_ext
  • U. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Extension uiuc_ext
  • UC Davis Postharvest Center ucd_postharvest
  • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension tamu_agrilife
  • Virginia Cooperative Extension 426-331 vce_426_331
  • Piedmont Master Gardeners piedmont_mg
  • UGA Vegetable Garden Calendar uga_calendar
  • Clemson Home & Garden Information Center clemson_hgic
  • UC IPM Statewide IPM Program uc_ipm
  • NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals noaa_normals

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Vol. 003 · Lavender · plant.lifestyle