By David Salman, High Country Gardens Chief Horticulturist
Grown since ancient times, Lavender has been a beneficial companion to mankind for thousands of years. This genus of perennial Old World herbs is a source for healing, fragrant oil, culinary spices and beautiful, aromatic plants for our gardens.
Gardeners have been cultivating and growing lavender plants since Roman times. Combining fragrance with evergreen foliage, resistance to browsing deer and rabbits and showy displays of purple and blue flowers, Lavender plants are a cornerstone of any good waterwise landscape.
Growing Lavender plants also provides an invaluable source of nectar for honeybees, bumblebees, and butterflies. For vegetable gardeners, this mean that having Lavender planted near your eatables will ensure pollination and fruit set.
Which Lavender Varieties Should I Plant?
There are so many varieties of Lavender, that it can be confusing to gardeners as to which ones are the best for their area. There are three primary species of lavender that are most widely planted: English Lavender, French Hybrid Lavender, and Spanish Lavender. Within each species, there are numerous varieties, each with beautiful variations in the shape, color, and size of the flower spikes, color of the foliage, and the form of the plant itself.
Cold Hardiness & Humidity
In the cold, arid high desert of New Mexico, I use Lavender in practically every planting, and we grow at well over a dozen cultivars of cold-hardy types at High Country Gardens. I enjoy the luxury of having plenty from which to choose. In my USDA Zone 6 climate, I need good cold hardiness, so I always make it a point to plant both English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and French Hybrids to extend the season of color to stretch from late spring into late summer.
English and French hybrid Lavender tolerate heat and cold, but their enemy is high heat and high humidity. If you're living in a part of the country like Texas, Oklahoma, or the Southeastern US where the combination of extreme heat and humidity is common, stick with Spanish Lavender (Lavandula stoechas) as French hybrid and English Lavenders will not be long-lived. Look around and see what species are growing in your area, but don't be hesitant to experiment.
Bloom Time
English Lavender blooms in late spring/early summer while the French hybrids bloom mid-summer. Plant varieties from both these groups to have fragrant, bee-attracting flowers for most of the growing season. And if you chose twice blooming English varieties, you'll enjoy an extra 4 weeks of flowers in early fall. 'Gros Bleu', 'Sharon Roberts', and 'Buena Vista' are three reblooming varieties that we offer.
Growing English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
These are the most cold hardy species and typically bloom in late spring/early summer. However, there are now a few "twice blooming" types that will flower in late spring and again in September with prompt deadheading after the first flush of flowers are done. Here are some of my favorites:
- 'Vera' - an heirloom variety that is also extremely cold hardy (to - 20° F, zone 5a)
- 'Buena Vista' - a fragrant twice bloomer with nice bi-colored flower spikes.
- 'Munstead Violet' - a selection I discovered as a seedling in a Santa Fe landscape. It has gorgeous violet-blue flowers (with a hint of red), the darkest flowers of any English lavender that I've grown. Outstanding!
- 'Sharon Roberts' - another twice bloomer with attractive elongated flower spikes.
- 'Thumbelina Leigh' - a compact, small grower that blooms for several months beginning in late spring
Growing French Hybrid Lavender (Lavandula intermedia)
These vigorous hybrids bloom in mid-summer and are typically larger plants than English lavenders. In general, they are at least a zone less cold hardy than English types and are best in USDA zones 6 and warmer. Choose French-hybrid lavenders to fill large spaces. Here are my favorites:
- 'Grosso' - the gold standard of the French hybrids known for its dark flowers, good zone 6 cold hardiness and large mature size.
'Gros Bleu' - an uncommon, outstanding newer French hybrid. Excellent sweet fragrance (not too much camphor) on a smaller growing plant. The dark colored flower spikes will re-bloom later in summer with good rains.
Growing Spanish Lavender (Lavandula stoechas)
Always popular, Spanish Lavender's whimsical, rabbit-eared flowers are endearing. And they are the best choice for mild winter climates (zones 7-10) with hotter, more humid summer weather. They bloom in early to mid-spring, bringing early color to flower beds and container gardens. This one is my favorite.
- 'Purple Ribbon' - Purple Ribbon is a Spanish Lavender with excellent vigor, dark purple flowers and a strong sweet scent to the flowers and foliage.
Lavender For Special Uses
Lavender flowers are also wonderful for culinary use and crafts. Lavender wands, sachets and dried flower spikes help us to preserve the harvest for indoor enjoyment of their fragrant essential oils.
Learn More: Best Lavenders for Drying, Cooking, and Creating Sachets
Growing Lavender
- Lavender plants thrive in full sun, heat and fast-draining, low fertility soils.
- Lavender plants are actually small woody shrubs, that once established, thrive in dry growing conditions.
- Mulching is helpful in dry climates, but not recommended in areas that get more than 18-20" of annual precipitation.
- Lavender plants need very little fertilizer. Instead, keep their soil healthy and well drained by fertilizing with natural or organic soil builders like Yum Yum Mix applied once annually in the fall.
- There is hardly a plant combination that doesn’t look great with Lavender in it - just be sure that companion plants also like poor, fast draining soils with plenty of sun and heat.
Shop Lavender Plants From High Country Gardens
‘Royal Velvet’ English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Royal Velvet) is very showy in bloom. It is covered with long stemmed, dark navy blue and lavender flower spikes. The 3 to...
Learn MoreRoyal Velvet English Lavender Royal Velvet English Lavender Lavandula angustifolia Royal Velvet$11.99 Sale $11.39Sale Price I Save 5%Per Plant - 5" Deep Pot‘Royal Velvet’ English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Royal Velvet) is very showy in bloom. It is covered with long stemmed, dark navy blue and lavender flower spikes. The 3 to 4-inch long flower spikes, which are much longer than ‘Hidcote’, hold their dark color superbly as a dried flower.Learn MoreFlowerKisser™ After Midnight English Lavender has stunning, dark colored flower spikes with deep indigo-blue calyxes and large violet-purple flowers on a medium sized plant wit...
Learn MoreFlowerKisser™ After Midnight English Lavender FlowerKisser™ After Midnight English Lavender Lavandula angustifolia 'WWG002'As low as $12.99 Sale $12.34Per Plant - 5" Deep PotFlowerKisser™ After Midnight English Lavender has stunning, dark colored flower spikes with deep indigo-blue calyxes and large violet-purple flowers on a medium sized plant with gray-green foliage.Learn MoreLavandula angustifolia Sharon Roberts is an outstanding twice blooming English Lavender with spikes of bicolored lavender-blue and gray-green foliage....
Learn MoreSharon Roberts English Lavender Sharon Roberts English Lavender Lavandula angustifolia Sharon RobertsAs low as $10.99 Sale $10.44Per Plant - 5" Deep PotLavandula angustifolia Sharon Roberts is an outstanding twice blooming English Lavender with spikes of bicolored lavender-blue and gray-green foliage.Learn MoreThumbelina Leigh is a robust dwarf growing English variety with plump, deep lavender-blue flower spikes, and a strong, sweet fragrance. Maturing to a height of about 15 inches, it is...
Learn MoreThumbelina Leigh Dwarf English Lavender Thumbelina Leigh Dwarf English Lavender Lavandula angustifolia Thumbelina LeighAs low as $12.49 Sale $11.87Per Plant - 5" Deep PotThumbelina Leigh is a robust dwarf growing English variety with plump, deep lavender-blue flower spikes, and a strong, sweet fragrance. Maturing to a height of about 15 inches, it is one of the most compact cultivars in cultivation.Learn More