How to Grow Lavender No Matter Where You Live

Select the right variety for your climate, and this plant will shed its finicky reputation

Without a doubt , lavenderhave always beenthe most requested plants at our nursery . At times , their popularity seems downright voguish , but plants that have been desire by gardener for thousands of years plain have some enduring and likable traits .

We love the way lavenders sense and the perpetual hum and flutter of pollinating worm that they pull to our gardens . The evergreen , often silvery , foliage adds year - troll entreaty , while the stir of flowers beckon us down summertime nerve pathway . They love full Lord’s Day , deer do n’t nibble on them , and they thrive without much water .

So why do some multitude suppose they ca n’t raise lavender ? Of the most popular mixed bag of lavender — English , Spanish , French , and lavandin ( lavender hybrids)—each has unique qualities that make it well suited for sure areas . With right planning , almost all gardeners can find a lavender form that will produce great answer in their mood .

Basics of Growing Lavender

Name : Lavandula cvs . USDA Hardiness Zones:5–8Size:1 to 3 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wideBloom time : Mid to late summer

How to Care for Lavender:

food for thought

Lavenders prefer fertilizer with a nearly equal blend of N - P - K ( nitrogen - phosphorus - potassium ) . taste a mix of two part poulet manure , which has antifungal property , and one part kelp repast .

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cracking plant for juiceless area and xeriscaping , lavender only need steady watering until their roots fall in . After the first year or two , they need little water . Be thrifty with overhead lacrimation because pixilated foliage , especially in humid surface area , can further fungous disease

Growing lavender in areas with dry summers

Growing lavender is easiest in areas with wry summers — an surround like to their aboriginal habitation in the Mediterranean , which lacks the systematically damp atmosphere that defines humid regions ( a difficult job for fungus - prone lavender ) ; it ’s even better if you also have warm winter . The combining of ironic summer and lovesome wintertime gives lavender enthusiasts the chance to seek most species and cultivar . Some places , however , receive large amounts of wintertime rain and need to have first-class dirt drainage for success . Gardeners in these sphere may want to render lavender adjust for humid summers and quick winters — varieties that are more repellent to fungal disease and root buncombe .

Regions with dry summers and cold winters are more circumscribed in the variety show of lavender that can be produce . English lavenders and lavandins are honest choice here . furnish them with well - drained soil and good air circulation for the respectable results . For regions dusty than Zone 5 , grow lavenders in container and move them indoors before winter , or insulate around in - land planting with fabric or evergreen plant boughs .

English lavender.

Name : Lavandula angustifoliaand cvs .

Zones:5–8

Size:1 to 3 infantry tall and 2 to 4 feet wide

Bloom time : Mid to recent summertime

Growing lavender in climates with humid summers

If your summer are humid — so sticky that lavender stay consistently damp — then you have to be more selective about choosing and caring for your plants . High humidity , combine with summer rainwater and heat , is the biggest hindrance to grow most lavenders . as luck would have it , warm winters give gardeners the option of growing humidity - large-minded Gallic lavender , French lavender cross , and Spanish lavenders . If you ’d wish to try English lavender and lavandins ( which are more susceptible to fungal diseases ) , success depends on proficient air circulation and soil drainage .

If you have humid summers and cold winters , this specialize your excerpt even further . Areas with the wintertime temperatures of Zone 8 or tank can try the hardy Gallic lavender cultivar ‘ Goodwin Creek Grey ’ ( Lavandula‘Goodwin Creek Grey ’ , Zones 7–11 ) and Spanish lavenders . English lavender and lavandins are also possibility — but , again , soil drainage and melodic phrase circulation must be excellent ; even then , the success and life span of these plants might be determine . Areas cold than Zone 5 may be too cold to grow lavenders in the ground , but you could test the more or less audacious English lavender if they ’re institute in a sheltered location with winter protection or planted in containers to be moved inside when the temperatures throw away .

French lavender

Name : Lavandula dentataand cvs .

Zones:9–11

Size : Up to 4 foot tall and 5 feet wide

Bloom meter : Midsummer to come down

Spanish lavender

Name : Lavandula stoechasand cvs .

Zones:8–9

Size:2 foot grandiloquent and wide

blush time : later springtime to summer

2 Steps to Keep Fungus Off Lavender

1. Amend your soil

tot up inorganic particulates , like chicken moxie , to your dirt allows for first-class stain drain . If your realm receives large amount of rain , you may provide extra drain by plant in mounds or raise beds

2. Mulch with sand

Avoid moisture - holding organic mulches that create perfect condition for fungus . As an extra precaution , leave good air circulation by not planting lavender too confining together .

Jim Becker is Colorado - possessor and operator of Goodwin Creek Gardens in Williams , Oregon . Photos , except where noted : Michelle Gervais

Sources

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