Grow guides › Lavender Grow Guide

Lavender Grow Guide

Lavender loves sun and hates wet feet. Get the drainage right and it's almost trouble-free.

When your plants arrive

Our lavenders are raised in a greenhouse, so they're not yet used to cold outdoor weather.
Black or dead leaves at the base of older plants are normal. New growth will come from the stems.
Some plugs have a fine net holding the compost. Leave it on – removing it damages the roots. It breaks down on its own.

Don't plant small plugs straight into the ground. Pot them into a 6–7cm pot first.
Use sieved compost mixed with sharp sand or perlite, about 4 parts compost to 1 part sand.
Water once, then let the compost dry out before watering again. Lavender would always rather be too dry than too wet.
Keep the pots somewhere warm, sunny and frost-free, such as a windowsill, conservatory or greenhouse.
When roots fill the pot, move up to a 1–1.5 litre pot. A final pot of about 3 litres is plenty before planting out.

Don't rush. The ground is still cold in April; late spring to early summer is ideal.
Harden plants off for about a week first: outside by day, in at night.
Choose the sunniest spot you have. On heavy soil, add plenty of grit or plant on a slight mound or in a raised bed.
In containers, use a gritty, loam-based compost and a pot with good drainage holes.

Lavender in the ground needs little or no feed. Rich soil makes it floppy and short-lived.
Pots can have a light feed once a month in spring and summer.
Water young plants in dry spells in their first summer. After that, ground-grown lavender rarely needs watering.

Trim every year in late summer, once the flowers have faded.
Cut off the flower stalks and about 2–3cm of the leafy growth, keeping a neat, rounded shape.
Never cut back into old, bare, woody stems – they usually won't regrow.