Lavender is part of the Lavandula genus. Its scientific name is Lavandula angustifolia.
Lavender is a medium-sized, herbaceous to semi-woody, semi-evergreen perennial with an upright growth habit. It grows in clumps, and when happy in its spot can get quite large. Depending on the variety, the leaves are gray-green or green-purple in the Summer and silver-green or gray-bronze in the Winter, and are aromatic when brushed or crushed. Small flowers grow at the tips of the stems from mid- to late-summer, and vary in color from blue-purple, lavender, violet-blue, to white-pink depending on the variety.
Blooms appear in these approximate colours: Lavender indigo and Lavender (floral) and Dark lavender. It is a herb / ornamental and is treated mainly as a perennial, so it grows best over a period of time (3 years and greater). Lavender is known for its forb habit and growing to a height of approximately 60.0 cm (1.95 feet). This plant tends to bloom in mid summer. If you would like to attract butterflies and bees to your garden, consider growing this plant. Popular varieties of Lavender with home gardeners are Munstead, English, Hidcote, lady, and Vera.Spain is thought to be the country of origin for Lavender.
Lavender is normally fairly low maintenance and is normally quite easy to grow, as long as a level of basic care is provided throughout the year. Being aware of the basic soil, sun and water preferences will result in a happier and healthier plant.
This plant info is provided by the myfolia gardener's wiki. All details about Lavender have been kindly provided by our members.
How to grow Lavender
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Full Sun
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Medium
Pruning is required to keep lavender neat. Young plants should be pruned soon after blooming to encourage them into a compact shape, or to train them to size. Any parts of the plant that are killed over the winter should be pruned out in early spring. If older, woody plants are looking a bit tired, they can be cut back half way when new growth begins in spring to rejuvenate them. If needed (due to size or age) or desired (to make more plants), lavender can be divided in the fall.
Position in a full sun location and remember to water moderately. As a rough idea of the types of climates Lavender does best in, check to see if your local area is within USDA Hardiness Zones 5 and 9. Lavender needs a sandy soil with a ph of 6.1 to 8.5 (weakly acidic soil - weakly alkaline soil). Keep in mind when planting that Lavender is thought of as hardy, so this plant will survive close to or on freezing temperatures.Growing Lavender from seed
By our calculations*, you should look at sowing Lavender about 1 days after your last frost date .
Transplanting Lavender
Harvesting Lavender
Lavendar spikes may be cut in bud for some purposes such as making lavendar fans. For more flower fragrance, wait till the flowers are opening; cutting early rather than later is recommended.
Hang the stems to dry tied in small bundles out of the sun with some ventilation, or spread out loosely on a screen or newspaper. A warm, dry place is important to prevent the stems molding.
Seed Saving Lavender
Lavendar seeds can be obtained by cutting the flower stalks as they are starting to go to seed, tying them into a bundle, and putting the bundle (flowers down) into a paper bag stored in a dry place for a couple of weeks. Seeds don’t keep well, so use them promptly. eHow.com has an detailed article on this.1
Companion plants for Lavender
These plants have been known to grow well alongside Lavender so consider planting:
Repellent plants for Lavender
These plants will not grow well with Lavender so avoid planting these within close proximity:
Common Lavender problems
These problems, diseases and pests are known to affect Lavender plants:
Lavandula angustifolia cannot tolerate cold, damp winter soil conditions. Even in Zone 4 Lavandula angustifolia can survive the winter if the soil is well drained.
Lavender Etymology
Latin for “narrow leaf.”
Lavender Folklore & Trivia
Lavendar is often used as a calmative in sachets and pillows to encourage sleep (or even dreaming) and sometimes is used in love potions.
Other names for Lavender
Common lavender, Garden lavender, English lavender, True lavender
Lavandula officinalis, Lavandula spica, Lavandula vera
Misspellings: Lavendar, Lavander, lavendula, Lavenda, Lavandula augustifolia
Latest Lavender Reviews
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05 Jun 2012
goddessjoy's Dwarf English Lavender was Reviewed day 33
This may be a dwarf version of the oh so traditional English Lavender, but don’t let that fool you. The scent on this plant is amazing! It packs just as much punch as it’s full sized brother, and is just as easy to care for.
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04 May 2012
LLB's Lavender 'Hidcote' was Reviewed day 2941
Getting too woody. As new growth is coming in, trimmed long branches back to base.
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29 May 2011
Amarylis's Lavender was
Reviewed day 61
Ma Lavender seedlings in the GH on the allotment are doing well. They were very tiny little seeds & I honestly didn’t expect them to grow. But they did germinate & quite easily in a fairly short time as well! My problem now is where to plant them!
I t
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11 May 2011
graibeard's Lavender (Avonview) was Reviewed day 861
Very showy and a great bee attractor, more so than the English lavender here. Worth it for the bee aspect alone!
Lavender care instructions
How long does Lavender take to grow?
When should I plant Lavender?
Our when to plant Lavender estimates are relative to your last frost date. Enter your frost dates and we'll calculate your sowing and planting dates for you!
Footnotes
Popular varieties of Lavender
- Munstead
- English
- Hidcote
- lady
- Vera
- Goodwin Creek
- Hidcote Blue
- Dwarf Munstead
- Provence Blue
- The Fragrant Lavender
View the complete variety list for Lavender »
Lavender Tags
Lavender Forums
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This group is dedicated to talking about our experiences growing Lavender. There are many species & some are known mo...
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