Lavender Selection Guide: How to Choose Which Lavender to Plant | NatureHills.com

Lavender has always been a bit of an enigma to me. I love it, but keeping it happy can sometimes seem impossible. Just this year, I’ve gotten exactly one lavender plant to come back for me, and look if that isn’t a reason to celebrate I don’t know what is.

So are lavender plants hard to grow? Not really, but they do have some set-in-stone requirements. For example, they do well in full sun, hot, well-draining locations. You need all three to be successful. Not one, not two, three.

Now, here’s the tricky part, when they’re first planted, you need to keep them watered so they establish. It can feel like walking a fine line so keep the finger test in mind. That’s where you stick your finger into the soil at the base of the plant up to the second knuckle. If it’s damp, skip the water but if it’s dry, go ahead and give it a big drink. Once they’re growing on their own, you can start to back off on the watering.

If you live in growing zones 3 and 4, lavender is going to be an annual for you. This certainly doesn’t mean you can’t grow it, but you will have to replace it each year.

Now, once you get into zone 5, you can start to think about adding lavender as a perennial part of your landscape. However, make sure to plant them somewhere the soil doesn’t stay too wet in the winter–this will kill your lavender plant. Provence, English Munstead, Hidcote, Sensational, and Phenomenal Lavender are all great options for zone 5 dwellers and as far south as zone 9.

Sensational is my personal favorite because it’s the one I’ve been most successful with here in zone 5. It grows 2-3 feet tall and wide and has purple flowers and really unique silvery foliage.

English Munstead is a gardener favorite for its purple flower spikes and true green foliage. It’s known to be fairly long-lived for a lavender with blooms extending longer than other varieties – especially when deadheaded.

As you go a little further south to zone 6 – you will also have options like Blue Spear and Avignon Early Blue lavender to choose from. Both are great if you’re working with less space because they’ll only get to be about 10-12 inches tall and wide. They can be used interchangeably for the most part.

Once you get to growing zone 7, the lavender plants with the classically recognizable flower plumes become perennial options. Varieties like Otto Quast and Primavera are both hardy from zones 7 through 9. Otto Quast grows to be 2-3 feet tall and wide with Primavera topping out at 18-20 inches tall and 15-18 inches wide. Make sure to pick the lavender that’ll fit in the spot you’ve chosen so you don’t have to end up moving (and trying to establish) them again.

Finally, if you’re lucky enough to live in zones 8, 9, 10, and even 11, French Lavender is for you. Everything from the gray-green foliage, to the two-toned purple flowers and even the strong fragrance, screams lavender.

If you live in the warmer zones and can grow most of these varieties – then I’m super jealous. And if you’re like me and live a little far north for the last few lavender varieties, consider adding one or two in a container up on the patio or deck. They make great annual additions to the decor. Just make sure the container has good drainage and is set out in a sunny hot location.

Hopefully, this helps you on your lavender selection journey. Do you have a favorite variety or one you’ve had good success with? Let me know down in the comments (bonus points if it’s one I can try here in zone 5).

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Until next time, happy planting!

[ourcozygarden]

Happy to say, we successfully grew lavender here in Zone 3b and it survived last winter - English Lavender "Munstead". Placed on a sunny, south-facing fence (full sun) in well-draining soil. Covered with snow (as much as possible) over winter for additional winter chill protection.

[GardenDoodles]

We’ve never been successful at growing lavender no matter how many times we’ve tried. We got close with Sweet Romance but it too didn’t survive our zone 5 winter. At this point we have given up on it but hearing you say Sensational and Phenomenal varieties are good for zone 5 we may have to take another look. Thank you.

[farialmahbub]

Hello! Im in zone 10. What kind of lavender did you show at timestamp 3:15? Ive seen other kinds but not that one at the stores (unless the look different when they grow than when in the nursery).

[sterlgirlceline]

❓I live on the Oregon Coast in zone 9b, about a mile inland from the ocean . Is there any lavendar type that might grow here?

[asphaltfarmer]

Hi, I'm in zone 6b, is this an OK zone for lavender plants?