English lavender
English lavender and French lavender are different plants with different winters. Angustifolia is properly hardy and is the one for a low hedge; stoechas, with the two rabbit-ear petals on top of the flower, flowers earlier and longer but is cut down by a wet cold winter more often than a dry one.
Both die the same way: from kindness. Rich soil, a mulch against the stems and a summer of rain will rot a lavender faster than any pest, and a plant that has been left unpruned for three years cannot be brought back, because it will not break from bare wood.
Common lavender
Common lavender
Water sparingly even in the first season — overwatering is the most common cause of new lavender failing.
Care
Essential for compact growth and best scent.
Drought-tolerant once established; dislikes wet feet more than dry soil.
Free-draining, poor to moderately fertile soil; add grit if soil is heavy clay. Avoid rich, moisture-retentive soil, which causes soft growth prone to rot.
Trim after flowering in late summer, cutting back into the current season's leafy growth but never into old bare wood, which won't reshoot. A light spring trim keeps plants compact.
Don't feed. Lavender comes from poor, stony ground and answers a fertile, well-fed soil with soft, sappy growth, fewer flowers, weaker scent and much worse winter survival. A gritty top dressing is more use than any fertiliser.
Semi-ripe cuttings in late summer: a 7-10cm non-flowering side-shoot, lower leaves stripped, in very gritty peat-free compost kept just moist. Lavender is short-lived, so striking a few every couple of years is the sensible way to keep a planting going.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- MarchLight spring trim into leafy growth. how ›
- JuneAvoid spraying at flowering time — bees rely on it.
- AugustMain trim after flowering finishes. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchLight spring trim into leafy growth. how ›
- JuneAvoid spraying at flowering time — bees rely on it.
- AugustMain trim after flowering finishes. how ›
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. From over-hard pruning into old wood.
What to do. Never cut back that far; replace plants every 8-10 years.
How to spot it. In wet soil.
What to do. Improve drainage.
How to spot it. Die-back.
What to do. Remove and dispose of affected material.
French lavenderSpanish lavender
French lavender
Protect with fleece or move under cover in the first winter especially, if a hard frost is forecast.
Care
Sheltered — less hardy than English lavender; benefits from a warm wall in colder gardens.
Drought-tolerant.
As angustifolia — sharp drainage is essential.
Trim lightly after the main flush of flowers, and again in spring; avoid autumn pruning, which reduces winter hardiness.
No feeding. As with the hardy lavenders, richness is the enemy — and on this less hardy species soft growth going into winter is what kills the plant outright.
Semi-ripe cuttings in late summer, kept frost-free over winter. Worth doing as a matter of course: in a cold or wet winter the parent may not survive, and rooted cuttings are the insurance.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- MarchSpring trim, removing frost-damaged tips. how ›
- JulyTrim after main flowering. how ›
- NovemberMove potted plants under cover for winter in cold areas. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. Blackened growth after frost.
What to do. Protect, or grow in a movable pot.
How to spot it. In wet winters.
What to do. Improve drainage.
Popular varieties
Questions
English lavender: is it hardy?
Common lavender: H5: Hardy in most of the UK, but can struggle in the coldest inland or upland spots. It survives down to −15 °C. French lavender: H4: Hardy through an average UK winter. It survives down to −10 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
Common lavender: Does very well in a pot with added grit for sharp drainage. French lavender: Often the safer choice in colder gardens, since pots can be moved to shelter.
English lavender: when do you prune it?
Common lavender: Trim after flowering in late summer, cutting back into the current season's leafy growth but never into old bare wood, which won't reshoot. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in March, August. French lavender: Trim lightly after the main flush of flowers, and again in spring; avoid autumn pruning, which reduces winter hardiness. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in March, July.
English lavender: when does it flower?
Common lavender: In the climate of UK it flowers in June–August. French lavender: In the climate of UK it flowers in May–July.
When do you feed it?
Common lavender: Don't feed. Lavender comes from poor, stony ground and answers a fertile, well-fed soil with soft, sappy growth, fewer flowers, weaker scent and much worse winter survival. A gritty top dressing is more use than any fertiliser. French lavender: No feeding. As with the hardy lavenders, richness is the enemy — and on this less hardy species soft growth going into winter is what kills the plant outright.