How to grow Lavender in the UK
Smells amazing and buzzes with bees all summer. Comes back every year.
- DifficultyEasy peasy
- WhereBeds or Pots
- Sunfull sun
- Grows to60cm
- Spacing45cm
- Time to first pickabout 8 weeks
- Typeshrub
When to sow, plant and harvest lavender
| Plant | early April to late June or early September to late September |
|---|---|
| In flower | mid June to late August |
Dates are for central England. Sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland, and up to two weeks earlier in the south and south west. Get the dates for your postcode.
Planting it
- Water your new plants in their pots first
- Dig a hole a bit bigger than the pot
- Tip the plant out gently, holding the leaves, not the stem
- Pop it in the hole, firm the soil around it, and water well
- Space the plants about 45cm apart each way
Top tips for growing lavender
- It hates wet, heavy soil - mix in grit, or grow it in a pot.
- Trim it after flowering, but never cut into the old brown wood.
Looking after lavender
- Week 10: Trim your lavender after it's flowered - just the flower stalks and a little leaf
Soil and feeding
Poor soil - really!. Nasturtiums flower best in poor soil. Feed them and you get all leaves and no flowers.
Harvesting and eating lavender
Cut stalks when the first flowers open and hang them upside down to dry - lovely in a bag in your drawer.
Companion planting
Grows well with
- Strawberries: bees galore for more berries
- Raspberries: bees for more berries
- Blueberries: bees for more berries
- Kale: its smell may confuse cabbage white butterflies
Saving your own lavender seed
Late spring or summer.
- Snip a soft, non-flowering shoot about 10cm long, just below a leaf
- Pull off the bottom leaves and push it into a small pot of gritty compost
- Cover with a clear plastic bag and keep it out of hot sun
- In 4-8 weeks it grows roots - a new plant
Where to buy lavender plants
Thompson & Morgan · Suttons · Amazon
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Lavender questions
When do I plant out lavender?
Plant lavender out from early April to late June or early September to late September.
When can I enjoy lavender?
Lavender is ready from mid June to late August. Cut stalks when the first flowers open and hang them upside down to dry - lovely in a bag in your drawer.
How long do lavender take to grow?
Roughly 8 weeks from sowing or planting until the first harvest.
Are lavender easy to grow?
Lavender are rated 'easy peasy' for beginners, and can be grown in the ground or a raised bed or in pots and containers.
Plan your own garden: it tells you what to do and when, for your postcode.
Start growing - it's free