PlantFiles: English Lavender
Lavandula angustifolia

My English Lavender grows like crazy every year. Ten years ago it was just a little four inch potted herb. It is now five feet across and I have had to prune it severly several times in the last ten years. Although lavender is a drought tolerant plant, mine gets fertilized as often as the rest of the garden and when it is blooming, I keep it watered. So mine gets a far denser mass of blooms than it would otherwise. After I cut all of the first bloom off, I continue to keep it watered and fed while the weather is still warm because it will continue to put out new flower spikes. Never as much as the first time of the year, but the bees certainly appreciate it's continued offerings.

This is one of my favourite plants. It is quick growing, fragrant, beautiful, and attracts bees.
I grow it both in Krapets, Bulgaria (zone 7b) on the Black Sea coast, and in a container in Sofia, Bulgaria (zone 6b) at 2300 feet AMSL. It is excellent in both acid and alkaline soils, although it is most at home in alkaline soils.
Ever since I started growing English Lavender, I have tried to plant as many plants as my garden would contain. I even planted six of them around a Hardy Japanese Orange and think the combination of the hanging yellow citrus fruit and the upright spikes of English Lavender will look fantastic.
And, as an additional asset, the flower spikes can be harvested and put into cloth bags in your wardrobe to act as an excellent moth repellent.

I am in northern MN and have had great success with my lavender. My trick is to border my plants with rocks twice the size of my fist. The rocks store heat and keep my plants happy in the evening.

Can anyone identify this plant - It is labeled Lavender in the nurseries in California, but it doesn't look like English Lavender pictured here. My plant has narrow spikey leaves and has only one tiny purple flower at the end of the stems. It does smell like lavender - if my dog rubs against it looking for her ball, she smells great!

For the record - I've had this plan for 4-5 years and it is very healthy. My temperature ranges from 20 degrees or below in the winter, 100 or higher in the summer (sigh).

I have this in a clay pot in a location that gets morning and mid-day sun (z8). Was a slow starter but has really come on in size this summer (it's 2nd). Very full. Only bloomed modestly but I'm hopeful for next year. Over wintered just fine outdoors in the pot with some mulch. Very, very little water required.

This plant wintersowed nicely and grows well in my full sun beds.

I have 5 small plants in my front yard by my house which receive full sun all day long. They seem to be doing very well, growing at a modest rate. I am concerned that they might get too much water because we get alot of rain, but the drainage is good, so I will just have to keep my eye on them.

This is my first year to grow this. I have it in a pot on my back porch. I had a few flowers in early summer, but that was it. It has spread to fill the pot though, and I still love to smell the leaves. I am planning to bring the pot indoors this winter and hope it will do better next spring and summer.

In Nevada, lavender requires additional water. I learned the hard way. It still needs good drainage, but it needs lawn-quantity water here, too.

These will not thrive for me. They live a couple years and then they die.

Haven't had much success with this two year old plant. Very finicky watering needs, do not overwater. Foliage has not died back, but has not grown much bigger since I got it. Finally got a few flowers out of it last summer, hopefully it will do more this year. May not be very suitable for North TX, have had more success with the Spanish variety. UPDATE: Finally got a LOT of flowers out of it this year. My plant is 3 yrs old. Took a while to get established but it is very dainty and pretty now. Patience paid off!!

Great scent in the foliage and flowers. Pest and disease resistant. Beautiful flowers. Very drought tolerant. This plant is available in punnets. pokerboy.

I have 3 types of Lavender in my garden. Of the three, this is the most beautiful. It drapes wonderfully over my raised bed. Its smell is lovely. It needs little care, though does best when harvested after flowering. Flowers more than once a season if deadheaded. Needs watering only in drought. Great plant!

Lavender should be pruned back slightly after flowering. English Lavender should be pruned back each spring to about 8" to keep it in nice form. Mine have never attracted white fly.

I live in Northern VA and this plant does GREAT outdoors in a mostly sunny spot. This is the second year we have had the plant (actually 4 of them) and they have great curb appeal, smell terrific and do attract bees. Does anyone know if there are guidelines for pruning these shrubs, such as best time of year, where to cut on the plant, etc? They have grown significantly in just the 2 years and we may need to prune or relocate some of the plants. Thanks

I bought three of these plants, but they brought a tiny white fly to my garden. I do not know how to get rid of this plague in a natural form.

I grow English Lavender, Munstead, and Hidcote Blue. I propogate all by layering. In fact, when planting a new bed, I layer each plant at the very beginning, particularly the Hidcote Blue. I hold each one down with a very large hairclip that keeps the stem in contact with the soil. In this fashion, tiny plants started from seed will go further, as well as purchased plants. They do amazingly well with layering.

I also use layering to replant the middle section of a field which has a tendency to die off. I pull out the middle section and then re-lay towards centre the outside plants. They happily and quickly fill in the missing centre.

This lavender is one of the best for general-purposes. It tastes wonderful in cookies and jelly.

I love to cut this and hang upside down and use to make floral swags. Also use a lot wrapped with pine cones dipped in wax as wonderful hearth accents to later be used as fire starters.