7 Essential Facts About Lavender Plants

Learn helpful tips about growing and caring for lavender plants, including how much sun they need and how long they bloom.

A bumblebee on a lavender plant.nicolagoddard/Getty Images
A bumblebee on a lavender plant

Lavender Comes From a Big Plant Family

Lavender plants are part of the mint family and boast more than 450 varieties found throughout the world. There’s sure to be one that’s right for your flower garden!

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Lavender Plants Have a Long Bloom Time

Depending on the species and season, lavender plants may bloom for up to eight weeks. So you’ll have a long time to enjoy their beauty and fragrance in your garden.

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Lavender Plant Care: Specific Soil Needs

Aromatic lavender plants need well-draining and neutral soil with a pH of about 7, which mimics their native Mediterranean habitat.

Psst—here’s how to find the right potting soil for every plant.

lavender and swallowtailCourtesy Becka Phillips
Swallowtail on lavender

How to Plant Lavender: Give It Space to Grow

Space lavender plants at least 12 inches apart when planting to give the beautiful, wand-like blooms room to spread out and thrive. Learn more about adding lavender to your garden.

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Where to Plant Lavender: Full Sun

Don’t put lavender in your shade garden. To truly flourish, a lavender plant needs at least six hours in the sun per day—longer is even better.

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Lavender Plants Produce an Essential Oil

English lavender plants might produce only 1/4 teaspoon of lavender oil per pound of flower heads. Luckily, other lavender species and cultivars produce much more oil.

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Look for Lavender Down Under

Want the ultimate lavender experience? One of the world’s largest privately owned lavender farms is Australia’s Bridestowe Lavender Estate, with 260 acres of blooming purple beauty. 

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Molly Jasinski
Molly Jasinski is an editor, writer and social media manager for Birds & Blooms. She’s been with the magazine since 2019 and with Trusted Media Brands since 2012. She brings more than 10 years of editorial experience to Birds & Blooms and has a bachelor’s degree in print journalism. In her role, Molly works closely with bird experts Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman and gardening expert Melinda Myers, in addition to the Birds & Blooms freelance writers. Molly was featured in a May 2023 episode of The Thing With Feathers birdwatching podcast. She's a member of the nonprofit Friends of Wehr Nature Center in Franklin, Wisconsin, a popular location for birdwatching in southeastern Wisconsin. She goes out birding often and is still hoping to spot a tufted titmouse in the near future.