Lavender

Lavender: plant 45 cm (18 in) apart in the row and 45 cm (18 in) between rows, 1 per square. Good neighbours: Apple tree, Pear tree, Plum tree.

Key facts

Spacing in the row	45 cm (18 in)
Between rows	45 cm (18 in)
In a 30 cm (1 ft) square	1 per square
Sun	Full sun, 6–8 hours a day
Root depth	40 cm (16 in)
Height when grown	55 cm (22 in)
Crop rotation group	Herbs, flowers and perennials
Support	None needed

Sowing and germination

How it is started	From cuttings, started in trays
Seeds per hole	3
Plants kept after thinning	1
Sowing depth	0.5 cm (0.2 in)
Soil temperature	from 13 °C, best 18–24 °C
Days to emerge	21–40 days
Light while germinating	Needs light, barely cover
Before sowing	Chill moist for a few weeks
When to plant	Indoors 6 weeks before the last frost; outdoors after the last frost; soil at least 12 °C

From seedling to plant

After emergence	16–22 °C; take the cover off as soon as they show
Pricking out	at 2 true leaves
Takes transplanting	Easily
Hardening off	7–10 days
Life cycle	Perennial
Cold tolerance	Takes a light frost → hardy, takes hard frost
Soil	Light, sandy, free draining, pH 6.5–8
In a pot	5 L, 20 cm (7.9 in)
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down
Feeding	Little; at planting
Support and training	None needed; prune

Harvest and planning

Days to first harvest	1–2 years, from planting
Ready when	The flowers are just open
Harvest window	All at once, 3–5 weeks
Typical yield	0.2–0.6 kg per plant
Botanical family	Lamiaceae
Watch out for	Aphids, powdery mildew
First crop after	2–3 years
Pollination	Fruits on its own

Good neighbours

◐ good with a condition · Why, with the sources →

Plan Lavender in your garden

Open the free planner, drop Lavender onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

Start Planning Your Garden

Sowing and harvest

Plant out	Apr–May
Harvest	Jun–Aug

My dates for this crop

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

What to plant next to Lavender →

From the same family

Plants of the Lamiaceae family share diseases and pests, so they follow each other in the rotation only after a break.

Grown much the same way

Crops that need about the same room and care, from another family.

What to plant after Lavender

Crops that still have time to grow on the same spot once it is lifted, from another rotation group.

Sources

The values on this page marked as checked come from these sources: spacing, sowing depth, germination, soil, timing and safety notes, each against the source named here.

Culinary Use and Culture of Herbs (from the California Master Gardener Handbook; R10/2019) — UC Cooperative Extension, Master Gardeners of Orange County for: between rows, spacing in the row; checked 2026-10-30

More in Herbs and flowers

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