Growing lavender brings a beautiful aroma to your dome, a delicious herb to your kitchen and can be a source of income as well.
- Family: Lamiaceae
- Botanical Name: Lavandula spp. (many varieties)
- Common Name: Lavender
- Type: Herbaceous, Perennial
- Light: Full sun
- Soil pH: 7.5 to 9 (alkaline)
- Zone: 5-9 (USDA) – Can be extended in a dome
- Size: 2-3 feet tall and 2-4 feet wide
Growing Lavender
Growing lavender is easy in well-draining soil. Lavender is drought tolerant, attracts many pollinators, smells divine and has many uses. NOTE: Lavender can be toxic to pets.
Best Location in a Dome for Growing Lavender
Lavender needs full sun with plenty of growing space around it. The plants can grow from 1 to 3 feet in diameter and can be grown in pots or containers.
Planting Lavender
Plant lavender in warm soil and full sun.
If planting by seed, barely cover the seeds with soil. Just ⅛ inch of soil is enough covering for the seeds. Space the seeds by 2 inches. Thin seedlings to give them 6 inches of space. They need full sun and consistent watering.
Loosen the soil around the root ball. Water well the first growing season.
Care and Feeding of Lavender Plants
Lavender is happiest with full sun. It is NOT tolerant of shade or overcrowding from other plants. It is an easy keeper and does not need fertilizing, staking or mulching.
Mature lavender plants are drought tolerant and can develop root rot and fungal disease with overwatering. Water young plants consistently in their first growing season.
As lavender grows the stems become woody. The most fragrant flowers are produced on the youngest stems. How do you encourage that? Deadheading spent blossoms will help. Prune plants that are 2-years and older in the spring. Cut them back by one-third to bring new growth. Prune older lavender plants in the fall after they are done blooming.
Pruning helps to shape them to fit best in your garden. Don’t forget you can use the trimmed branches for crafts and more.
Growing Lavender – Best Companion Plants
Companion plants help the plants in your dome thrive! As far as lavender is concerned, consider the growing environment. Established lavender plants are drought tolerant and need full sun. What else fits those requirements? Thyme, rosemary, strawberries, oregano, sage, alliums, yarrow, coneflower and bell peppers. These are some of the plants that grow well with lavender.
Sage shares the same soil needs, has a strong scent and complements lavender visually with it’s different texture.
Thyme is a low growing plant that doesn’t won’t crowd lavender. It is drought tolerant.
Consider planting oregano near your lavender. It is low growing, drought tolerant, and deters aphids and small flies.
Strawberry plants attract pollinators. Lavender can help strawberries with their fruit production and that’s a win-win!
Did you know that pollinators like to have a variety of flower choices? Yarrow is a nice complement to lavender with the different flower shapes. There are many different colors.
Growing Lavender – Managing Pests and Diseases
Lavender plants are hardy and do not get “pestered” much. Overwatering can cause fungal diseases that cause root and stem rot.
Septoria leaf spot can be spread from tomato plants. Water at the base of the plants rather than wetting the leaves.
Garden pests that are attracted to lavender are whiteflies, spider mites, leafhoppers and spittle bugs. Spray water or insecticidal soaps to deter them. Neem oil is an option. Lavender will attract beneficial insects and pollinators and is usually deer-resistant.
Growing Lavender – Harvesting
Harvest lavender when the buds are first opening. Lavender is prized for its fragrance, which remains after it dries.
Lavender is best harvested in the morning as the oils are the most concentrated.
Tie the harvested branches together and hang them upside down. The best location is somewhere dry and warm with good ventilation. There are many recipes and crafts to create with dried lavender…take a look!
The History of Growing Lavender
Lavender has been growing in the Mediterranean region for over 2,500 years. The ancient Greeks realized it had medicinal properties and began using it for headaches and indigestion. The Egyptians used it as a perfume in the mummification process.
The first record of lavender as a medicinal plant is from the Greek military physician Dioscorides in 77 AD. He collected medicinal plants all around the Mediterranean and wrote about them in a 5-volume work titled De Materia Medica. He described the many uses of lavender including the treatment of wounds and burns.
Lavender in The Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages lavender was not in use much. Monasteries had physics gardens and they preserved herbal lore. Merton Abbey became the center of lavender production in Mitcham, England. Lavender is mentioned in the records of Merton Priory dated 1301 as being a cash crop for King Edward I.
After Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries, lavender was grown in domestic gardens. It was used for fragrance, cleaning and medicinally.
The Renaissance Period of Lavender
During the Renaissance, lavender was considered to offer protection against infections. Some glove makers were even licensed to perfume their products with lavender. Those glove makers even seemed to escape cholera!
The Victorian Era of Lavender
In the Victorian era, Mitcham, a London suburb, was a mecca for lavender production. Increasing land values in the area almost wiped out lavender production in England.
Lavender was a favorite with the monarchy. Queen Victoria even appointed Miss Sarah Sprules as “Purvey of Lavender Essence to the Queen”. It was quite posh amongst the ladies of England.
Lavender was used to perfume wardrobes, for cleaning and to treat lice. Young ladies wore small sachets of lavender in their cleavage to attract suitors. Unfortunately, it was overused and fell out of favor as the next generation associated it with old ladies.
In the United States the Quakers were growing lavender commercially.
Present Day Lavender
Nowadays, Provence, France, is leading the world in lavender production. It is popular again in part thanks to Rene Gattefosse, one of the founders of modern aromatherapy. He burned his hand working in his lab. His wounds started to smell of gangrene and he remembered learning that lavender could heal burns. He used lavender oil and his wounds healed with almost no evidence of the burns. (Remember that lavender oil had been used to dress war wounds.)
Lavender is recognized for its beautiful fragrance and its ability to induce sleep and ease stress. It has many benefits in the home as a medicine, tea, for baking and for cleaning. It is a popular essential oil and a great addition to a greenhouse or kitchen garden.
Lavender Trivia
- Lavender is often called “English lavender” as it grows well in the English climate. Mitcham, England was the center of lavender production.
- Lavender represents purity, serenity, devotion and calmness. That makes it wonderful choice to include in wedding bouquets!
- Looking for a bug repellent? Lavender oil is used as a safe alternative to chemical bug repellents.
- Queen Victoria had her furniture cleaned using a lavender-based solution.
- Ancient Greeks called lavender nárdos after the Syrian city Naarda.
- In Roman times, lavender flowers were sold for 100 denarii per pound. That was about the same as a month’s wages for a farm laborer, or fifty haircuts from the local barber. Maybe that’s why they let their hair grow long…
- Lavandula means things to be washed, or from lavāre from the verb lavo (to wash). Lavender was used to bathe and to purify the spirit.
Growing Lavender – Health Benefits
Lavender is full of medicinal benefits and is a great herb for use in the kitchen and around the home. It is known for its use in aromatherapy. There are many lavender farms and festivals as its popularity grows.
Lavender is used as an essential oil, an extract, as tea, or the plant itself. It is considered the jack-of-all-trades in the herbal health community. What can lavender do for you? Lavender is an anti-inflammatory, calms the nervous system, and kills viruses and bacteria.
Lavender essential oil can be used in baths, to make a body spray, or as a massage oil. To use lavender oil on your skin, dilute it with another type of oil. Some possible options are almond oil, coconut oil, jojoba or olive oil. Note: Lavender essential oil should NOT be taken orally.
Do you suffer from migraines? Inhaling lavender essential oil for 15 minutes can help reduce migraine headache pain.
Can lavender help you with better sleep? A study in 2019 suggested using the calming scent of lavender-infused fragrances as aromatherapy. Lavender may improve your body’s melatonin levels.
More Benefits of Lavender
Why does lavender work? Lavender, like many other medicinal plants, contains a variety of active chemicals. The combination of these chemicals makes this plant work as a medicinal gem. The chemicals in lavender are: polyphenols (romarinic acid), flavonoids (apigenin) and volatile aromatics.
Healthline offers this important tip: “Before taking any plant at a medicinal level, always consult a registered medical herbalist and inform your healthcare provider if you’re taking medication or have a health condition.”
Lavender Farm Tours
For a map of lavender farms open for tours, click on this link of members farms. Review of the 12 Lavender Farms to Visit
For more information on all things lavender, visit the United States Lavender Growers Association.
We hope you enjoyed this article about growing lavender. Happy growing!
