Planting Lavender : Everything You Need To Know in 5 Minutes

So, you’re bringing home a baby lavender plant—how exciting! We've done it 10,000 times, so we know a thing or two about planting. 😉 Whether this is your first lavender plant or you’re adding to a growing collection, we want to set you up for success. We feel no greater joy than looking out at a blooming field. These little plugs may look tiny now, but with the right care, they’ll thrive into beautiful, fragrant plants. They will bring you joy for years to come.

Here’s everything you need to know about caring for your new lavender baby!

The Excitement of Bringing Home Your Lavender Plant

The journey of bringing home a new lavender plant is filled with anticipation. Many first-time plant parents wonder if they can provide the right environment. To successfully raise your new addition to the garden, take the time to absorb the essential care steps. Let’s dive in!

Step One: Where To Plant Lavender

When you bring your baby lavender home, it wants to settle in quickly. Map out the driest, sunniest, and most barren spot in your garden. This will be your lavender's new home address. Lavender prefers low-nitrate, arid soil, at least 8 hours of direct sunlight, and minimal water. In simple terms, this is a challenging environment for most plants. Think dry, sandy soil that has been baking in the sun for some time.

Step Two: Preparing for Planting

After you've determined your baby's new home, remove it from its little biodegradable peat pot. Gently untangle the roots and ensure they are spread nicely. If you notice any issues, use a gentle but firm massage with your fingers. Inspect your lavender from root to leaf for any foreign stowaways like insects or mold. We pride ourselves in only offering extremely high-quality plants, but we only have so much power over nature! Luckily, lavender tends to be extremely pest-resistant, but it’s always good to be cautious.

Your baby should look like this when you bring it home:

• Damp, not wet soil.

• Upright, confident position.

• Sage green color with a silvery sheen.

• Plump, hydrated foliage.

• Long, hearty, white roots.

• No hitchhikers, discoloration, or withered appearance.

• Identification tag.

  
  

If you have any concerns about your plant, please contact us!

Once everything checks out, dig a hole a little deeper and wider than necessary—somewhere around 6 to 10 inches. Loosening the soil helps with aeration, making it easier for the roots to establish. When backfilling, press the soil in firmly, but don’t pack it too tightly. You want just enough soil to cover the roots without burying any green growth.

After planting, water the soil thoroughly. The trick is to water deeply every once in a while, rather than lightly every day. Wait until the soil is completely dry before you water again to prevent diseases like root rot.

We use augers attached to power drills to digs our holes for planting. It's so convenient - just watch out for rocks!

Quick Tips for Planting Lavender

• If your soil is too rich for lavender's liking, amend it with a mixture of sand and gravel. This helps lavender avoid nutrient overload and promotes better drainage.

• While we don’t recommend planting lavender in containers, there has been success with raised beds. If you're planting anywhere but the earth, proceed with caution. Ensure there's no standing water, and allow enough room for your lavender to stretch its roots.

• Lavender needs personal space—be sure to give it at least 12 to 18 inches of breathing room from other plants.

  
  

Step Three: Long-Term Care for Lavender

Once settled, lavender is very low-maintenance. Here’s how to keep it happy:

Watering: After establishment, lavender is drought-tolerant. Water deeply but infrequently, only when the soil is fully dry. Overwatering is the #1 way to kill lavender! For the first season, we water our plants deeply every few days, especially during scorching July temperatures. After the first year, the rain should do most of the work. Just keep an eye out for dry spells!

Pruning: In the first year, the goal is encouraging growth rather than shaping and pruning. If necessary, give your plant a light trim in early spring to promote strong roots.

After your first (or even second) year, it’s time to prune. We prefer keeping our plants in an ornamental dome shape and often use electric trimmers. Remember that a lavender plant has two components: soft, leafy green foliage and a strong, woody interior. ONLY cut the green foliage; never healthy wood.

To check for damage, massage a woody area of your plant. If the foliage easily comes off or the section seems bald, it may be dying. If the wood is brittle and breaks, trim the affected area with shears. This is the plant's "skeleton," essential for its health during winter, so conservative pruning is necessary.

These are the trimmers we use to do our annual spring pruning - So much better than manual shears when you have a whole field to focus on!

Harvesting Your Lavender

Patience is key! Lavender is a slow grower at first but will take off in its second year. Sometimes, the little plants get confused and decide to grow a few little sprigs in their first year. If your baby is doing well, feel free to explore its growth potential! If you have concerns about its health or size, it’s best to deadhead the sprigs so the plant can focus its energy on its roots.

🥹 New baby VERY proud of its single sprig.

Once your plant is fully established, it will produce about four half-dollar-sized bundles each year. If you choose to harvest, do it in early to mid-July. Lavender has the strongest value and scent when just a few flowers have opened. Higher essential oil content is found in closed buds, while a few open flowers show maturity. You can also keep it as an ornamental plant and let all the flowers bloom.

When harvesting, cut between the first and second set of leaves, working downward. Cutting too deep forces the plant to use extra energy to recover. This method also saves time since it doubles as both harvesting and pruning—win-win!

A very very small fraction of our harvest-just a few plants!

A Final Note on Lavender Care

With a little patience and the right care, your tiny lavender baby will soon become a lush, fragrant beauty. You'll have more lavender than you will know what to do with! (At first - we can share many ways to use your lavender that might inspire you to start a farm yourself! 😉) If you ever need help, just reach out—we love to spread the lavender love!

Happy planting, and we can’t wait to see how your lavender grows!