French lavender

Sun

Full sun; choose an open position with good air circulation.

Water

Water regularly while establishing, then deeply but infrequently, allowing the soil to dry between waterings. Container plants need more frequent checks.

Soil

Sharply drained, sandy or gravelly soil of low to moderate fertility; neutral to alkaline conditions suit it well. Avoid heavy, persistently damp soil.

Height

2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m)

Spread

3-4 ft (0.9-1.2 m)

Flowers

Lavender-purple spikes, usually from late spring through autumn; flowering can continue intermittently through winter in frost-free climates.

Foliage

Evergreen. Aromatic, narrow grey-green leaves with conspicuously toothed edges.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Low allergen
• Fragrant

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.8 ft (0.55 m)

3. After 2 years

   2 ft (0.6 m)

4. After 3 years

   2.1 ft (0.65 m)

5. After 5 years

   2.5 ft (0.75 m)

   full size

About 5 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Growth rate

Moderate

• Plant after frost risk has passed, keeping the crown at soil level rather than burying it.
• Let the soil dry between thorough waterings; never leave a pot standing in water.
• Avoid rich manure and routine feeding; give container plants only a light spring feed if growth is weak.
• Use a thin gravel mulch and keep it clear of the woody stems.
• In cold climates, grow it in a pot and overwinter in a bright, cool, frost-free place.

Pruning. Trim lightly after a main flush of flowers to remove spent spikes and keep a rounded shape. In spring, shorten leafy shoots if needed, but do not cut hard into bare old wood, which may not regrow.

Spring

Once frost risk has passed, plant out or gradually return overwintered pots outdoors.

Late spring

Remove dead tips and lightly shape established plants, retaining green leaves below each cut.

Summer

Check pots frequently and water when the compost has dried appreciably; water established borders only during prolonged dry spells.

Summer

Trim faded flower spikes to encourage further flowering and take non-flowering cuttings.

Autumn

Move pots under cover before frost and check that outdoor plants have unobstructed drainage.

Winter

Keep sheltered plants in strong light and water sparingly, without allowing the root ball to become completely dry.

• Use as a low, informal edging beside sunny paths where its scented foliage is within reach.
• Repeat through gravel gardens with rock roses and ornamental grasses for contrasting foliage and a long flowering season.
• Grow in free-draining pots on sunny terraces, especially where winter shelter is needed.
• Plant in loose groups on warm slopes or raised beds with rosemary and santolina.

Garden styles it suits: Mediterranean, Modern Mediterranean, Dry gravel garden, Modern courtyard, Sensory garden and Pollinator garden.

Plant it with: Rosemary, Santolina, Rock rose, Lamb's ears, Blue fescue and Bearded iris.

Wildlife: Flowers provide nectar for bees and other pollinating insects. Avoid spraying open flowers.

• Root and crown rot in wet soil: improve drainage or move to a raised bed or free-draining container; avoid watering against the crown.
• Frost damage: shelter pots before freezing weather and wait until spring growth starts before removing damaged shoots.
• Leggy, bare growth: provide full sun and trim lightly each year; replace badly woody plants rather than cutting into leafless stems.
• Whitefly on sheltered plants: inspect leaf undersides, improve ventilation and use an insecticidal soap labelled for the pest if necessary.

Lavender is considered toxic to cats, dogs and horses if eaten; leaves and flowers contain aromatic compounds that may cause digestive upset. Concentrated essential oil presents a greater risk and should not be applied to pets. It is not generally considered poisonous to people through normal garden handling, though the oils can irritate sensitive skin; do not ingest essential oil.

• Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas)

  Also sold as French lavender, but it has smooth-edged leaves and usually much larger, flag-like bracts above compact flower heads.

• English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

  Has narrow, smooth-edged leaves and slender flower spikes without a conspicuous tuft of purple bracts; it is much more cold-hardy.

• Fernleaf lavender (Lavandula multifida)

  Its leaves are deeply divided into fine, fern-like segments rather than having the simple toothed margins of French lavender.

The species name dentata means toothed, referring to the conspicuous teeth along the leaf edges.

Propagation. Take non-flowering softwood or semi-ripe cuttings in late spring or summer and root in a gritty, free-draining medium. Seed is possible, but named forms may not come true.

Accepted botanical name

Lavandula dentata

Native range

Algeria, Baleares, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Yemen.

Measured

Average height 100 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.