Spanish lavender

Sun

Full sun; flowering and compact growth are best with at least six hours of direct sunlight daily.

Water

Water regularly during establishment, letting the soil dry between waterings. Established plants need little supplemental water in the ground; containers need more frequent checks.

Soil

Very well-drained, sandy or gravelly soil, preferably slightly acidic to neutral. Avoid heavy, waterlogged soil and unnecessary lime.

Height

1-3 ft (0.3-0.9 m)

Spread

1-3 ft (0.3-0.9 m)

Flowers

Mainly spring to early summer, sometimes repeating later; deep purple flower heads with purple or mauve upright bracts. Cultivars also offer pink and white shades.

Foliage

Evergreen. Narrow, grey-green leaves with a strong, resinous lavender scent when brushed.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Medium

• Plant after hard frosts have passed, keeping the crown at soil level.
• Water the root zone rather than repeatedly wetting the foliage; let the surface soil dry before watering again.
• Use pots with generous drainage holes and a gritty, free-draining potting mix.
• Avoid rich feeding; give container plants only a light feed in spring if growth is weak.
• Use gravel mulch rather than moisture-holding mulch against the stems.
• In colder areas, move containers to a bright, cool, frost-free place for winter.

Pruning. After the main flowering flush, remove spent flower stalks and lightly shorten leafy shoots to keep the plant compact. Never cut hard into bare old wood, and avoid heavy pruning before winter.

Early spring

Check for winter damage and trim dead tips once new growth shows which stems are alive.

Spring

Plant after hard frosts, choosing full sun and sharply drained soil.

Late spring

Check newly planted shrubs and containers for dry soil; water deeply when needed.

Early summer

Remove faded flower heads and lightly shape the leafy growth after the main display.

Late summer

Take semi-ripe cuttings from healthy, non-flowering shoots.

Autumn

Check drainage and shelter vulnerable containers before frost; stop feeding and avoid hard pruning.

• Edge sunny gravel paths with low, aromatic mounds that release scent when brushed.
• Group in terracotta pots on a sunny patio, keeping each pot freely drained.
• Combine with rosemary, rockrose and santolina for a dry Mediterranean border.
• Repeat small groups among rocks and pale gravel to contrast purple flowers with silver foliage.

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

Plant it with: Rosemary, Santolina, Rockrose, Thyme, Yarrow and Catmint.

Wildlife: Flowers attract bees and other nectar-feeding insects. Dense foliage provides some shelter for small invertebrates.

• Root and crown rot in wet soil: improve drainage, keep mulch away from the crown and replace badly affected plants.
• Frost damage: choose a sheltered site and move containers under cover where winter temperatures exceed its tolerance.
• Woody, open growth: lightly trim leafy shoots after flowering each year; replace plants that have become bare because old wood rarely regrows well.
• Grey mould in damp, crowded conditions: remove affected material, improve spacing and avoid overhead watering.

Treat leaves, flowers and especially essential oil as potentially toxic to cats, dogs and horses if swallowed; signs can include digestive upset and reduced appetite. Small accidental nibbles are generally less concerning than concentrated oil, which can cause serious poisoning. Spanish lavender is not a culinary substitute for English lavender; swallowing its camphor-rich oil can also poison people.

Where it spreads. An invasive environmental weed in parts of southern Australia, notably Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, where it can spread into pasture and native vegetation. Weed declarations and planting restrictions vary by jurisdiction; check local rules before planting.

• English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

  Has slender flower spikes without the large upright bracts; it is generally more cold-hardy.

• Fringed lavender (Lavandula dentata)

  Has clearly toothed leaf margins, unlike the mostly smooth-edged leaves of Spanish lavender; it is also often called French lavender.

• Portuguese topped lavender (Lavandula pedunculata)

  Usually carries its bract-topped flower heads on much longer stalks above the foliage; it was formerly treated as a subspecies of Spanish lavender.

The epithet stoechas comes from the ancient Greek name for the Hyères islands off southern France, where this lavender grows wild.

Propagation. Take semi-ripe cuttings from non-flowering shoots in late summer and root them in a gritty propagation mix. Seed is possible, but named cultivars may not come true.

Accepted botanical name

Lavandula stoechas

In the US and Canada

Introduced in the lower 48 states.

Native range

Algeria, Baleares, Corse, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., France, Greece, Italy, Kriti, Lebanon-Syria, Morocco and Palestine.

Measured

Soil pH 4.5 to 5. Average height 75 cm.

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