Lavender is a nice plant to grow indoors because it thrives in containers and requires little care. It is a native of the Mediterranean region. With their purple blossoms and energizing perfume, lavender plants can also add brightness to your home.
However, if you don’t want your lavender plant to spend the entire year indoors, it’s simple to bring it inside from late fall to early spring and then move it back outside to your herb garden in the summer to get some strong sunlight.
Continue reading for more information on how to take care of your indoor lavender plants.
Can you keep a lavender plant inside?
It’s not ideal to grow lavender indoors, but it is doable if you set up the right conditions, particularly if you’re only attempting to keep plants alive through the winter before moving them back outside when the weather warms in the spring.
Sunlight
The majority of indoor lavender plants don’t exhibit perfect growth, foliage color, or even vibrant blossoms. The issue is light—or the lack thereof. It is difficult to get enough sunshine in indoor surroundings. In the winter, this is particularly true in northern places.
Indoor lavender plants should be placed close to a sunny south-facing window. Use a small table or plant stand to position your plant in the sun since most plants won’t fit on a window ledge. You may also simulate the sun with additional light. There is enough light for development from standard fluorescent tubes positioned 6 to 12 inches over lavender. The T5 kind of high output fluorescent lighting is another option; it produces twice as much light as conventional tubes.
Containers
It’s critical to use the proper size container while growing lavender indoors. The rootball of the plant should only be one to two inches larger than the pot. There is extra dirt in a larger container, but it doesn’t have any roots to assist it absorb moisture. Where the roots of the lavender are located, that soil is prone to becoming waterlogged and becoming overly damp. Many indoor lavender plants perish as a result of root rot, which is the final outcome.
Soil
Since lavender is a Mediterranean plant, it prefers arid conditions. Add a thin layer of soilless mix specifically designed for containers on top of an inch or two of limestone gravel in the bottom of your pot. To give soil a more alkaline edge, mix in one tablespoon of lime. Blend ground, dried eggshells into the top layer of soil once a month to add lime.
Temperature
Although lavender like heat, growing it indoors will be more successful if it is placed away from drafts of hot or cold air, especially in the winter. Consider cultivating lavender indoors throughout the winter in a room that is colder than the rest of the house. Keep roots alive throughout the winter, but avoid forcing vigorous new growth.
Water
After planting, water your lavender, and then reduce the amount. Water only when the soil is dry to the touch and about one inch deep during the milder winter months. When growing lavender indoors, take into account using a terracotta pot. Root rot can be avoided by letting moisture evaporate through the porous clay pot sides.
Plant Type
For indoor use, use miniature lavender cultivars. They fit under a grow light and are better suited to growing in pots. The types of French lavender (Lavandula dentata) thrive well indoors. Although they are less fragrantly powerful than English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), they are more suited to indoor environments. Canary Island lavender (Lavandula canariensis) and fern leaf lavender (Lavandula multifida), which tolerates moist circumstances better than other lavenders, are other good varieties of lavender to grow inside.
Transitioning Outdoors
When there is no longer any risk of frost in the spring, bring lavender outside. Cut back any lanky growth that emerged throughout the winter. To encourage development, cover the soil with a layer of compost and water thoroughly.
How should a lavender plant be cared for indoors?
Europe is the origin of lavender. These plants are prized for their aromatic gray-green foliage and fragrant lavender blossoms, which are used to make perfume and sachets.
It might be difficult to grow it indoors, so use these suggestions to maximize your success.
Placement
Lavender needs as much light as possible to flourish indoors. It will thrive in a south-facing window or somewhere with at least three to four hours of daily direct sunlight. To ensure regular development and flowering, rotate the pot every week. The lavender plant will grow weakly and spindly, stop flowering, and become more prone to disease if not given enough light. While proper ventilation and air circulation are essential indoors, avoid placing the plant in an area where it will be directly exposed to forced-air heat. 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit at night and 70 degrees Fahrenheit during the daytime are the ideal indoor temperatures from spring through mid-fall. Temperatures should be lower from late fall through winter, averaging 60 to 65 degrees F during the day and 45 to 50 degrees F at night. After all threat of frost has passed, it will be beneficial to transplant the lavender plant into a partially shaded outdoor location. It might be planted outside in a sunny spot in the spring. The plant, when fully grown, can withstand temperatures as low as 10 degrees F.
Watering
When watering, soak the soil completely and let it get just a little dry in between applications. Use your finger to probe the ground to check the moisture level. Rot can develop in the soil if it is overwatered or kept permanently damp. However, do not let the soil entirely dry out; else, the lavender will react by turning its bottom leaves yellow. In the spring, if the lavender is transferred outside, keep in mind that it will dry out more quickly and require more frequent watering.
Pruning
Cutting branches to collect flowers encourages bushiness by causing new growth to develop. If you want your plants to be bushier, occasionally tip prune. Be aware that branch tips are where blooms are created, and frequent pruning of the tips can restrict flowering.
The best lavender for indoor use is which one?
French lavender is the best variety to cultivate indoors. French lavenders flower for a longer period of time and can withstand changing indoor temperatures better than other lavender species. Select a smaller type that will fit easily indoors on a window sill, such as Lavandula stoechas ‘Anouk’.
English lavenders frequently do not flower to their full capacity when grown inside, whereas French lavenders can flower for several months.
How many years can a lavender plant live?
Many gardeners in Sonoma County are delighted by the easy-to-grow lavender’s many wonderful attributes. It takes little water and is exceptionally deer resistant. Snakes avoid it. Butterflies and bees adore it. Flower wands fill any space with a wonderful, pleasant, fresh smell. A lovely seed product made from dried flower heads has been used for ages to freshen clothing and ward off insects. Even delicate meals and drinks can utilize it as a flavour.
Over 40 recognized variants of the three main forms of lavender exist. Lavender blooms may adorn gardens for months if a variety is planted.
The Spanish lavenders, Lavandula stoechas, and its several named cultivars are the first to bloom in the spring; ‘Otto Quast’ is a well-liked and frequently planted variety. These have the smallest, pineapple-shaped tufts, though not the most floriferous, and are crowned with upright, ornamental bracts in shades of purple, periwinkle, or even milky white. Spanish lavenders typically have a second or even third bloom cycle later in the summer when spent blooms are routinely deadheaded. Of all the lavenders, they can withstand droughts the best.
Lavandula angustifolia, commonly known as English lavender, is native to southern European hilly regions rather than England. It is the most resilient, but it only lasts for three to five years before needing to be replaced. Early summer brings forth blooms on thin flower spikes that are significantly more delicate and sweet-smelling than any of the Spanish lavenders. Named cultivars produce mounds between 11/2 and 2 feet tall and broad that are covered in flowers in hues of blue and purple, white, or pink. In order to keep a compact shape and to encourage some varieties to repeat bloom, faded blooms and stems can be sheared off. Popular cultivars with vibrant blue-purple flowers include “Hidcote,” “Munstead,” and “Jean Davis,” which have pinkish-white blossoms.
Lavandula x intermedia, also known as lavandins or English lavender hybrids, bloom for the longest from mid- to late summer. Depending on the cultivar, these grow rather shrub-like after a number of years in the ground, reaching heights and widths of 2-4 feet. The most popular among them are “Provence” and “Grosso,” which are renowned for their potent fragrances and suitability for harvesting, drying, and tying flower wands into bundles. The cosmetic business uses oil from “Grosso,” while many lavender products utilize oil from “Provence.” From a 1-gallon plant, both plants grow fairly quickly, but a 4-inch pot will grow to the same size in roughly a year. Regular pruning is necessary to keep the bottom stems from turning ugly woody on these hybrids.
The two most crucial conditions for planting lavender are choosing a location with at least six hours of direct sunlight each day and offering sufficient drainage. It dislikes wet environments. To promote soil aeration and allow roots to absorb nutrients without drowning, use compost and grittier materials like lava rock or perlite thoroughly mixed with the soil.
To prevent rain from puddling if the soil is dense or compacted, it is advisable to build a little berm or mound for each plant. Lavenders should last for five to seven years if they are properly sited and pruned. Although lavender can tolerate some drought, it needs enough rain to grow all season. After planting, it is very important to watch out that the soil doesn’t dry out around the rootball.
Lavenders can be pruned more severely in the late fall but never to bare wood. On lower stems, look for little green buds and make a cut right above them. In this manner, plants are pruned annually or more frequently to maintain their dense, green branching. As long as there are buds, some can even be clipped almost to the ground.
Does lavender thrive in containers?
Due to the good drainage, all lavender plants thrive in pots and containers. However, some lavender cultivars are better suited to growing in pots than others.
The English lavenders (Lavandula angustifolia) are my preferred variety of lavender and are what I suggest for container gardening:
- ‘Hidcote’
- ‘Munstead’
Since both of these lavenders are English varieties, which are cold hardy to USDA zone 5, they can withstand colder temperatures and the pot can stay outside all year.
In addition to having the best smell of any lavender, Hidcote and Munstead lavender also bloom beautifully in the midst of summer.
The larger varieties of lavender, like “Vera,” which can grow 3 feet across and is therefore better suited to growing in garden boarders, can grow to a size that works great in pots without having to repot them too often because they stay a relatively compact size of around 12 inches (with annual pruning).
The majority of French and Spanish lavender varieties, include well-known types like:
- Borland pink
- ‘Anouk’
The appropriate conditions allow these lavenders to produce flowers for up to three months while maintaining a reasonable size that doesn’t overwhelm a pot. However, compared to English lavender types, the scent is less overt.
They should be brought indoors for Winter protection as they are not as cold-hardy as English lavenders and can perish in a severe frost.
While French lavender frequently dies after 5 years even in ideal conditions, English lavender can thrive for up to 15 years or longer with proper care.
Lavender plants grow either indoors or outdoors.
French lavender (Lavandula dentata) cultivars are another option. which are
tiny plants thrive in indoor planters. Alternatives include using Canary Island lavender (Lavandula canariensis),
Can a plant grow lavender through the winter?
In addition to frosts and below-freezing temperatures, lavenders can also die from the soil’s quality if it is inappropriate.
The rate of evaporation is substantially slower during the winter because of the lower temperatures. If you don’t take action, root rot, a disease that is brought on by cold, wet soils that retain moisture for longer, can kill the lavender plant.
Lavenders are native to the Mediterranean region of Europe, where they thrive in drought-like circumstances with minimal watering and quick-draining sandy or gravelly soils that do not retain moisture.
In contrast to lavenders’ preference for low to medium fertility soils, rich soils with lots of organic matter have a strong capacity to hold onto moisture, which will make circumstances more favorable for root rot and other fungal diseases. (To find out why your lavender isn’t flowering, look at my article.)
You must adjust the soil of the lavender plants so that it has adequate drainage and a reasonably open, porous structure that allows water to leave quickly in order to ensure winter survival.
In standard potting soil that has been improved with sand or gravel, lavender grows exceptionally well. This environment mimics the ideal growing conditions of the lavender’s native Mediterranean region.
A 50:50 mix may be necessary to guarantee that the roots of the lavender do not remain in cold, moist soil for an extended amount of time in soils in colder locations with higher levels of rainfall. A ratio of 70% potting soil to 30% sand or gravel is sometimes advised.
Naturally, it is much simpler to amend the soil before planting lavenders.
The lavender can still be removed from the ground with a fork, and the soil can still be amended by tilling or digging in sand or grit to a depth of about 18 inches and a width of 12 inches (to accommodate the root system of a lavender at maturity).
For additional details on the best soil conditions for lavender, see my post.
Alternately, if you don’t want to improve the soil in your yard, you can always move lavender plants into pots, which offer excellent drainage and require a lot less work. Please read my article for tips and best practices on growing lavenders in pots for additional information on how to achieve this.
Move Pots Inside Over Winter
As previously mentioned, English lavender plants may survive the winter outdoors. The Spanish, French, and Italian kinds, however, can still be grown in cold locations provided they are potted and brought indoors before the first frost.
Since they can readily be placed in full sun and you can simply control how much water they receive by shielding them from rain, all lavender species grow quite well in pots.
All lavenders go into dormancy over the winter, and while they don’t need much water (water them once every 4-6 weeks throughout the winter), they do need to be exposed to sunshine. It’s also best to keep them out of humid rooms like the kitchen and bathroom where they might encounter a lot of steam (Lavenders prefer drier conditions).
Place the potted lavenders in your home’s sunniest window for the duration of the winter to enjoy the smell. As long as the temperature is above freezing, they can also keep them inside a heated greenhouse throughout the winter.
Prune Lavenders to Survive Winter
Every year, lavender plants should be pruned to assist them survive the winter and to increase their lifespan in general.
Over the course of its life, the lavender’s lowest stems at the base turn more woody.
Regular trimming in the early spring and late summer helps prevent the growth of woody stems, which is important because young shoots, not old wood, are what produce blooms. Not to mention that wintertime snow, frost, and water damage make the wood less sturdy and more prone to splitting.
Lavender continues to be harmed when woody stems break over the winter because they typically do not regenerate.
Regular lavender pruning will:
- Keep lavenders from splitting so they stay in a more aesthetically pleasing shape.
- encourage new growth, which will result in more blooms.
- prolong the lavender’s life
The optimum time to prune is in the early spring, when you should strive to shape the lavender into an even mound and remove about a third of the soft green growth to keep the foliage lovely and compact.
The lavender will be better able to withstand the affects of winter if its foliage is more compact since it will keep snow and ice from getting inside.
A late summer prune, where the wasted flower stalks are cut back for a more tidy, uniform appearance in preparation for winter, typically yields the best results in my experience. In order to encourage the growth of new stems that will bear this year’s blooms, this is followed by a Spring pruning early the following year.
Reduce the soft green growth by a third, but avoid cutting into the woody stems because you risk killing the plant because they are not likely to develop any new growth.
Look at this YouTube video for a visual approach to pruning lavender:
Key Takeaways:
- There are cold-tolerant cultivars of English lavender that can withstand winter frosts. Non-English lavenders can survive mild winters for many years, but they cannot resist frosts and will not survive winter in temperate areas.
- In temperate locations, potted Non English lavender cultivars can flourish if brought inside before the first winter frosts and planted in a sunny window.
- Lavender plants can develop root rot in the winter from wet soils. By adding a significant amount of sand or grit to the soil, you can speed up water drainage and safeguard the roots.
- Regular pruning will delay the development of woody stems and keep lavenders compact, preventing snow and frost damage.