Lavender planting zones

Which lavender for your zone

Colorado State University Extension says English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is hardy to zone 5 and often blooms twice in one season. Lavandins, hybrids of English lavender and L. latifolia, are generally larger plants that bloom only once, later in the summer. Colorado State adds that French and Spanish lavenders are not cold hardy in Colorado but can be grown there as annuals in containers and beds.

Utah State University Extension rates the English lavender cultivar ‘Lady’ hardy in zones 5 to 8 and says it will survive zone 4 winters if mulched or grown in a south-facing spot. University of Illinois Extension calls the English and lavandin groups the preferred choices for the Midwest.

Clemson’s Home & Garden Information Center calls English lavender the best known and the least adapted to Southern heat, and names the lavandins (‘Dutch’, ‘Provence’, ‘Grosso’), Spanish lavender, French lavender (L. dentata) and sweet lavender as some of the best for a hot climate, given full sun and excellent drainage. For Florida, UF/IFAS Extension Manatee County suggests Spanish or French lavender, which handle humidity better.

Planting

Utah State says to transplant lavender after the last spring frost (the table above gives your zone’s median date), and that fall planting works if there are two months of good weather for plants to establish before winter. It spaces plants 18 to 24 inches apart and says lavender takes three years to reach full size.

Colorado State says lavender can be planted from spring through fall, and cites New Mexico State University research finding that fall-planted lavender survives better, establishes more quickly and flowers more the next season. Fall plants should be in 4-inch or larger pots with an established root system.

Colorado State says to make sure nursery stock was propagated from cuttings, because English lavenders do not always come true from seed, and Utah State says germination is slow and most lavender is started from cuttings.

Sun, soil and drainage

Illinois says lavender demands two things, full sun and extremely well-drained soil, and that dampness more than cold is what kills lavender plants: wet soil, especially over winter, and high humidity with poor air circulation in summer. It suggests raised beds where drainage is a problem, space between plants, and a mulch of rock or pea gravel to keep the crown dry.

Colorado State wants full sun and an alkaline soil with very little organic matter, and amends heavy soil with small bark mulch tilled in. It warns that sand or gravel worked into clay soil may create an even greater drainage problem. Clemson, writing for South Carolina’s heavy soils and humidity, recommends raised beds with a gravel mulch.

In the Florida Panhandle, UF/IFAS Northwest District says lavender thrives in well-drained, low organic matter soil and is very sensitive to pH, which should be kept above 6; many Panhandle soils are pH 5.5 or below. A little afternoon shade helps in the hottest summer weather. UF/IFAS Manatee County says lavender often prefers a constrained root zone, such as a shallow terra cotta pot or gravel added to the soil.

Watering, feeding and pruning

Utah State says lavender is very drought tolerant once established but produces more blooms with regular watering, and Illinois says new plantings benefit from regular watering in the first year. Utah State says lavender has low nutritional needs: over-fertilized plants produce more foliage and fewer flowers, and too much fertilizer makes plants more vulnerable to disease and cold injury.

The sources disagree on when to prune. Colorado State says lavender flowers on new growth and should be pruned every year once established, when green leaves start to emerge from the base in spring, removing about a third of the top so the plant does not split open and turn woody. Utah State says to prune every year after flowering, shearing plants back to half their size. Illinois says not to cut plants back in the fall and to wait until new growth appears in spring.

Harvesting for the kitchen

Illinois says to cut stems just as the flowers start to open, when the spikes have the strongest scent, and that lavender can be used in beverages and with pork, fish and chicken, sparingly, because a little goes a long way. Colorado State harvests in the morning, when about half the flower buds have opened.

Utah State says to harvest in the morning after the dew has gone but before the heat sets in, and in the first year to clip branches to keep them from flowering, which encourages side shoots.

Getting lavender through winter

In cold areas, Illinois says lavender benefits from a winter mulch of evergreen boughs or straw placed over the planting after the plants are fully dormant and the ground first freezes. Colorado State says the root zone should not be allowed to dry out during winter, that watering in winter increases the survival of fall plantings, and that fabric row covers can protect new plants from wind and heavy snow.

UF/IFAS Pinellas County says gray-green herbs such as lavender do best in Florida’s cooler months and tend to get moldy in humid summers.

Common problems

Colorado State and Utah State both say lavender has few pest or disease problems but is susceptible to soil diseases such as Phytophthora root rot: do not overwater or let water stand around plants. Heavy grasshopper infestations can reduce yields, and deer (and in some areas elk, Colorado State says) may browse or trample plants.

Both also say lavender is not competitive with weeds. Utah State suggests landscape fabric during establishment and light mulches such as bark or gravel.

Common mistakes

• Planting in soil that stays wet. Illinois says dampness, more than cold, is what kills lavender.
• Cutting plants back in fall. Illinois says to wait for new growth in spring.
• Feeding heavily. Utah State says over-fertilized lavender makes more foliage, fewer flowers, and is more prone to disease and cold injury.
• Planting English lavender for a humid Southern summer. Clemson calls it the least adapted to Southern heat.
• Growing a named cultivar from seed. Colorado State says English lavenders do not always come true from seed.

We found no Texas home-garden source for lavender. Texas A&M’s survey of Texas herb crops says lavender was once grown commercially in the Hill Country but was limited by adaptation problems; it gives no growing advice.

Questions

What zone does lavender grow in?

Colorado State says English lavender is hardy to zone 5, and Utah State says it will survive zone 4 winters if mulched or grown in a south-facing spot. Colorado State says French and Spanish lavenders are not cold hardy there, while Clemson recommends Spanish lavender and the lavandins for hot Southern climates. The type table on this page gives each type’s range, as a judgement.

Why did my lavender die over winter?

Illinois says dampness more than cold is responsible for killing lavender: soil that stays wet, especially over winter. Colorado State and Utah State say lavender is susceptible to Phytophthora root rot and should not be overwatered or left standing in water.

When should I prune lavender?

The sources differ. Colorado State prunes in spring, when green leaves start to emerge from the base, removing about a third of the top. Utah State prunes after flowering, shearing plants back to half their size. Illinois says not to cut back in the fall.

Which lavender grows best in Florida?

UF/IFAS Manatee County suggests Spanish or French lavender, which handle humidity better, in a constrained root zone such as a shallow terra cotta pot or gravel added to the soil. UF/IFAS Northwest District says to keep the soil pH above 6, and UF/IFAS Pinellas County says lavender does best in Florida’s cooler months.

Can I grow lavender from seed?

Utah State says seed germinates slowly and most lavender is started from cuttings. Colorado State says English lavenders do not always come true from seed, so buy plants propagated from cuttings.

Sources

Freeze dates on this page are NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, for every station the ZIP codes in each zone cite. Zones are the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. The type table is a judgement, as labelled above. Growing advice is quoted from the extension publications below, each written for its own area.

• Colorado State University Extension, Growing Lavender in Colorado (Fact Sheet 7.245) , by K.A. Kimbrough and C.E. Swift . Written for: Colorado (USDA zones 4a–7a).
• Utah State University Extension, How to Grow English Lavender in Your Garden , by Keenen Crummitt and Dan Drost (Published May 2020). Written for: Utah (USDA zones 4a, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b).
• University of Illinois Extension, Herb Gardening: Lavender . Written for: Illinois (USDA zones 5a–7a).
• Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center, Herbs (HGIC 1311) , by Millie Davenport (Updated November 25, 2019). Written for: South Carolina (USDA zones 8a–9b).
• UF/IFAS Extension Manatee County, The Nose Knows: Aromatic Gardens in Florida (October 27, 2023; accessed October 2026). Written for: Florida (USDA zones 8b–11b).
• UF/IFAS Extension Northwest District, Summer herbs (2019; accessed October 2026). Written for: Northwest Florida (the Panhandle).
• UF/IFAS Extension Pinellas County, Try Growing Herbs (February 13, 2009; accessed October 2026). Written for: Pinellas County, Florida (USDA zones 10a–10b).
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Aggie Horticulture, The Crops of Texas: Herbs and Spices (commercial production) . Written for: Texas commercial growers (USDA zones 6b–10b).

How we write our guides

Published October 23, 2026