Grow Lavender in Acid or Clay Soil
91I love lavender - the delicate foliage; the long, thin stems topped with blue or purple flowers; the way the blooms appear as a mist of blue when viewed from a distance; the lazy loitering of honey bees among the blooms. The fresh, clean scent of lavender is delightful and remains with the dried flowers long after cutting.
For years, I fought a battle with lavender in my back yard. The soil is chunky with clay and generally acidic. Drainage is poor and in late winter and early spring, part of my yard looks like a swamp.
But with a bit of thought and creative planting, I am pleased to say that I have 3 lavender plants that have survived through 4 winters (including a major blizzard) and several soggy springs.
If you want to grow lavender in clay or acid soil in a yard that retains way too much moisture, read on...
Lavender Bloooms in the Garden
Create a Micro Climate for Lavender
We all basically understand the climate of the area in which we live. But there are variations in a climate, and small variations around our own homes. Plants that survive in the sheltered southern exposure of the house might perish in the cold winter winds on the north side of the house.
So it is with lavender. In order to offer lavender a happy home in which it will thrive, consider its needs:
- bright sunlight
- dry, well drained soil
- alkaline soil
Plant lavender in a spot where it will recieve full sun (6 - 8 hours of sunlight a day)
To avoid root rot from lingering moisture, build up a bed to lift the lavender garden slightly above the level of the yard. Make sure that the raised bed is well drained.
A rock garden works well with lavender. If the lavender is elevated, it will dry out more quickly during wet seasons.
Another method is to plant the lavender in a southern exposure under the eaves of the back porch. Sun still shines on the plant, but there will be less rainfall and puddling.
Create Drainage to Avoid Root Rot in Lavender
Plant lavender late spring or early summer after the soil has warmed up.
If the soil is full of clay and you do not want to build a raised bed or rock garden, dig the planting hole at least twice as deep and twice as wide as the potted purchased plant.
Fill the bottom of the hole with limestone gravel.
Add a layer of garden soil mixed with compost, and sand. Set the plant on a third layer of gravel and turkey grit or sand. (Turkey grit is ground granite)
Gently remove lavender plant from the pot and back fill the hole with the garden soil mixture. Allow the top of the soil in the pot to protrude 1 inch above the soil line.
Mulch with limestone gravel and turkey grit.
Do not over water.
Lavender Needs an Alkaline Soil
Lavender needs an alkaline soil of about 6.5 to 7.5 pH and will not thrive in an acid soil.
The addition of limestone gravel adds the alkalinity to the soil that lavender needs to thrive.
If you don't want to use gravel - personally, I don't like the look of white gravel, so I added a couple chunks of broken concrete near the base of the plant. The lime leaches out of the concrete and into the soil.
Lavender
Harvesting Lavender
Cut lavender early in the day in order to retain utmost color and fragrance
Cut stems above the top leaves to encourage repeat blooming later in the season
Bundle lavender stems and hang upside down in a warm, dark, dry place to ensure retention of color and scent. Hanging the lavender in a clothes closet will add a delicate fragrance to your clothing.
And remember that lavender is an insect repellent!
Aromatic Plants for a Home Garden
Keep Your Perennial Garden Blooming All Season Long
- Keep Perennial Flowers Blooming From Spring Until Fall - A Variety of Flowering Perennials and Bloo
Your garden can bloom from early spring until late fall if you plant a variety of flowers that bloom at different times. Select plants ahead of time for all season long flowers.
Easy Care Summer Blooming Perennials
- Perennials -Easy Care Summer Blooming Full Sun Perennials
Perennial flowers may be expensive but are worth the investment. Perennial flowers come back every year and the ones presented here are tough, easy to grow, and attractive choices for the new gardener.
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Dolores, it was a good while before water hit the ground out side the monsoons of summer here, no with the well and my dripping freeze-proof faucet, that is about 100,000th on my important list to fix, I have a small patch of Bermuda grass around the base and will have to research but I think I've got a few blue bells or a tad of lavender, I'll have to go look, what ever it is don't know how any of it got there and intend on killing it off next oil change, I like things with no maintenance that were here in 1866, dust
Melissa - I know, I saw that gap and don't know what caused it. Must check it out. Thanks!
50 Caliber - Hi, Dustin! Well, bluebells are native to your area, are they not? The flowers on bluebells are small yet larger than the tiny lavender flowers. And isn't the foliage different as well? I think that the natural desert, especially high desert is the most beautiful thing in the world (next to the ocean). Plants that you don't know how they go there are called volunteers. I love that word and love volunteers. It's like they just want to join your team. Unless they are invasive trouble makers.
This is wonderful. My yard is clay so acidic with all the pine trees. I love lavender and have tried unsuccessfully to grow it but I am going to try that limestone trick. Wish me luck! Great hub, voted up.
We also have trouble growing Lavender in the hot, humid south. Thanks for the tips about growing it. Good hub.
I've had trouble growing it, too. I tried pots this year and the plants are growing - although extremely slowly.
I'm going to bookmark this. I love lavender!
Good tips. I love lavender. I have had a fair few plants over the years. Most have survived well. Last winter in the UK was so harsh though I lost a couple of huge plants. One was a lavender with a butterfly top. Uewful Hub for me thanks
leann - well go for it! I tried for years to grow lavender and the easiest solution was to toss a couple pieces of concrete nearby, though some elevation helps too. Good luck and thank you!
nauturegirl - gets pretty hot and humid up here too. Maryland summers are just awful but the lavender seems to do well now after I have made the adjustments mentioned above. Thanks!
esme - a master gardener once told me that you have not failed with a plant until you've killed 3 of the same plant, haha. Sometimes we just have to tweek how we do things. Thank you!
Gracie - me too and I am so happy that it is finally growing and looking beautiful! Thank you.
Hi, Ethel - in reading about lavender, they say that it loves hot dry weather. Yet English lavender is so famous! As well as the rain. Maybe it's a different kind. Some how mine pulled through a double blizzard 2 years ago - so much snow we had to shovel off the porch roof. Thanks!
Excellent hub....you and my mother seemed to have lots of the same tastes....I sent this hub via e-mail to my mother....as I know she will get a kick out of it. As always lots of great photos and great information in your hub. Thanks for sharing...voted up and useful.
I enjoyed reading this and the hints about placing limestone in the soil where one is to plant lavender, but I'm afraid Colorado is far too dry to support their growth.
I love lavender Dolores, so thanks for the growing tips. I also love the fact that lavender attracts so many bees, so it is just so peaceful to watch them working away amid the purple flowers
Lavender is one of great plant. Beautiful and it has so many benefit as a herbal medicine. Unfortunately, I can't find this plant near my house, I wish I can plant this in my garden. I'll show this hub to my father. I believe he'll love this information. Rated up!
Prasetio
Cogerson - thank you! Hope your mother likes it! (Hi Cogerson's mom!)
juneuakid - Hi, Richard. But lavender loves fry weather!
CM - thank you. What with the problems with the honey bee population, it is wonderful to see them congregate around the lavender.
Prasetio - thank you for dropping in and reading. I often enjoy reading up on plants that do not grow in my area, just for the pleasure.
Lavender is such a great plant! Heck, I just fell in a lavender bush this morning and didn't find it unpleasant at all. Excellent growing tips. And lovely photos, too!
Love, love, love lavender. Thanks for a reminder on its care and tips on using it.
I would like to link this hub to my 9th garden photos hub, if you don't mind. Thanks!
Simone - oh dear, falling down is never pleasant, but may as well be in a lavender bush. Bet you smelled great all day! Thank you much!
RT - thank you! I have found that with a digital camera, I can just go crazy out in the garden - mine and other folks as well. Thanks for the link!
I love lavender and have been struggling to get it growing well. Our weather has been exceptionally dry which might be hurting the plant, but now I wonder if the soil is too acid. I will try your tip of putting some bits of broken concrete near the plant.
hello Dolores! This is a fantastic article!! I wish I could go up to 50 Caliber's spread and get me some of whatever has volunteered in his yard!before his next oil change :) dust indeed! makes the desert sound horrible!
Here on the west side of the Tucson Mtns I have Lantana and several yellow desert plants, one looks like oxalis! but I love the desert so I will get my lavendar from the store as soap!
Stephanie - this really works and I've been quite successful. One of the lavender plants now looks a bit sad but our weather has been way too dry - all plants need some water. Good luck!
RNMSN - I love volunteers too, but in some cases, the new visitor may be an invasive plant. Best to check and find out what the new plant is - if it is invasive in your area, remove and destroy it. I love desert plants, the high desert is so beautiful - who needs to build a garden when you live in one? Thanks!
I liked this hub so much that i read this hub twice, beautifully written and great suggestions. I live in an apartment so i got no where to plant anything but i liked this article.
well written "how to"! Congrats on hub of the day!
I love lavender, too. I am planning to plant lavender in my garden in the Philippines but I don´t know yet how to do it in the right way, so it came so handy to me reading how to do it in this article. I don´t know if lavender grow in my home country but I will try it. Thanks for sharing Dolores. Voted Up and Bookmark.
Great information. Thanks! I didn't realize I was killing my lavendar because of the clay soil, lack of drainage and acidity.
I need to make these changes soon. :)
I've already commented on this hub, but want to send congrats on having it highlighted today! It's worthy of the honor. :)
Can you eat lavender and if so what is its benefits ?
This is a great hub on one of my favorite plants! It smells
and looks lovely mixed with other herbs and flowers. You
have some good tips here. :)
Regards,
A.CreativeThinker
Great comprehensive hub about lavender with many tips on planting and cutting. My neighbor has lavender growing in his front yard, and it does indeed, look lovely. After reading your hub I may plant some in my own yard.
Congratulations on getting Hub of the Day recognition. It's well deserved. Rated up, useful, awesome and beautiful.
congratulations on your hub of the day honour. I love the smell of lavender. Ther eis quite a lot of lavender where I live, but have never grown it myself.
Though I am not a gardener, I always relish the sight of lavender when I see it. I don't see it here in Alaska, maybe because the ground is too cold. How lavender can be ethereally beautiful and potent. Your article makes handling lavender friendlier.
Thanks for sharing. I'm definitely going to try this. I've tried growing lavender for years now, but I've never had any luck. I just love lavender!
Great Hub. I planted Lavender this spring in well-lit, well-drained, sandy soil and it hasn't done a thing. It hasn't died, it hasn't grown either. I'm wondering if the problem is a lack of alkalai. I might have to try the trick with broken concrete.
Awesome hub - I love the smell of lavender
I am following you now ;0)
Interesting hub with lovely photos. I still have sachets of dried lavender that I tuck into our pillowcases, and I think of my grandmother every time I do! Your hub made me smile - thanks.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, and I love your Buddha lavender garden ~ looks so inviting and peaceful. I'll bet it smells divine, too. Thanks for a beautiful hub - I'm sending it to my mother:)
A lovely hub, and I have been wanting some lavender in my garden for a long time, but wasn't sure it would grow. Now I have some tips I might give it a go, thanks! Bookmarked, and voted up!
Dr. - I realized I was killing mine when it died - if your lavender looks good, leave it be! Thanks!
RT - thank you! I did not even know there was a hub of the day til someone mentioned it here on comments! haha!
Jackie - lavender has become a popular flavoring agent in some foods. My son puts it in a roast beef. I've heard it used on salads, which would add an interesting color and flavor. Personally, I am not much on eating lavender so pay no attention to its benefits. Thanks!
Creative Thinker - thank you! I hung some to dry in a closet and boy oh boy does that closet smell great.
Happy - thank you! And I did not even know there was a hub of the day. There are so many types of lavender - plant size, leaf color and length, shade of flower, and stem length. I am sure you will find one perfect for you!
Flora - well then you don't have to plant it - just enjoy! Thank you!
Daisy - oh yes! The word "ethereal" is so fitting for lavender. I may steal the word for use in the hub. Thank you!
Debra - I added the hunk of concrete just to see what would happen and was thrilled that it worked. Busted concrete is easy to find and such a simple solution. Thank you!
Bulkdive - well lavender does require alkaline soil. And the concrete worked for me. Can not say that it will work for you for sure but it is an easy solution. Thank you!
manthy - thank you!
Avamum - thank you! I put some under my pillow one night and forgot about it. When I picked up my pillow and found dried 'weeds' I thought for a moment "what the heck is this" but smelled it and so...
Hi Tracy - having the lavender makes weeding so pleasant. You brush your arm on the plant and the world fills with the fresh, ethereal scent! Thank you!
Moon Daisy - I will not say 'good luck' because you are not supposed to say that with plants - or is it just when you give someone a plant. Saying that jinxes it. Thank you!
sweetie - thank you! Of course you can plant herbs like lavender in containers on a balcony!
daniell - thank you - did not even know about hub of the day til I saw your comment!
Thelma - can't offer any advise here and am not sure if lavender will grown in your area of the world. But you can grow some pretty cool stuff in the Philippines.
Thanks for sharing. I love Lavender fragrance. I have some of them together with my roses. I used to save some bunds of them for decorations and for closets.
Great article. I grow lavender in my container herb garden with great success. I find that the containers are much easier to use to motitor pH levels in the soil.
carol - the lavender must look just gorgeous with the roses! Thanks for sharing !
jetta - yes and containers dry out so fast, but lavender does not need as much moisture as many plants do. Of course it sounds as if it looks very pretty too! Thank you!
Hi Dolores Monet,
You're after my own heart ~ I love growing herbs, and Lavender is one of my favorites.
Mine just started blooming last week. It is difficult not to snip them all to bring inside. So I divide it up, a bouquet for me, and leave the rest for the bees.
N T T
Hi, I love lavender too! I must admit to never trying to grow it, this is great! I love the smell of lavender, I must give it a go, thanks for the great info, cheers nell
Nottootall - ha! I know that removing blooms will encourage new flowers but I too can not bring myself to cut them all off. I love to see the honey bees as well as the lovely blue flowers. Thank you! But I did cut a bunch and hung it in a closet. Open that closet and I get a marvelous whiff of lavender! Thank you!
Hi, Nell, for years, I just figured that, having killed several plants, lavender was just not for me. But with a little concrete, I have my lavender. Thank you!
I tried growing lavender once many years ago but in hot and humid Houston with naturally acidic soil I failed to keep it alive. Now I know, thanks to your hub, what I would have to do to succeed. Voted up and useful. Thanks!
Both of us are very lucky, as the soil in our gardens is perfect for lavender. Pat lives very close to the seafront, and lavender is a salt-tolerant plant - making it very useful.
These are good tips to help others grow lavender.
Good hub!
HI 2 patricias - well I would think so. English lavender is the best! But I have always wondered - if lavender prefers dry weather, how come it's known as an English plant, understanding that Britain gets a lot of rain. (Thanks)
I love the smell of lavender and I enjoyed reading your article. Thanks for sharing this information.
Very interesting and thank you for sharing.
Take care
Eiddwen.
I had an English Lavender that survived in a large pot here in Las Vegas for three years then gave up at the end of last year.
I think I'll try your concrete idea, thanks.
I love growing herbs or picking them on the mountains here in Greece. Lavender grows wild on the cliffs by the sea or on the rocky dry mountains. I guess the abundance of sunshine and the alkaline soil makes the lavender to thrive here. Dolores, I just love your pictures. The one with the garden is so beautiful!
Thanks.
Sannel - oh that must be incredibly beautiful. Thank you so much!
What a wonderful Hub. I love lavender but, alas, living in the woods makes it impossible to grow here. But I read every word and dreamed of an additional sunny patch. Rated up and awesome as usual.
Hi, suzie - well living in the woods sounds wonderful. I love woodland gardens. I got carried away with trees some years ago, and soon I'll be living in my own personal mini woods. Maybe I'll move the lavender out front then. Thanks!
Have had some luck with lavender this year, but did not know about the raised bed idea, it may help with my clay soil, I hope so! Thanks for the tip.
ewelz - hey, if it worked, why mess with it? Thanks!
Thanks for the great information. I planted 2 lavender plants last year. Both survived the winter and did great this spring and all of a sudden, one looked "burned" and for the most part dead with the exception of a few green sprigs that lasted the rest of the summer. After reading your hub, I'm thinking it might be that I didn't prep the ground as well with that plant (good 'ole Indiana clay!).
Kris - a master gardener once told me that we don't really fail with a plant until we'd tried it (planted it) 3 times. Sometimes we have to experiment. Nowadays, I am trying to research and choose the right plant for the right spot instead of how I used to operate - plant it, move it elsewhere if it did not look happy. Thank you!
Dolores, I hope you don't mind, but I liked your Hub so much I've included it in my "Bunch of Hubs" about Lavender.
An excellent article. I'm planning to grow lavender on my acreage here in New Brunswick, Canada. Your tips are very helpful.
Keri - I think that such a cool idea. Lots of times, when I am looking into a topic, I love to see a bunch of links, especially to other hubbers.
Vanderleelie - thank you, hope it does well for you.
Hi Dolores. I have tried to grow lavender once, but it did not make it through the winter. Now that I have your tips on soil, I am going to try again. We have a lot of clay in our soil, so I will try the limestone gravel and hope it works. I would love to have a good area full of lavender! Thanks for sharing your information. Voted up, useful and sharing! Have a wonderful day! :)
Great article, Dolores. I work at a garden centre in England and lavender is always popular at this time of year and right through the summer. We always tell people to use a loam based compost, something called John Innes No.3 and also to mix in some coarse grit to aid drainage. Lavender is such a wonderful plant, and good for wildlife too.
sgbrown - we have a lot of clay here as well but I've enriched the soil and loosened it up over the years. My lavender has lived through another winter, but our winter was quite warm. Thank you!
JKenny - Thank you! I had some hanging in a closet to dry and it was the best smelling closet in the world!
Hi I just bought a lavender plant from a pot earlier. I am from the Philippines, with humid and no direct sunlight in my apartment. Wish me luck!
Jhiehan - what with no direct sunlight, you may not be able to grow lavender. Put it outside on a balcony if possible!
MelissaBarrett Level 1 Commenter 11 months ago
This is a great article that I will probably link to in one of my future hubs! I am the worst kind of herbalist, I know what to do with the flower after I get it, but everything I try to grow dies. Thanks for laying it out so easily, maybe I'll give it another go next year.
Just as a quick aside, there is a gap between 3rd and 4th text capsules.