Plant Database / Herbs / Lavender
Herbs

Lavender

Lavandula species
Lamiaceae (Mint)

Heavenly scent and bee magnet, but it lives or dies on drainage - Spanish types handle Texas humidity best.

EdiblePerennialDrought-toughFull sunPollinatorMedicinal
Lavender (Lavandula species) illustration — Texas Roots plant database, by Jordan Polasek
Sun
Full sun
Water
Very low - sharp drainage
Soil
Lean, gritty, alkaline
pH
6.5-7.5
Hardiness
Hardy perennial (drainage-critical)
Height
1-3 ft
Spacing
18-24 in
Days to harvest
Blooms summer

What it is

Lavender (Lavandula species) is in the Lamiaceae (Mint) family. Heavenly scent and bee magnet, but it lives or dies on drainage - Spanish types handle Texas humidity best.

How to grow it

It wants full sun, water it very low - sharp drainage, and give it lean, gritty, alkaline soil. Target a soil pH around 6.5-7.5. Space plants about 18-24 in apart. Expect roughly Blooms summer. Hardy perennial (drainage-critical).

How it's used

Lavender is used: culinary buds; sachets; oil.

🔎 How to identify it

  • Narrow silvery leaves
  • Woody base
  • Purple flower spikes

Edibility

PartsFlower buds
UsesCulinary buds; sachets; oil
CautionWet feet and humidity kill it; grow gritty and dry.
🌤 Before you plant: check the live 7-day garden weather to time it right for frost and heat.

Part of the free Texas Roots plant database, compiled by Jordan Polasek from his greenhouse in El Campo, Texas. Free to read and share. If it helped, the best thanks is to grow something.