Can You Bring Lavender Plants Indoors

You can bring lavender plants indoors, and they can thrive quite happily inside your home with the right care.

Many gardeners worry when the seasons change that they’ll have to say goodbye to their fragrant lavender, but bringing lavender plants indoors is actually a smart way to extend their life and enjoy their calming scent year-round.

In this post, we’ll walk you through the simple steps to successfully grow lavender indoors, common pitfalls to avoid, and how to keep your lavender plants thriving so they reward you with beautiful blooms and that iconic aroma.

Let’s dig into the details of moving your lavender from the garden to your living room.

Why You Can Bring Lavender Plants Indoors Successfully

You can bring lavender plants indoors successfully because lavender is surprisingly adaptable when you replicate its natural Mediterranean environment.

Unlike many delicate houseplants that need constant pampering, lavender just needs plenty of sun, good airflow, and well-draining soil to feel right at home indoors.

The biggest mistake people make when bringing lavender plants indoors is treating them like typical tropical houseplants that love humidity and rich, moist soil.

Lavender actually prefers the opposite, so understanding its needs is the key to keeping it alive and happy inside your house.

1. Lavender’s Natural Hardiness Makes It a Great Indoor Candidate

Lavender is a tough perennial that’s built to survive hot, dry summers and even chilly winters in many climates.

This hardiness means that lavender plants can tolerate the drier air and temperature fluctuations you often find inside a home.

When you bring lavender plants indoors, you’re not coddling a fragile flower, you’re providing a controlled environment for a plant that’s already quite resilient.

So yes, you can bring lavender plants indoors, and they’ll often adapt much faster than you’d expect.

2. The Right Variety Matters When Moving Lavender Indoors

While you can bring any lavender plant indoors, some varieties perform better than others as houseplants.

English lavender is the most forgiving and adapts well to indoor life, making it the top choice for beginners.

French lavender and Spanish lavender can also be brought inside, but they’re a bit more sensitive to overwatering and need even more heat to thrive.

If you’re looking to grow lavender indoors from the start, choose a compact variety like ‘Munstead’ or ‘Hidcote’ because they stay smaller and fit better on a sunny windowsill.

3. Lavender Loves The Same Conditions You Enjoy Indoors

The typical indoor temperature of 60-70°F is actually perfect for lavender plants.

You can bring lavender plants indoors and keep them in a spot that gets about six to eight hours of direct sunlight each day, and they’ll thank you by producing fresh, fragrant leaves.

Lavender doesn’t mind the lack of outdoor humidity either, as long as you don’t overwater it to compensate.

That dry indoor air mimics the breezy, arid conditions lavender grew up in, which means you’re giving it exactly what it naturally craves.

How to Bring Lavender Plants Indoors Without Stressing Them

Even though you can bring lavender plants indoors, the transition from outdoor sun to indoor light can be a bit of a shock if you don’t do it gradually.

A sudden move can cause the leaves to yellow or drop, but with a week of patience, you can help your lavender make a smooth shift.

Here’s exactly how to bring lavender plants indoors so they barely notice they’ve moved.

1. Start With a Potting Mix That Drains Like Crazy

When you’re getting ready to bring lavender plants indoors, repot them in a mix that’s sandy or gritty rather than rich and peaty.

Use a container with plenty of drainage holes at the bottom, since lavender absolutely hates having soggy roots.

A cactus or succulent potting mix blended with a little perlite is ideal for growing lavender indoors.

This type of soil ensures that water flows through quickly, which prevents root rot, the number one killer of lavender houseplants.

2. Ease the Transition Over a Week or So

Rather than carrying your potted lavender straight from the garden to a dim corner, move it to a shady spot outdoors for the first few days.

Then, bring the plant inside for just a couple of hours each day, gradually increasing the time it spends indoors over a week.

This process, called hardening off, helps lavender plants adjust to the lower light levels and stiller air they’ll find inside.

Once you notice new growth, you’ll know that bringing lavender plants indoors has been a total success.

3. Place Your Lavender in The Sunniest Window You Have

Growing lavender indoors requires a bright location, so a south-facing windowsill is your best bet for keeping it happy.

If you don’t have a south-facing window, you can bring lavender plants indoors under a grow light that stays on for about 12 hours a day.

Lavender that doesn’t get enough light will get leggy, meaning it’ll stretch out and produce fewer of those lovely purple flowers.

Remember, lavender is a sun worshipper, so the more rays it catches, the healthier and more fragrant it will become.

The Best Care Routine For Lavender Plants Kept Indoors

Now that you know you can bring lavender plants indoors, you’ll need a simple care routine to keep them thriving all season long.

The good news is that lavender plants indoors don’t need constant attention, and once you get into the rhythm, they’re pretty low-maintenance.

Just follow this straightforward schedule and your lavender will reward you with a fresh, calming scent that fills the room.

1. Water Less Often Than You Think You Should

When you bring lavender plants indoors, it’s always better to underwater than to overwater them.

Always let the top inch of soil dry out completely before giving your lavender a good drink.

Stick your finger into the potting mix, and if it feels dry at that depth, go ahead and water until you see it trickle out the drainage holes.

If the soil still feels damp, hold off for a few more days, because lavender roots will quickly rot if they sit in moisture.

2. Give It A Little Prune To Encourage Bushy Growth

After a few weeks of transitioning lavender indoors, take a small pair of scissors and trim back any leggy stems.

A light prune of about one-third of the plant’s height will encourage it to branch out and grow more densely.

Avoid cutting into the woody base of the stem, as old lavender wood doesn’t easily produce new shoots.

A simple shearing keeps your lavender plants fully intact and looking tidy, so they’ll be ready to burst with blooms next spring.

3. Feed Sparingly, Because Lavender Isn’t A Heavy Eater

You don’t really need to fertilize lavender often, and overfeeding can actually reduce the concentration of essential oils in its leaves.

If you must feed it, use a diluted, balanced liquid fertilizer once in early spring and again in mid-summer.

Skip the fertilizer in winter months when lavender plants naturally slow down and rest indoors.

This light feeding schedule ensures you’re growing lavender indoors safely without encouraging weak, floppy growth that’s more prone to pests.

Common Mistakes To Avoid When You Bring Lavender Plants Indoors

You can bring lavender plants indoors and keep them vigorous, but only if you avoid a few classic slip-ups that send these plants into a downward spiral.

Most people fail with indoor lavender because they treat it the same way they treat their ferns or spider plants.

Here’s what not to do when you’re moving lavender inside.

1. Don’t Keep The Soil Constantly Wet

The absolute fastest way to kill a lavender plant is to keep its soil consistently damp.

Lavender is native to rocky, dry slopes, and its roots are adapted to pull water from deep, well-aerated soil.

When you keep the soil wet, the roots suffocate and begin to decay, turning black and mushy within days.

If you’re bringing lavender inside, watering once every two weeks is often totally sufficient during the dormant period.

2. Don’t Place Lavender Near Radiators Or Drafts

While lavender loves warmth, it doesn’t love the sudden, intense blasts of heat that come from radiators or heating vents.

Those dry, hot gusts can scorch the leaves and make them turn brown and crispy at the edges.

Similarly, don’t put your lavender near a drafty window where cold air can chill the roots.

You can bring lavender plants indoors happily as long as you choose a spot with consistent, moderate temperatures away from direct heating sources.

3. Don’t Forget About Air Circulation

One of the biggest challenges when you grow lavender indoors is the lack of gentle breezes it enjoyed outdoors.

Without good airflow, humidity can get trapped around the leaves, leading to mold or mildew problems.

Open a window or run a small fan on low near your lavender to keep the air moving gently.

This mimics the breezy Mediterranean hillsides and helps prevent fungal diseases from taking hold on your indoor lavender plant.

So, Can You Bring Lavender Plants Indoors?

You can bring lavender plants indoors, and they’ll absolutely thrive if you give them the conditions they love.

It all boils down to giving your lavender bright light, gritty soil, and infrequent watering while avoiding too much heat and constant dampness.

Bringing lavender indoors is a brilliant way to keep that lovely scent alive through fall and winter.

If you follow the care steps we just covered, your lavender will stay green and gorgeous, and you’ll have a fresh supply of calming fragrance right on your windowsill.

So go on and move your favorite lavender plant inside, and enjoy its beauty all year long.