Your Cool Home is supported by its readers. Please assume all links are affiliate links. If you purchase something from one of our links, we make a small commission from Amazon. Thank you!
Taking care of French lavender is all about mimicking its natural Mediterranean home.
If you’ve ever wondered how to take care of French lavender, the secret lies in hot sun, gritty soil, and strict watering discipline.
French lavender is that lovely, butterfly-attracting shrub with the distinctive fuzzy leaves and the little “ears” on top of each flower spike.
It’s a bit more finicky than its English cousin, so knowing how to take care of French lavender means understanding its specific quirks.
In this post, we’ll walk through exactly how to take care of French lavender, from planting and pruning to watering and overwintering.
Let’s get into it.
How to Take Care of French Lavender: The Essentials
Learning how to take care of French lavender really comes down to getting five things right.
Here’s what matters most when you’re taking care of French lavender.
1. Give It Full Sun
French lavender needs at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight every single day.
When you take care of French lavender, remember that shade is its enemy.
Without enough sun, the plant turns leggy, produces fewer blooms, and becomes way more prone to disease.
A south-facing spot in your garden is usually the best place for taking care of French lavender.
2. Plant It in Well-Draining Soil
If there’s one golden rule for how to take care of French lavender, it’s this: soggy roots kill.
French lavender hates wet feet, so you want sandy or gravelly soil that drains fast.
If your garden soil is heavy clay, mix in plenty of grit or horticultural sand before planting.
You can also grow French lavender in containers, which actually makes taking care of French lavender much easier.
Just make sure the pot has plenty of drainage holes.
Adding a layer of gravel at the bottom helps, and you can also mulch around the plant with gravel, not bark.
That top layer of gravel keeps water away from the crown, which is exactly what French lavender loves.
3. Water Sparingly
Overwatering is the number one reason people struggle with how to take care of French lavender.
Treat it like the Mediterranean native it is, because taking care of French lavender means watering deeply but infrequently.
Once established, French lavender is drought-tolerant and can survive on rainfall alone in many climates.
In hot, dry spells, give it a good soak every two to three weeks.
Potted French lavender needs more attention, so when you’re taking care of French lavender in containers, water when the top inch of soil feels dry.
And never let the plant sit in a saucer full of water, no matter what.
Pruning and Feeding Your French Lavender
Getting pruning and feeding right makes a huge difference in how to take care of French lavender long-term.
Here’s how to handle both when you’re taking care of French lavender.
1. Prune After Flowering, Not Before
French lavender blooms earlier than English lavender, usually in late spring or early summer.
Once the flowers fade, that’s your window for pruning.
Lightly trim the plant back by about a third, but never cut into the old, woody growth because it rarely regrows.
This yearly trim keeps your French lavender bushy and stops it from getting too woody.
And here’s a bonus for anyone wondering how to take care of French lavender: don’t prune in autumn.
Cutting late in the season encourages tender new growth that frost will kill.
2. Go Easy on Fertilizer
Another key part of how to take care of French lavender is not overfeeding it.
Too much fertilizer makes the plant grow soft, floppy foliage with very few flowers.
When you’re taking care of French lavender, feed it just once in early spring with a light dose of slow-release fertilizer.
That’s honestly all it needs.
3. Deadhead Regularly
Deadheading spent blooms throughout summer encourages more flowers and keeps the plant looking tidy.
When you take care of French lavender this way, you’ll often get a second flush of blooms before the season ends.
Just pinch or snip the faded flower heads off with a pair of clean shears.
Winter Care and Common Problems
French lavender is less cold-hardy than English lavender, so winter is where a lot of gardeners lose it.
If you’re serious about how to take care of French lavender in colder zones, here’s what to do.
1. Protect It From Frost
In zones below 8, grow French lavender in a pot you can move indoors or into a greenhouse.
If your French lavender is in the ground, cover it with frost cloth during cold snaps and avoid wet winter soil at all costs.
2. Watch for Root Rot and Fungal Issues
Yellowing leaves and a mushy base usually mean root rot from poor drainage.
This is the most common mistake when taking care of French lavender.
Fix it by improving drainage or repotting into a gritty mix.
3. Keep an Eye Out for Pests
Spittlebugs and aphids occasionally show up, but a strong blast of water usually handles them.
Avoid chemical sprays, since they harm the bees that adore French lavender.
So, How Do You Take Care of French Lavender?
To take care of French lavender, give it full sun, gritty well-draining soil, and sparse watering, and it will reward you handsomely.
Remember, taking care of French lavender is mostly about restraint, because less water and less food is truly more.
Prune after flowering, protect it from frost, and keep that crown dry.
Follow these tips, and you’ll know exactly how to take care of French lavender for years of fragrant blooms and happy bees.