How To Take Care Of The Lavender Plant

Taking care of a lavender plant is easier than most people think once you understand what this Mediterranean herb actually needs.
 
If you’ve been wondering how to take care of the lavender plant without watching it turn brown and crispy, you’re in the right place.
 
The secret is simple: give your lavender plant plenty of sun, sharp drainage, and very little water.
 
In this post, we’ll walk through exactly how to take care of the lavender plant, from planting and watering to pruning and overwintering.
 
Let’s dig in.
 

How to Take Care of the Lavender Plant: The Basics

Learning how to take care of the lavender plant starts with understanding where it comes from.
 
Lavender is native to the rocky, sun-drenched hills of the Mediterranean, so it hates soggy roots and shady spots.
 
When you take care of the lavender plant with that in mind, everything else falls into place.
 

1. Give It Full Sun

Lavender needs at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight every single day.
 
If you want to know how to take care of the lavender plant indoors, put it near your brightest south-facing window.
 
Without enough sun, the stems get leggy, the blooms get sparse, and the plant becomes weak.
 

2. Plant It in Well-Draining Soil

The number one killer of lavender is wet feet.
 
To take care of the lavender plant properly, mix sand or gravel into your soil to improve drainage.
 
If you’re growing lavender in a pot, use a terracotta container with plenty of drainage holes.
 

3. Water Sparingly

When you take care of a lavender plant, less water is almost always better than more.
 
Water deeply but let the soil dry out completely between waterings.
 
Once your lavender plant is established, it can survive on rainfall alone in most climates.
 

How to Take Care of the Lavender Plant Through the Seasons

How you take care of the lavender plant changes a bit depending on the season.
 
Here’s what to focus on throughout the year.
 

1. Spring: Prune and Feed Lightly

In early spring, trim back about one-third of the plant to encourage fresh growth.
 
When you take care of the lavender plant in spring, avoid cutting into the old woody stems.
 
A light dose of fertilizer once a year is plenty, since too much food makes lavender floppy.
 

2. Summer: Deadhead Spent Blooms

To keep your lavender plant blooming, snip off flowers as they fade.
 
This is also the best time to harvest stems if you want to dry them for sachets.
 
Learning how to take care of the lavender plant in summer is really about staying hands-off with water.
 

3. Fall: Prepare for Cooler Weather

Stop fertilizing by late summer so new growth can harden off before frost.
 
If you take care of the lavender plant in a cold climate, add a layer of gravel mulch around the base.
 
Avoid rich compost, which holds moisture lavender hates.
 

4. Winter: Protect Without Suffocating

How to take care of the lavender plant in winter depends on your growing zone.
 
In mild areas, it needs almost nothing.
 
In freezing regions, cover the plant loosely with evergreen boughs to block wind without trapping dampness.
 

Common Mistakes When You Take Care of a Lavender Plant

Even careful gardeners run into problems, so here are the big ones to avoid.
 

1. Overwatering

If you take care of a lavender plant by watering it like your other garden plants, root rot will set in fast.
 
Yellow, dropping leaves are usually a sign you’ve been too generous with the hose.
 

2. Planting in Rich, Heavy Soil

Lavender thrives in poor, gritty soil, so skip the nutrient-rich potting mix.
 
When you take care of the lavender plant in clay-heavy ground, amend it with sand or plant on a slight mound.
 

3. Pruning Too Aggressively

Cutting back into old wood can kill your lavender plant because those stems rarely regrow.
 
The right way to take care of the lavender plant is to prune lightly every year instead of hard every few.
 

4. Crowding It

Good airflow prevents fungal diseases, so space your plants at least two feet apart.
 
If you take care of the lavender plant indoors, keep a small fan nearby for circulation.
 

So, How Do You Take Care of the Lavender Plant?

Taking care of a lavender plant comes down to sun, drainage, and restraint.
 
Give it full sun, gritty soil, and very little water, and it will reward you for years.
 
Prune lightly each spring, deadhead through summer, and protect it from winter wetness rather than cold.
 
Now that you know how to take care of the lavender plant, you can enjoy that gorgeous fragrance and those purple blooms season after season.