Lavender is one of those plants most people assume you have to buy in a pot. You do not. A single packet of Lavandula angustifolia seed can give you enough plants for a low hedge along a path — for less than the price of one nursery plant. The catch is that lavender seed is slow and a little uneven to come up, and the seedlings hate being kept wet. Get those two things right and the rest is easy: lavender wants sun, poor soil and a good haircut once a year. This guide explains how to grow lavender from seed, from a late-winter sowing to the first summer of flowers, and how to keep the plants bushy for a decade or more.
- Sow February–April under cover at 15–20 °C · or late summer to overwinter
- Germination 2–4 weeks, often uneven · more even after a month of cold
- Plant out May–June, 30–45 cm apart, full sun, free-draining soil
- Flowers June–August, properly from year two · prune straight after
English or French: which lavender are you growing?
Most lavender grown in British and northern European gardens is Lavandula angustifolia, called English lavender because it has been grown here for centuries, even though it comes from the dry mountains of the western Mediterranean. It is the hardiest species, the one used for hedges, for drying and for the kitchen, and the one that lives longest. All six packets in our Lavandula angustifolia collection are this species, including an organic lavender.
French lavender, Lavandula stoechas, is a different plant: shorter, with fat flower heads topped by purple 'rabbit ear' bracts. It flowers earlier and more readily in its first year, but it is less hardy and dislikes cold, wet winters, so in many gardens it is grown as a short-lived plant or kept in a pot. You will find it in our Lavandula stoechas collection. And sea lavender is not lavender at all — it is statice, Limonium, which we cover in how to grow sea lavender from seed.
When to sow lavender seeds
The best time to sow English lavender is February to April, indoors or in a heated greenhouse. Plants sown then are big enough to plant out by early summer and settle in before winter. You will find what else goes in then in the February and March sowing collections.
Some of our packets can also be sown in late summer, from July to early September. Those seedlings spend their first winter in pots in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse and go out the following spring, a few weeks ahead of a spring sowing. Avoid sowing in autumn or early winter without heat: the seedlings stay tiny for months and are easily lost to damp.
The cold trick for better germination
Lavender seed does not strictly need a winter, but it germinates far more evenly after one. Mix the seed with a spoonful of barely damp vermiculite or sand in a labelled bag and keep it in the fridge for three to four weeks before sowing. The seed must be moist — a dry packet in the fridge does nothing. Our guide to growing perennials from seed explains why this cold spell works and how to do it outdoors instead.
How to sow lavender from seed
- Use gritty compost. Fill a tray or pot with seed compost mixed with about a quarter horticultural grit or perlite, firm it gently and water it before sowing, not after.
- Sow on the surface. Scatter the seed thinly and press it in. Cover it with no more than a dusting of vermiculite — lavender germinates better with some light.
- Keep it cool-warm, not hot. 15–20 °C is ideal. A heated propagator turned up high often slows lavender down rather than speeding it up.
- Water from below. Stand the tray in water for a few minutes when the surface dries, then let it drain. Constant wet is the main cause of damping off in lavender.
- Be patient. The first seedlings appear after about two weeks; others may follow over the next month. Do not empty the tray too soon.
Once they are up, give them as much light as you can — a sunny windowsill in March is often not enough, and lavender seedlings stretch quickly. A simple LED light helps; see grow lights for seedlings and leggy seedlings: causes and fixes. For the basics of moisture, warmth and timing, see our guide to germinating seeds.
Potting on and planting out
When the seedlings have two pairs of true leaves, prick them out into individual 7–9 cm pots of gritty compost. Pinch out the tips once they are about 8 cm tall: it makes them branch from the base and gives a bushier plant. Grow them on in a bright, cool place and harden them off for a week or two before planting out in May or June, after the last frost.
Choose the sunniest spot you have. Lavender wants full sun and soil that drains freely — light, sandy or chalky soil is ideal, and slightly alkaline is better than acid. It does not need rich soil or feeding. More plants are lost to wet, heavy ground in winter than to cold, so on clay plant into a raised bed or on a low mound with plenty of grit. Space plants 30 cm apart for a hedge and 45 cm apart for single plants. In pots, use a loam-based compost with extra grit in a terracotta pot with good drainage holes — our guide to container gardening from seed has more tips.
How to grow lavender from seed: step by step
- January–February: chill the seed Optional but worth it: 3–4 weeks in damp vermiculite in the fridge.
- February–April: sow on the surface Gritty seed compost, pressed in, barely covered, at 15–20 °C.
- Keep it light and just moist Water from below. Expect seedlings over two to six weeks.
- Prick out and pinch One seedling per small pot at two pairs of true leaves. Pinch the tips at about 8 cm.
- May–June: harden off and plant Full sun, free-draining soil, 30–45 cm apart. Water in, then water only in dry spells in the first summer.
- Late summer: first trim Clip young plants lightly to keep them compact. From year two, prune hard every year after flowering.
Pruning: the secret to lavender that lasts
Lavender that is never pruned becomes woody and bare in the middle within a few years, and old wood rarely grows again. The fix is one cut a year. As soon as flowering is over, usually in late August, cut the whole plant back into a neat mound, removing the flower stems and most of this year's growth — but always leave 2–3 cm of green, leafy stem above the woody base. Do not cut into bare brown wood. A light tidy in April is fine if you missed the summer cut. Pruned like this, English lavender stays compact and flowers well for ten years or more.
Harvesting and drying lavender
For drying, cut the stems when the lowest flowers on each spike have just opened and the rest are still in bud. This is when the scent is strongest and the flowers hold best. Cut on a dry morning, tie the stems in small bunches and hang them upside down in a dark, airy place for one to two weeks. Our guide to harvesting and drying herbs covers the method in detail. Use English lavender, not French, for baking and drinks, and use it sparingly — a little goes a long way. Leave some flowers on the plants too: lavender is one of the best plants for bees, as our pollinator garden guide explains.
English lavender
Lavandula angustifolia — the hardy classic.
- Hardy to around −15 °C in well-drained soil
- Slender spikes, June–August
- Best for hedges, drying and cooking
- Flowers properly from year two; lives 10+ years
French lavender
Lavandula stoechas — showy and quick.
- Only hardy to about −5 °C; hates winter wet
- Plump heads with 'rabbit ears', from late spring
- Often flowers in the first summer
- Best in pots or treated as short-lived
Common mistakes when growing lavender from seed
- Keeping the compost wet. Lavender seedlings rot faster than they dry out. Water from below and let the surface dry between waterings.
- Burying the seed. A thick layer of compost on top slows or stops germination. Surface-sow and barely cover.
- Giving up too soon. Germination is staggered over several weeks. Keep the tray for at least six weeks.
- Rich soil and feeding. Lush growth is soft, flops open and has less scent. Lean soil makes better lavender.
- Cutting into old wood. Prune every year after flowering, but always leave some green growth.
- Heavy, wet ground. On clay, plant into a raised bed or a mound with plenty of grit.
Frequently asked questions
Is lavender hard to grow from seed?
Not hard, just slow. The seed germinates over two to six weeks and the seedlings need light and careful watering. After that, lavender is one of the easiest plants in the garden.
Will lavender flower in its first year from seed?
English lavender sown in February or March may give a few spikes in its first late summer, but it flowers properly from its second year. French lavender (L. stoechas) often flowers in its first summer.
Do lavender seeds need cold stratification?
No, they germinate without it, but three to four weeks of moist cold in the fridge makes germination quicker and much more even. It is worth doing with any lavender seed.
Will seed-grown lavender look like its parent?
Lavender grown from species seed shows some natural variation in height and in the exact shade of purple. That is part of its charm in a hedge. If you need identical plants, take cuttings from your favourite seedling in summer.
A row of lavender grown from seed takes a little patience in its first spring and then gives back scent, bees and armfuls of flowers every summer. Sow it alongside the other Mediterranean herbs — rosemary, thyme and sage like the same sun and grit — and browse all our aromatic herbs, organic herbs and bee-friendly flowers. For more, start with our beginner's guide to growing flowers from seed, browse all herb seeds or explore the rest of our growing guides.
