Lavender in the Garden: Color Harmonies & Planting Tips

Lavender's Many Faces

Aster x frikartii. As the most common flower color, lavender has many faces. It cools to periwinkle blue in Vinca minor and warms to reddish mauve in clematis or pansy blossoms. Lavender abounds among herb blossoms: chives, hyssop, thyme, catmint, sage.

Lavender harmonizes with deep violet and magenta. Pale lavender creates soothing pastels with white, pink, pale yellow. Bluer lavenders shine with complementary yellow-orange or peach. Near silver foliage, lavender looks luminous.

Discover the best lavender flowers for your garden.

Keep Lavender Looking Bright

Lavender (the plant) is a Mediterranean native thriving in sun, heat, poor soil. One weakness: it fades into dull haze en masse. Prevent by interplanting with bolder colors—crimson or gold. Yellow perfect partner (lavender and pale yellow violas with both colors in spring blooms). Chocolate brown foliage with lavender flowers = spectacular marriage. Pink and lavender might seem too rosy but works: lavender larkspur glows next to pink coneflower. Add white or sky blue to balance pink tones. Mauve goes well with cream, buff, gray, pink.

Lavender enhances fall garden's earth tones (bronze, orange, gold) with ethereal touch from perennial asters, fall crocuses, aconites.

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Ways to Use Lavender in the Garden

• Plant breeders haven't achieved true blue rose, but lavender varieties come close: pale Sterling Silver, Angel Face, Lagerfeld.
• Globe-shape flowers of onion family (alliums, chives) span lavender spectrum. Try as many as you like.
• Lavender (name and hue) combines with silver- and gold-foliage plants for shimmering borders.
• On pinkish side of lavender, mauve's tonal ambiguities offer color-blending opportunities. Designers recommend mauve splashes as dividers between deeper colors in borders.