Your Guide to Planting, Care, and Harvesting Lavender

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About Lavenders

At her farm in Silverton, Oregon, Trina Riemersma grows the varieties below. All thrive in full sun and well-drained soil (add organic matter to improve heavy soils).

• English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) – Zones 2–24. Sweetly fragrant, used for perfume and sachets; also good for flavoring ice cream, jams, meat rubs, pastries. Riemersma finds 'Buena Vista' with fragrant dark blue-purple flowers perfect for savory dishes and sweet desserts (L. angustifolia 'Munstead' and 'Hidcote' also flavor food). She uses it in blackberry jam, shortbread cookies, and as a rub (with rosemary) for cedar-planked salmon with lavender-honey glaze. Most varieties form mounds to 2 ft tall. Unbranched stems rise above gray-green or silvery foliage; flowers white, pink, lavender-blue, or various purples.
• Lavandin (L. x intermedia) – Zones 4–24. Branching stems with flowers at intervals near top. 'Grosso' is widely planted commercially in France and Italy; possibly the most fragrant lavandin. Compact growth to 2½ ft tall and wide. Silvery foliage; large conical spikes of violet-blue flowers with darker calyxes. Often repeats bloom in late summer. Excellent for drying. 'Provence' often described as perfume lavender but doesn't produce oil used in perfumery. Grows 2 ft tall, fragrant violet-blue flowers that dry well. Good hedge plant.
• Spanish lavender (L. stoechas) – Zones 4–24. Stocky plants to 3 ft tall with gray or gray-green leaves. Bracts resemble rabbit ears; shades of purple to pink. Blooms spring into summer.

Lavender Care

• Plant in full sun and well-drained soil (add organic matter to improve heavy soils).
• Water deeply but infrequently, when soil is almost dry.
• Prune in early spring or at harvest. For low-growing varieties, trim foliage 1–2 inches. From second year, cut 3–4 ft lavenders back by about a third to prevent woody centers. If woody and open, remove a few oldest branches; take more when new growth starts. If this fails, dig out and replace (some commercial growers replace after 10–12 years).
• Harvest for sachets and potpourri by cutting flower spikes or stripping flowers just as blossoms show color; dry in cool, shaded place.

Tips for Starting a Lavender Farm

Know what you're getting into. Question locals about life in the new community before committing. Assess what's needed to make the new place livable, and how much you can do yourself.

Lavenders by Mail

If you can't find the variety locally, try: High Country Gardens (800/925-9387); Joy Creek Nursery (503/543-7474); Goodwin Creek Gardens (800/846-7359).

Visit the Farm

Havenhill Lavender Farm open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays May 18–Sep 16. Special events: cooking/growing classes, lavender crafts, Saturday Night Sunsets (farm strolls with wine tasting and live music). INFO: 582 Drift Creek Rd. S.E., Silverton, OR; 866/430-8396.

More: Easy summer flowers