Lavender · last checked 2026-09-27
When to plant and prune lavender: spring or fall, spacing
The Extension pages we read say lavender is best started from rooted cuttings rather than seed, and that wet winter soil, more than cold, is what usually kills it.
Each line below names the Extension service it comes from and links to their page. Where two services put it differently, both are listed.
When to plant
- Colorado State University Extension says lavender can be planted from spring through fall in Colorado. Research it cites found fall-planted lavender survived better and flowered more the next season, when set out from pots of 4 inches or larger. Growing Lavender in Colorado (fact sheet 7.245) · checked 2026-09-27
Annual or perennial
- Colorado State University Extension says English lavender and the lavandin hybrids are woody-based perennials. French and Spanish lavenders are not cold hardy in Colorado and are grown there as annuals in pots and beds. Growing Lavender in Colorado (fact sheet 7.245) · checked 2026-09-27
- Illinois Extension says lavender is a bushy perennial, one to three feet tall, and the English and lavandin groups are the ones it prefers for Midwest gardens. Lavender (Herb Gardening) · checked 2026-09-27
Cold hardiness
- Colorado State University Extension says hardy varieties do well in Colorado's USDA zones 5 to 7, and English lavender is hardy to zone 5. Growing Lavender in Colorado (fact sheet 7.245) · checked 2026-09-27
- Illinois Extension says wet, poorly drained winter soil kills more lavender than cold does. In cold areas, cover plants with evergreen boughs or straw once they are dormant and the ground has first frozen. Lavender (Herb Gardening) · checked 2026-09-27
Sun and soil
- Colorado State University Extension says lavender wants full sun and alkaline soil with very little organic matter. Heavy soils may need amending before planting so they drain. Growing Lavender in Colorado (fact sheet 7.245) · checked 2026-09-27
- Illinois Extension says lavender needs full sun and soil that drains extremely well. Raised beds help where drainage is poor. Lavender (Herb Gardening) · checked 2026-09-27
Spacing
- Colorado State University Extension says grown as a crop, plants go 2 to 3 feet apart in the row with 3 to 6 feet between rows, depending on the size of the cultivar. Growing Lavender in Colorado (fact sheet 7.245) · checked 2026-09-27
- Illinois Extension says plants should not be crowded: leave enough room between them for air to move and the foliage to stay dry. Lavender (Herb Gardening) · checked 2026-09-27
Harvest
- Colorado State University Extension says cut stems in the morning, when about half of the flower buds have opened. Growing Lavender in Colorado (fact sheet 7.245) · checked 2026-09-27
- Illinois Extension says cut stems just as the flowers start to open, when the spikes smell strongest, and hang small bunches to dry somewhere cool, dark, dry and airy. Lavender (Herb Gardening) · checked 2026-09-27
When to prune
- Colorado State University Extension says lavender flowers on new growth and should be pruned every year once established, when green leaves appear at the base in spring, taking off about a third of the top. Growing Lavender in Colorado (fact sheet 7.245) · checked 2026-09-27
- Illinois Extension says not to cut plants back in fall, and to wait for new spring growth before pruning. Lavender (Herb Gardening) · checked 2026-09-27
Unless a line says otherwise, weeks are counted from the average last spring frost where you live. Find that date through your state’s Extension service. See how these pages are put together.
Other flowers: Daffodil, Hydrangea, Mums (garden chrysanthemums), Peony, Rose, Tulip.