How To Grow Lavender From Seed

Growing lavender from seed is a great choice if your local nursery doesn’t stock lavender, or to just save money on a $2 packet of seeds vs several dollars for a young plant.   But growing lavender from seed is a bit more difficult than just planting already sprouted lavender, so here is what you should know

Lavender Seed Varieties

There are many different varieties of lavender seeds. Some different ones include Lacy Frill, Traditional Provence, or Lavender Lady. Each of these has a different color and fragrance, and putting them all together will give you a nice mix.

One nice thing about lavender seeds currently, is that the quality is much improved from the past. In any given seed packet you can expect to get a set of seeds that will produce a hedge of consistent height and color.

Start The Lavender Seeds Early

Like most perennials, lavender takes more time to germinate than annual plants do. Spring is the best time to plant lavender. You should plan on starting the seeds 6 weeks to 2 months before the last frost in your area for them to get a full growing season. Start too late? Don’t worry, because you can plant lavender all the way up to early fall.

You Can Cold-Stratify Lavender

To improve the germination rate of your lavender seeds, some gardeners recommend that you cold stratify them. This breaks the seed from its dormant state and gets it ready to sprout. If you choose to do so, put the lavender seeds in a zip lock back with sand and light soil.

Make sure the soil is moist, but not soggy. Leave the bag in the refrigerator for about 10 days, and most of the seeds will have sprouted.   Some seeds may take longer, and some may even need some time in the freezer.

Planting the Lavender Seeds

Spread the lavender seeds between a half into 1 inch apart in the starting trays.   Only cover them with approximately 1/8 inch of soil, they can still get light and heat from the sun.

Make sure to use a light potting soil. Like the full-grown lavender plants, the seeds do not like soil that is overly wet and can rot if left in too damp soil for too long.

Light and Heat

Once the lavender seeds are in the starting tray, make sure they stay warm. Lavender is, after all, a Mediterranean plant. A temperature of approximately 70 degrees is ideal. A heat mat works well for lavender. It is also a good idea to expose the tray to sunlight.

Once the seeds sprout into seedlings, they will need full sunlight.

Moving the Lavender Seedlings

Once the lavender seedlings have few sets of true leaves, you can put them into another set of pots, more widely spaced.   Place the seedlings at least 3 inches apart.

As the seedlings grow, you can begin exposing them for increasing periods of time to the outside, making sure to bring them back inside at night or during particularly cold weather.

Transplanting Lavender Seedlings Outside

Once the lavender seedlings are 3 to 4 inches tall, they are ready to be moved to their final location outside.   Since almost all problems with lavender come from too little sun, or too much water make sure to pick a well-drained location with full sunlight, at least 6 hours of sun a day.

Space the lavender plants a foot to 18 inches apart.   Lavender does really well as a feature in a rock garden. If you have an existing lavender hedge, you can plant the seedlings between older plants to replace them as they die and have a continuous hedge.

Lavender’s First Year

You can expect to see moderate growth in the first year. Some of the lavender plants might bloom, but if they do so it is a good idea to pinch off the buds so that the plant can invest more energy into its root system and vegetation. By the second season, you can expect to have a solid hedge of lavender.