Lavender
Lavandula angustifolia
Botanical family: Lamiaceae
An emblem of Provence, true lavender (Lavandula angustifolia, Lamiaceae) is a Mediterranean subshrub that demands full sun and a poor, dry, drained soil. Its blue-violet spikes are among the finest nectar resources of the garden, much sought after by bees, bumblebees, and butterflies. A distinction is made between true lavender, hardy at altitude, and lavandin, a more vigorous hybrid grown for distillation.
Full sun
Dry, chalky, drained
Sparing, tolerates drought very well
Hardy (-15 °C)
Overwinters in your zone
Role in permaculture
A Mediterranean subshrub with evergreen grey foliage, true lavender forms structuring low edges and hedges that hold the dry garden together in full sun, on poor, dry, free-draining soils. Its summer flowering is among the most melliferous in the garden: it offers nectar and pollen at the height of summer, an often lean period, and draws honeybees, bumblebees, butterflies and hoverflies, the latter beneficial insects whose larvae devour aphids. A refuge for wild pollinators, it is traditionally planted along vegetable borders and near roses, its scent reputed to help diversify the surrounding odours. Drought-tolerant and hardy once established, it clothes rockeries, banks and paths without watering, while keeping its grey outline all year round.
Good companions
Traditional companion planting (benefit not demonstrated)
Poor companions
Opposite soil needs (acid or chalky ground)
Insects attracted or useful
Seasons & availability
Flowers from June to August.
Available: June, July, August.
Guidance for the oceanic / temperate climate; it may vary with your region, altitude, exposure and growing method.
Sources
- La Ferme de Sainte Marthe, « Réussir la culture de la lavande » (fermedesaintemarthe.com/en/blogs/comment-reussir-la-culture-de/reussir-la-culture-de-la-lavande)
- Missouri Botanical Garden, « Lavandula angustifolia » (plantfinder.mobot.org/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=281393)
Nutritional & medicinal properties
For educational purposes. Not a substitute for medical advice. Effects depend on the form, the dose and personal context.
Precautions & contraindications
The essential oil can be irritant, allergenic, or toxic by mouth outside an appropriate setting; some drug interactions reported.
In the kitchen & the apothecary
Where to find lavender in preparations: recipes and traditional herbal teas.
Infusions & herbal teas
Family behaviour: Lamiaceae
In general, Lamiaceae are aromatics (basil, mint, thyme, rosemary, sage, lavender, lemon balm, savory). Their essential oils are reputed to bother some insects, but in a trial cited by Parker et al. (2013), sage, thyme and mint planted near cabbages did not reduce their pests. Their flowers are much visited by pollinators.
Understanding families means learning one rule per family rather than every pairing one by one. Learn more →
Species & varieties
The best-known species and varieties in France.
Species
Common varieties
Voices of peoples
Paraphrases attributed to their documented sources. Never an invented quote.
Medieval European monastic tradition · Rhineland, 12th century
Hildegard of Bingen, a Rhenish abbess and one of the first women to sign treatises of Western medicine, ranks lavender among the 'hot and dry' plants. She recommends it against headaches and to clear the mind. Later, in the Provençal monasteries, bunches of lavender would be spread on the floors in summer: its scent kept fleas away, and heavy thoughts.
Hildegard von Bingen, Physica (Liber simplicis medicinae), composé entre 1151 et 1158, livre I (Des Plantes), chapitre sur la lavande.
Keep in mind
The repellent effect on aphids and ants is shown in vitro with the concentrated essential oils, but little shown in the garden, where ants routinely colonise lavender plants. The -15 °C hardiness applies to Lavandula angustifolia; L. stoechas (butterfly lavender) only tolerates -8 °C.
A note on rigour: many companion pairings are gardening folklore; this note sums up what the sources say, where there are any.