How to grow lavender, a complete South African guide

Lavender has a bit of a reputation. People love the look of it, that haze of purple and the scent that stops you in your tracks, but a lot of us have also killed one and quietly decided it is fussy. Here is the honest truth. Lavender is not fussy at all. It is Mediterranean, it likes things a little tough, and almost every lavender that dies in a South African garden dies for one of two reasons, not enough sun or too much water. Get those two right and it is one of the most rewarding, low maintenance plants you can grow.

So let's do this properly, from picking the right variety for where you live, to keeping a plant going strong for years.

Which lavender to grow in South Africa

This matters more than most guides let on, because the wrong lavender in the wrong climate is a slow disappointment. The one to know is Margaret Roberts, a lavender bred right here over many years and about as close to foolproof as they come. It grows knee to waist high, throws up long violet spikes almost all year round, and shrugs off our conditions with very little help. If you are not sure what to plant, plant that.

Spanish lavender, the one with the little rabbit ear petals on top, is tough and cheerful and does especially well in the Western Cape, flowering on and off from spring through autumn. English lavenders like Hidcote and Munstead are the classic tight, silvery, deeply fragrant types, and they are happiest where winters are cold and summers are not too humid, so the Highveld and cooler inland gardens suit them better than the muggy coast. French and fern leaf lavenders handle heat and humidity well if the subtropical east is where you are. There is more on choosing plants that suit your exact spot in our Plant Library, where you can look lavender up next to other water wise favourites.

The two things lavender cannot live without

Everything else is detail. These two are not.

The first is full sun. Lavender wants six to eight hours of direct sun a day, the more the better. In a shady or half shady spot it goes leggy, stops flowering, and sulks. If your plant is all leaf and no flower, this is almost always why.

The second is drainage, and this is the real killer. Lavender hates wet feet. Its roots need to dry out between waterings, and if they sit in damp, heavy soil they rot, which is the single most common way a lavender dies in this country, especially in a summer rainfall garden. So before you plant, be honest about your soil. If water pools after rain, or the ground stays soggy, you have to fix the drainage first.

Getting the soil and drainage right

Lavender actually prefers poor, gritty, slightly alkaline soil. Rich, water holding soil does it no favours. If you garden on heavy clay, dig in plenty of compost along with coarse river sand or fine gravel to open it up and let water move through. Planting on a slight mound or a raised bed helps enormously too, because it lifts the crown of the plant up out of any standing water. It is worth understanding a little about growing media in general, and our guide to the best type of soil for plants covers the drainage side well.

Growing lavender in pots, the easy way to control drainage

Honestly, if your garden soil is heavy or wet, a pot is the simplest answer of all, because you control everything. Use a container with a good drainage hole, fill it with a gritty, free draining mix rather than a rich moisture holding one, and you have removed the main cause of failure at a stroke. A heavier pot suits lavender too, since a mature plant carries a lot of top growth and you do not want it blowing over. Concrete works beautifully here, it drains and dries the way lavender likes and it stays put in the wind, and you can see the range in our concrete pot collection. Raise the pot slightly off the ground on feet so the drainage hole never clogs, and you are set. Growing it in a pot also fits a water wise garden neatly, which we get into in why pots are the water wise choice.

Watering, less than you think

New lavender needs regular water for the first season while it puts down roots. After that, back right off. An established lavender is genuinely drought tolerant and wants a deep drink only now and then, letting the soil dry out well in between. Overwatering, not underwatering, is what kills most of them. In a normal Highveld summer the rain often does the job for you, and the danger is the plant sitting wet, not thirsty. When in doubt, water less.

Pruning, the make or break job

This is the step that separates a lavender that stays neat and flowers for years from one that turns into a woody, gappy, half dead mess in three seasons. Lavender must be pruned, and it must be pruned the right way.

Prune twice a year. Give it a light trim after each flush of flowers to keep the shape tidy and encourage more blooms, then a harder cut in early spring to set it up for the season, taking off no more than about a third of the plant. The one rule you must not break, never cut back into the old, bare, woody stems. Lavender rarely regrows from bare wood, so if you cut too hard into it, that part simply dies. Always keep your cuts in the soft, green, leafy growth. Do that faithfully and a plant stays compact and productive for many years. Skip it and it goes leggy and hollow in the middle, which is the number one lavender complaint there is.

Feeding, keep it hungry

Lavender likes it lean. It comes from poor Mediterranean hillsides and too much feeding gives you lots of soft floppy leaf at the expense of flowers and scent. A little compost worked in at planting is plenty for most gardens. If anything, err on the side of underfeeding.

What to do with all that lavender

Half the joy is in the harvest. Cut the spikes just as the flowers are opening, when the scent and oils are at their strongest, and tie them in small bunches to dry somewhere warm, dark and airy. Dried lavender holds its fragrance for months in sachets in a drawer or wardrobe, and the flowers are lovely in a calming tea. It has earned its place in aromatherapy for a reason, the scent genuinely helps a lot of people wind down.

Out in the garden it does quiet good too. Lavender is a magnet for bees and butterflies, so it pairs naturally with the ideas in creating a butterfly garden and planting for bees. And because it is aromatic, it earns a spot in a herb garden alongside the easy herbs to grow in pots.

Where to plant it, and hedging

Lavender is wonderful massed. A low lavender hedge along a path or a bed edge looks incredible in flower and hums with bees, and the tougher varieties take to it well. Space the plants so air moves freely between them, since good airflow keeps the humidity down around the leaves and helps prevent the fungal problems that damp, crowded lavender can pick up.

When something goes wrong

A few quick fixes. If it is all leaf and no flower, it needs more sun, move it or open up what is shading it. If the middle has gone woody and bare and it flops open, that is missed pruning catching up, and sadly a badly gone plant is often better replaced than saved, so prune faithfully from the start next time. If it wilts, yellows or the base goes soft and black, that is almost always root rot from wet feet, so check your drainage before anything else. And if it looks grey and unhappy in a humid spell, give it more space and airflow.

The short version

Pick a variety that suits your climate, Margaret Roberts if you want the safe bet. Give it all the sun you can and sharp drainage, in the ground or in a pot. Water it deeply but rarely once it is established. Prune it twice a year and never into old wood. Feed it lightly if at all. Do that and lavender stops being the plant you killed and becomes the one you cannot stop propagating. If you want to grow yours in a pot, the whole Pot Shack range is here, and our guide to choosing the right pot will help you match it to your spot.

Frequently asked questions

Does lavender grow well in South Africa?

Yes. Spanish and French lavenders do especially well in warmer areas, while English lavender prefers cooler, drier spots like the Highveld winter.

How much sun does lavender need?

Full sun, at least six hours a day. It will grow leggy and refuse to flower in shade.

How often should I water lavender?

Sparingly. Water deeply only once the soil has dried out. Overwatering is the single most common way to kill lavender.

Can I grow lavender in a pot?

Yes, in a pot with a drainage hole and a gritty, free draining mix. Concrete pots suit it well and keep the roots cool.

When should I prune lavender?

Just after flowering. Cut back by about a third into green growth, never into old woody stems, to keep the plant bushy and long-lived.

Why is my lavender dying?

Almost always wet roots from poor drainage or too much water. Improve the drainage and water less.