Growing Lavender in Scotland: The Complete Guide

Lavandula angustifolia (English lavender)

English lavender is hardy enough to overwinterKeeping a plant alive and intact through the cold months, whether left outdoors, moved under cover, or stored dormant. Full definition → outdoors in Scotland, and the main risk is wet, heavy soil rather than cold. French and Spanish types are a different story, with a hardiness gap that changes which one to choose on acid soil.

A grey, aromatic, evergreen shrub, lavender wants lots of sun and poor, free-drainingSoil that lets water pass through quickly rather than pooling, so roots aren't sitting in wet ground after rain. Full definition → soil rather than a rich, well-fed bed, the opposite of what most border plants ask for.

Site and soil

Choose a spot in full sun with free-draining soil, ideally neutral to alkaline and on the poorer, less fertile side; avoid heavy clay, waterlogged ground, shade and damp spots altogether; on heavy soil, plant on a 20-30cm mound or in a raised bed. On acid soil, French lavender is suggested, though it's also the more tender type, better grown in a movable container than planted straight into open ground here. Space plants 90cm apart as individual specimens, or 30-45cm apart for a hedge. For containers, use a 30-40cm diameter pot with drainage holes, filled with peat-freeCompost made without peat, which is harvested from a slow-forming, carbon-storing wetland habitat that peat extraction damages. Full definition → multipurpose or loam-based compost mixed with up to 25% coarse grit by volume.

Planting and propagation

Plant April to May, not in winter when young plants may rot in cold, wet soil, and water regularly through the first growing season, especially in dry weather. Propagate by softwood or semi-ripe cuttings in early to midsummer, or hardwood cuttings in late autumn after flowering. Seed is possible too, collected from dried seedheads in late summer and sown in spring, but a named cultivarA plant variety that arose or was bred under cultivation and is kept true by deliberate propagation, rather than a naturally occurring wild species. Full definition →'s seed may not resemble the parent plant, so cuttings are the more reliable route for keeping a specific variety true. Semi-Ripe Cuttings: Reading the Bend Test → covers how to judge exactly when a shoot is ready, rather than going by the calendar alone.

Care through the year

Established ground plants are drought-tolerant and need no feeding, since lavender prefers low-nutrient soil; container plants need watering once or twice weekly in dry summer weather. Prune annually in late summer after flowering, removing spent flower stalks and about 2.5cm of leaf growth, and never cut into woody stems. Older plants become straggly and woody, and lavender doesn't regrow easily from old stems, so replacing an old plant is usually more effective than trying to rejuvenate it.

Winter

English lavender in free-draining soil usually needs no special winter protection. Container plants of any type should be kept fairly dry and sheltered from excess rain over winter. French, Spanish and other tender types need moving somewhere frost-free for winter, since they're less hardy and shorter-lived outdoors than English lavender.

Harvesting

Cut flower spikes in early to mid-summer, just before they're fully open, for the strongest fragrance.

Varieties

Ten lavenders hold the AGMThe RHS's Award of Garden Merit: a UK-wide trials award for reliable performance, not a Scotland-specific recommendation. Full definition →, a UK-wide award. Hidcote, Imperial Gem, Miss Katherine, Beechwood Blue, Alba and Sussex are all H5; Ballerina and Sawyers are H4; Willow Vale and Royal CrownThe base of a perennial plant where roots and shoots meet, often sold and planted as a ready-made dormant plant rather than grown from seed. Full definition →, the French and Spanish types, are H3The RHS's H1a–H7 scale for how much cold a plant can survive outdoors, H1a being tender indoor-only and H7 hardy anywhere in the UK. Full definition → and need a dry spot at the base of a wall or a pot moved indoors in winter.

Also worth considering

Best Lavender Varieties for Scotland → compares all named lavender varieties head-to-head, with the practical detail that doesn't fit in a summary card.

Common problems

• Root rot is the main risk, especially in wet or heavy soil; raised beds or containers with sharp drainage are the real defence.
• Rosemary beetle is a metallic purple-and-green beetle that chews leaves and flowers down to greyish stumps; plant health usually isn't affected, and hand-picking beetles and larvae off keeps numbers down.
• Sage and Ligurian leafhopper causes pale mottling on leaves, usually cosmetic rather than serious.

Common questions

Sources