Lavender is an outstanding perennial flower native to the rocky soils of the Mediterranean. It has been grown since ancient times primarily for its flowers and lovely fragrance, which is thought to provide relief from stress and anxiety. What’s more, lavender plants bloom into beautiful flowers, which makes them a great addition to any landscape.
If you are considering growing lavender in your garden, choosing a planting spot with suitable soil is key to successfully establishing a thriving lavender garden. So, what type of soil does lavender like?
Basically, when it comes to planting lavender, you want to replicate their native soil conditions. Lavender plants like sandy, well-draining soil with a low to medium level of fertility and neutral to slightly alkaline pH. Read on to learn more about growing this attractive ornamental plant.
What type of soil does lavender like?
Lavenders are Mediterranean plants, so to grow them successfully, you need to mimic the soil conditions of their native region.
Surprisingly, while there are many different species and varieties of lavender to choose from, they all thrive in nearly identical soil conditions. Lavenders grow best in well-drained, nutrient-poor soil with a neutral to slightly alkaline pH. Some varieties can grow in mildly acidic soils.
In the wild, lavender grows in rock cracks, dry soil, under intense heat, and little water.
Here are notes on characteristics that make the best soils for lavender:
1. Good drainage
All lavender needs very well-drained soil. They are native to the Mediterranean, where the soil is of poor quality and fast draining. As such, you must replicate these soil conditions for them to thrive and flower successfully.
Lavenders are also susceptible to root rot, so planting them in clay or any slow-draining soil will impede growth or cause them to die. If your garden retains a low of water, consider these tips:
- Amend the soil in your garden: You can easily modify the soil in your garden to be more hospitable for lavender—however, this time not with plenty of organic material because lavenders need nutrient-poor soil. To improve drainage of the spot where you want to plant lavender, consider a sensible ratio of compost with amendments like perlite, clay stones, and light gritty materials that do not absorb water. These amendments help improve drainage as well as airflow.
- Grow lavenders in pots: Lavenders do exceptionally well in pots as long as the pots have sizable drainage holes in the base. It is also advisable to choose a suitable potting soil mix and amend it appropriately.
- Grow lavenders in raised beds: Raised beds give you complete control of the soil to use for your lavender plants. As such, you can easily mimic the Mediterranean soil conditions to provide your lavenders with the best growing conditions.
Lavender will appreciate growing in coarse builder’s sand or grit rather than fine sand. Rocky-like soil is low in nutrients, provides enough air pockets, and allows fast drainage. Before planting your lavender seedlings, always test how fast the soil drains.
2. Neutral to alkaline pH
While lavender plants can thrive in slightly acidic soils, they prefer neutral to slightly alkaline pH, typically 7.0 to 7.5. For beginner gardeners, it is relatively easy to perform soil with a soil pH testing kit. Generally, you are good to go if your garden has sandy or chalk soils.
Should you want to raise the pH of your garden soils, garden lime or wood ash will do the trick.
3. Nutrient poor soil
Lavenders flourish in rock cracks, dry soils, and under intense heat with little water, meaning they can thrive where most plants would struggle. They prefer soils with low to medium fertility. That’s why it is strongly discouraged to fertilize lavenders. Plenty of nutrients will encourage foliage growth and fewer or even no flowers.
When amending soil, it is also advisable to use very limited amounts of compost to avoid making the planting site nutrient-rich.
What type of soil does lavender like: Conclusion
Native to the Mediterranean, lavenders thrive in what is considered less than ideal conditions yet produce beautiful, fragrant flowers. Thankfully, you don’t have to live in the Mediterranean to grow them.
You can successfully grow lavenders in fast-draining, nutrient-poor soils with a neutral to slightly alkaline pH. No matter the type of soil you have, all you need is to improve the soil conditions to emulate lavender’s native Mediterranean soils.
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