Often when you go to purchase candles, you get mesmerized by the fragrance of lavender candles. When you light it up, the aroma takes you to a lavender field. You secretly wish deep down to plant lavenders and have them in your backyard.
Growing lavender in your backyard is an excellent idea because the plant is known for its endurance and hardiness. The scent of lavender is pleasant and aromatic. It is well-known not just for its aroma but also for its healing capabilities, cleaning properties, sleep and relaxing benefits, and culinary star.
So, whether you’re looking for a lavender candle, something to help you sleep better, or something new to try, lavender has got your back in today’s world.
If you’re looking forward to planting lavender in your backyard (and to always have that fragrant smell around you), you’ve come to the right place.
There are many types of lavender plants available in the outside world. In this article, we will discuss 15 various types of lavender plants to cultivate in your backyard, and some points will help decide whether you are choosing the ideal type for your DIY gardening goals.
15 Types of Lavender Plants
There are hundreds of types of lavender, each with a unique color, size, and scent. In fact, lavender has 46 species and approximately 450 variations, the most common being English, French (or Spanish), Portuguese, and Lavandin. Each lavender plant type has distinct traits, habits, and needs.
To make it easy for gardeners, we have curated a list of 15 well-known lavender plants worldwide.
#1. Thumbelina Leigh, English Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia)
‘Thumbelina Leigh’ is an English lavender cultivar with exceptional horticultural and visual value. It’s little, but it packs a punch. The inflorescences are short and thick, with fewer flowers than other species of lavender. Moreover, they appear at the top of long stems as violet-purple plump plumes high above the leaves.
They can be planted in containers and flower beds if you want the blossoms to stand out. When strolling through the garden, brush your fingers over them for a genuinely relaxing smell. This is one of the reasons why they are used for perfumes and potpourri.
Following are some of the details you need to plant them successfully:
- Exposure: Full sun
- Season of interest: Early-mid summer
- Height: 10 to 12 inches
- Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9
- Spacing: 12 to 16 inches
- Soil type: Chalk, loam, sandy
- Tolerance: Dry to medium
- Soil pH: Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Water Needs: Low
- Maintenance: Average
#2. Betty’s Blue, English Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia)
‘Betty’s Blue’ is English lavender, and it is a compact and tidy type that makes lovely domes in the garden. If you have low hedges or want to create a knot garden, this is the match for you. It is also well-known for its pleasant fragrance and culinary applications.
Here are a few of the details you’ll need to plant them:
- Exposure: Full sun
- Season of interest: Early-mid summer
- Height: 23 to 35 inches
- Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9
- Spacing: 30 to 36 inches
- Soil type: Chalk, loam, sand
- Tolerance: Dry to medium
- Soil pH: Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Water needs: Low
- Maintenance: Average
#3. Folgate, English Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia)
‘Folgate’ is an award-winning English lavender with violet-blue iridescent petals. It’s popularly known amongst the plant kingdom for its abundance and the dense flowers it produces in the spring. Even better, it’s also one of the first lavender plants to bloom.
The Folgate is a fantastic color and scent filler for borders, hedges, and beds, and it’s a plant you can rely on to brighten up your garden with a depth of color that may make all the difference.
The following points are some essentials you’ll need to get started:
- Exposure: Full sun
- Season of interest: Mid-late summer
- Height: 24 to 36 inches
- Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9
- Spacing: 30 to 36 inches
- Soil type: Chalk, loam, sand
- Tolerance: Dry to medium
- Soil pH: Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Water needs: Low
- Maintenance: Average
#4. Hidcote, English Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia)
‘Hidcote’ is another award-winning English lavender that is well-known for its long-lasting and appealing smell. It has blue-green foliage and gives out dark purple flowers. Keep in mind, when the plant dies, its color is preserved and used in crafts and decorations. This becomes a great recyclable source for your other DIY gardening projects.
Few details that you’ll need to get started.
- Exposure: Full sun
- Season of interest: Mid-late summer
- Height: 24 to 36 inches
- Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9
- Spacing: 30 to 36 inches
- Soil type: Chalk, loam, sand
- Tolerance: Dry to medium
- Soil pH: Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Water needs: Low
- Maintenance: Average
#5. Rosea, English Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia)
‘Rosea’ (also known as Pink English Lavender and Jean Davis) is an English lavender with tall, pale pink flowers that are incredibly fragrant. It stands out due to its silver-gray foliage. What’s more, both the flowers and the foliage have a strong aroma.
Few points you should know before growing it in your backyard.
- Exposure: Full sun
- Season of interest: Late spring, early-mid summer
- Height: 24 to 36 inches
- Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9
- Spacing: 30 to 36 inches
- Soil type: Chalk, loam, sand
- Tolerance: Dry to medium
- Soil pH: Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Water needs: Low
- Maintenance: Average
#6. Ballerina, French Lavender (Lavandula Stoechas)
‘Ballerina’ (also known as Bract Lavender and Butterfly Lavender) is a French, Spanish lavender with plum purple flower heads crowned by long-lasting white blossoms that fade to pink and purple as they age.
Don’t forget; they have silvery foliage and a strong scent. Additionally, they grow well in places with warm summers and winters.
Here are some things to know before deciding to plant them in your backyard:
- Exposure: Full sun
- Season of interest: Mid-late spring, early-late summer
- Height: 12 to 24 inches
- Hardiness: USDA zones 8 to 9
- Spacing: 24 inches
- Soil type: Chalk, loam, sand
- Tolerance: Dry to medium
- Soil pH: Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Water needs: Low
- Maintenance: Average
#7. Anouk, French Lavender (Lavandula Stoechas)
A compact and hardy French and Spanish lavender, ‘Anouk’ (also known as Bract Lavender or Butterfly Lavender), has dark plum flower heads crowned with long-lasting violet-blue bracts that fade to pink as they mature.
One can’t ignore the highly pleasant silvery foliage.
The following points will assist you in determining whether it is a good fit for your backyard:
- Exposure: Full sun
- Season of interest: Mid-late spring, early-late summer
- Height: 12 to 24 inches
- Hardiness: USDA zones 6 to 10
- Spacing: 18 to 24 inches
- Soil type: Chalk, loam, sand
- Tolerance: Dry to medium
- Soil pH: Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Water needs: Low
- Maintenance: Average
#8. Fathead, French Lavender (Lavandula Stoechas)
This is a French, Spanish lavender. It has gorgeous silver foliage, plump, round petals in dark purple, and long, lavender-colored petals sitting on top of it. The best part? The blooms are long-lasting and look exceptionally beautiful in mass plantings.
The points listed below are required to help Fathead grow:
- Exposure: Full sun
- Season of interest: Mid-late spring, early-late summer
- Height: 12 to 24 inches
- Hardiness: USDA zones 8 to 9
- Spacing: 18 to 24 inches
- Soil type: Chalk, loam, sand
- Tolerance: Dry to medium
- Soil pH: Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Water needs: Low
- Maintenance: Average
#9. Grosso, Hybrid (Lavandula x Intermedia)
‘Grosso’ is a Hybrid lavender that features vast, deep purple petals and a fragrant aroma that is significantly greater than that of most other forms of lavender.
Another benefit of the Grosso is their ability to make fantastic potpourri.
The following points are needed to help Grosso thrive:
- Exposure: Full sun
- Season of interest: Mid-late summer
- Height: 24 to 36 inches
- Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 8
- Spacing: 24 to 36 inches
- Soil type: Chalk, loam, sand
- Tolerance: Dry to medium
- Soil pH: Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Water needs: Low
- Maintenance: Average
#10. Fringed Lavender, French Lavender (Lavandula Dentata)
‘Fringed Lavender’ is a French lavender with a mild aroma and blooms that aren’t very showy. It’s prized for the plastic and decorative ribbing (or teeth) on its silver-green leaves. Grow them on your kitchen window, front porch, or on that striking outdoor patio.
Below are some points to follow to grow a healthy plant:
- Exposure: Full sun
- Season of interest: Early-late summer
- Height: 24 to 36 inches
- Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9
- Spacing: 24 to 36 inches
- Soil type: Chalk, loam, sand
- Tolerance: Dry to medium
- Soil pH: Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Water needs: Low
- Maintenance: Average
#11. Impress Purple, Hybrid (Lavandula x Intermedia)
Used in bouquets due to its lengthy clusters of dark purple blooms, ‘Impress Purple’ is a Hybrid lavender with flowers that are the most vibrant purple of any lavender.
Below are some factors to consider before planting:
- Exposure: Full sun
- Season of interest: Mid-late summer
- Height: 24 to 36 inches
- Hardiness: USDA zones 6 to 8
- Spacing: 36 to 40 inches
- Soil type: Chalk, loam, sand
- Tolerance: Dry to medium
- Soil pH: Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Water needs: Low
- Maintenance: Average
#12. Egyptian Lavender, Fernleaf Lavender (Lavandula Multifida)
‘Egyptian Lavender’ is a Fernleaf lavender with fluffy silver-green foliage. It has hairy bipinnate leaves. The blooms are a lovely complement to arrangements of several showcased plants or even vegetables (cucumbers included). You may even grow this sort of lavender in containers on patios or decks.
Here are some factors to look at before planting:
- Exposure: Full sun
- Season of interest: Early-mid summer
- Height: 24 to 36 inches
- Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9
- Spacing: 12 to 24 inches
- Soil type: Chalk, loam, sand
- Tolerance: Dry to medium
- Soil pH: Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Water needs: Low
- Maintenance: Average
#13. Portuguese Lavender, Spiked Lavender (Lavandula Latifolia)
‘Portuguese lavender’ (also known as Broadleaved lavender) is a Spiked lavender with generally purple flowers in regular spikes. The inflorescence of the Portuguese lavender is what steals the show in most gardens nurturing this plant.
The bushes, on the other hand, will create enormous clusters of silver-green leaves with purple spikes growing straight in the middle and arching on the edges.
The points below are the core requirements for their proper growth:
- Exposure: Full sun
- Season of interest: Mid-late spring, late summer
- Height: 12 to 30 inches
- Hardiness: USDA zones 6 to 9
- Spacing: 28 to 35 inches
- Soil type: Chalk, loam, sand
- Tolerance: Dry to medium
- Soil pH: Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Water needs: Low
- Maintenance: Low
#14. Hidcote Giant, Hybrid (Lavandula X Intermedia)
‘Hidcote Giant’ is a Hybrid Lavender with a large, sturdy, and thick spike of fuchsia to violet-purple blooms that can be pretty stunning. The entire end measures roughly 4 inches (10 cm) in length. To top it up, it is a lovely attractive variety to plant in your patios or containers.
The following factors will assist you in determining whether Hidcote Giant is appropriate for your backyard:
- Exposure: Full sun
- Season of interest: Mid-late summer
- Height: 24 to 36 inches
- Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 8
- Spacing: 36 to 40 inches
- Soil type: Chalk, loam, sand
- Tolerance: Dry to medium
- Soil pH: Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Water needs: Low
- Maintenance: Average
#15. Regal Splendour, French Lavender (Lavandula Stoechas)
‘Regal Splendour’ (also known as Bract Lavender or Butterfly Lavender) is a colorful and floriferous French and Spanish lavender. It boasts big, rich-violet flower heads topped with lengthy pinkish-purple bracts, which creates a stunning contrast.
Even better, it features bright green foliage and a strong fragrance. They can also be mass-planted in containers and alongside fences to create an eye-catching effect.
The following key points will help you determine whether Regal Splendour is the right choice for your backyard:
- Exposure: Full sun
- Season of interest: Mid-late spring, early-late summer
- Height: 24 to 36 inches
- Hardiness: USDA zones 8 to 9
- Spacing: 30 to 36 inches
- Soil type: Chalk, loam, sand
- Tolerance: Dry to medium
- Soil pH: Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Water needs: Low
- Maintenance: Average
Conclusion: How to Care for Lavender Plants
Now that you’ve decided on the variety of lavender to plant in your backyard, here are some general recommendations to help them thrive beautifully.
- Water your lavender plants once or twice a week until they are firmly established. After they’ve grown a little, begin watering them every two to three weeks until buds emerge and flowers are picked.
- If you reside in a colder climate, your lavenders may require additional winter care and protection. Cover the plants with winter mulch if possible. This is because winter mulch will keep them warm in the winter.
- They don’t like humid environments. Factually, they prefer dry areas, and if they get wet in the summer, it might result in molding, and they will lose their fragrance.
- If you trim your lavender in the spring, it will bloom more abundantly. Only prune till you see old growth, which is if the branch has become woody. Remember not to remove the old growth.
Are you currently confused regarding the layout of your backyard? If so, check out these 30 beautiful backyard landscaping design ideas. All DIY gardeners are assured to figure a perfect way to incorporate these lavender plants!
Bonus Read: Fortunately, we have a bunch of backyard suggestions for you – that won’t break the bank. If you’re looking for a backyard revamp at a lower cost, click here.