More than just producing flowers, lavender is an aromatic herb from the mint family that offers many uses.
As such, it’s not surprising that plenty of home gardeners try their luck in growing these perennials.
The key to growing lavenders is patience, as they probably won’t produce as many flowers in the first year.
When does lavender bloom? If you plant different lavender varieties together, you can enjoy their flowers from early spring to late summer. Once they are established, some lavender plants even bloom more than once in just one season. Bloom time also varies greatly depending on location.
Lavender Types and Their Blooming Season
Contrary to popular belief, not all types of lavenders are purple.
You will find several varieties and hybrids in other beautiful pastel colors like pale pink, violet-blue, yellow, white, and rose.
In addition, these varieties also have varying bloom times.
To help you choose which ones to grow, here are the most popular lavender varieties and their blooming seasons:
Also known as Lavandula angustifolia, the English lavender is a favorite in many herb gardens.
Some even refer to it as the only “true” lavender and is the variety to plant if you’re after its aromatic oils.
Don’t be fooled by its name, though, as it’s originally from the Mediterranean region and not England.
It is called such because of its ability to thrive in English climates.
This type of English lavender has a compact and dome-shaped plant.
It produces deep violet-blue flowers that are larger than other varieties.
When planted in sandy soil and exposed to full sun, expect blooms come mid-summer.
Unfortunately, they only bloom once, so make sure you time your harvest accordingly.
Compared to Betty’s Blue, this English lavender produces dense, pompom-shaped flowers in light purple.
For this very reason, some say it is the most beautiful strain.
Lavenite Petite lavenders will bloom anywhere from mid to late spring and will attract bees and butterflies.
It will grow in Hardiness Zones 5 through 9 and require a combination of full sun and occasional watering.
Hidcote is one of the most popular lavender varieties. You can distinguish it for its blue-green foliage and dark purple blooms.
What’s great about Hidcote lavenders is that they keep their color as they dry, making them perfect for crafts.
Depending on the climate, you can expect them to bloom in late spring or early summer.
Compared to English lavender, Lavandula Stoechas or Spanish lavender is more fragile.
Another distinguishing feature is its sterile bracts that resemble extravagant ears.
Each flower head produces these “ears,” which you’ll witness longer than others as this lavender species has a long blooming season.
The Ballerina is a type of Spanish lavender that enjoys mild summers and winters.
It produces white flowers at first, but the blooms become pink and purple as the lavender plant ages.
While you can expect to see flowers in May, it also blooms in June and once again as the summer ends or fall begins.
As the name suggests, this type of Spanish lavender has crimson-violet heads topped with pink petals.
If you live in areas with a mild climate, you might just be able to enjoy its blooms all year.
In other regions, Kew Red lavenders will flower starting from late spring all the way through fall.
Unlike its cousins in the Lavandula Stoechas family, Anouk lavenders bloom earlier.
Often, you will start seeing flowers as early as spring begins.
Its flower heads are plump and purple in color, but its petals are a lighter shade.
This is the type of lavender to grow if you live in areas with hot summers because it is the most drought-resistant of all varieties.
Also known as Lavandula Latifolia, the Portuguese lavender produces broad leaves and flower spikes that look simpler yet still elegant.
It is among the three original lavender varieties and is believed to produce the most effective essential oil.
Its lilac bulbs are smaller and sweet-smelling, attracting bees and butterflies from all over.
Often, gardeners use it to create hybrids as it can grow in Hardiness Zones 5 through 9.
Given proper growing conditions, you can expect blooms from June to September.
If you are looking for a fast-growing lavender, check out this Egyptian variety.
The Lavandula Multifida, as it’s also called, produces flowers that are not as sweet-smelling as the others.
It is unique because of its bipinnate leaves and the fact that it smells a bit like oregano.
Plus, it can thrive with minimal intervention, as long as you give it enough space to grow.
It will grow in Hardiness Zones 8 to 11 and will bloom in late spring.
This lavender variety grows quite big, reaching two to three feet high in some instances.
While it blooms the longest, the French lavender, also called Lavandula dentata or fringed lavender, cannot survive extreme temperatures.
As such, it is often grown in pots, allowing you to transfer them indoors during winter.
It can only tolerate the climate in Hardiness Zones 8 and 9, but it will bloom from summer to fall.
Its flowers are a more delicate smell and color and are often used in culinary and for aromatherapy.
A cross between Portuguese and English lavender, hybrids bloom later than other types.
They might also require more care, but you can expect them to grow bigger and produce more flower spikes.
Because they can grow as high as four feet, they are often used as hedging. On the other hand, the 30-inch-long flower spikes are ideal for use in crafts.
One perfect example of a Hybrid lavender is the Impress Purple.
It produces long dark purple aromatic flowers that look beautiful in bouquets.
Expect blooms in mid to late summer when planted in Hardiness Zones 6 through 8.
Compared to its cousin, the Hidcote Giant hybrid produces long stems with fragrant light violet flowers.
For this reason, it is also often used in bouquets.
It will thrive in Hardiness Zones 5 to 8 and attract butterflies and bees to your garden as it blooms in mid to late summer.
Like other hybrids, the Grosso lavender also grows tall, sometimes reaching two feet high.
If pruned correctly and at the right time, you can expect this Lavender x Intermedia hybrid to last for many years.
What’s more, it is hardy enough to survive cold winters.
For these reasons, it is one of the most common types of lavender grown for its essential oils.
Its dark purple blossoms will begin showing in late summer.
How Long Does Lavender Bloom?
Different lavender varieties not only differ in bloom times but also in how long the flowers bloom.
For instance, those that belong to the English lavender species will bloom for only four weeks.
On the other hand, hybrids like the Grosso blooms longer for up to two months.
Spanish lavenders, such as the Anouk and Ballerina, blooms the longest and might take up to three months.
With this in mind, you can easily have lavenders blooming from early spring to late summer or early fall by planting different varieties.
How Do You Get Lavender to Bloom?
Lavenders are hardy plants, which means they can survive and even thrive in extreme growing conditions.
The trick is being patient enough to allow them to get established.
As long as you plant them in sandy soil in a spot where they receive full sun, there’s no reason for them not to bloom.
They won’t need too much watering nor fertilization, too; instead, too much of these can actually stress them out.
Pruning will also help your lavender plants to bloom.
You will want to do this in spring, which has the ideal conditions to encourage them to grow and produce more blooms.
Removing brown, dried flowers will redirect the plants’ energy to create more stems and flowers instead of seeding.
What To Do If Your Lavender Doesn’t Bloom?
There are several possible reasons why your lavenders are not blooming, but it all boils down to the plants being stressed out.
As mentioned, they don’t need that much care, so it would be best to leave them alone once they are established.
Here are things to keep in mind when growing lavenders:
1. Exposure to Full Sun
Perhaps the most crucial factor that plays the biggest role in growing lavender is sun exposure.
These plants are originally from sunny coastal regions, so they will thrive in areas with plenty of sunlight.
2. Infrequent Watering
Lavenders will do well in dry conditions, which means you won’t have to water them as much as you would other plants.
In fact, once established, they might not need regular watering at all and only rely on rainfall.
3. Sandy Soil
Unlike other flowering plants, lavenders prefer soils that are low in nutrients.
Check that the soil you’ve planted them in has low to medium fertility.
4. Spring (or Fall) Pruning
Depending on the variety you’re growing, lavenders will produce more flowers when pruned regularly.
The idea is that deadheading the flowers will allow the plant to use its energy to produce more blooms.
5. Do Not Fertilize
Adding fertilizer encourages the plant to grow foliage instead of blooms.
Again, try to replicate the growing conditions from which they come—dry and low in nutrients.
If you planted lavenders in rich soil, try to add grit and sand to the mix to ensure more blooms.
Growing lavender not only adds a touch of color to your garden but also makes it more fragrant.
What’s more, lavender blooms and leaves have plenty of uses.
You can add to baked bread, turn it into bouquets, or extract its oils for use in aromatherapy.
As with any perennial, though, you will have to practice patience because lavender plants take longer to grow.