LAVENDER PLANTS
Purchase lavender plants for your own garden -- Late April to early July
PLANTS FOR SALE
We begin selling lavender plants on April 21, 2024 and continue into mid-July. Availability changes weekly with up to 20 varieties to choose from. Common plant sizes are 3.5" pots, quart pots, and 1-gallon pots. We occasionally carry 2-gallon lavender pots. Customers enjoy browsing our large selection of varieties and we are always happy to make a recommendation for your needs and desires. The farm is located in the Walla Walla Valley of southeastern Washington which is in USDA Zone 5. All plants we offer are hardy to Zone 5 and above. Plants are sold on-site only; sorry, we don't ship.
​
PLANTING & GROWING YOUR OWN LAVENDER
​
-
Full Sun: Lavender thrives in the sun, so select a spot that receives at least six hours of full sun per day.
-
Soil and Drainage: Lavender does best in slightly alkaline soil and loves poor, rocky, well-draining ground. Amend heavy soil with sand or pea gravel to ensure drainage. Plant on a berm if your soil drains poorly. Fertilize only rarely.
-
Watering: Keep new plants moist with daily watering for the first several weeks. Attend to watering carefully through the first summer. Once established, lavender is drought tolerant, but will grow and bloom fuller with deep bi-weekly watering. Over-watering is a common way to kill lavender, so allow mature plants to dry out between waterings. For the best blooms, avoid overhead sprinkling when flowers are in bloom.
-
Pruning: Pruning is important for the long-term viability of lavender plants, which can be beautifully productive for 15 or more years. Plants that are not pruned yearly will sprawl, becoming woody and unattractive. Trim off spent flower stems during summer to keep your plants looking tidy and encourage a second bloom. Most English varieties will bloom again in late summer. Prune all lavender plants heavily before the first hard frost — or by early spring at the latest — by trimming back all but about 2” of the green canopy of the plant. Don’t trim into the woody part unless it is to remove occasional dead branches or rejuvenate an old and ragged plant.
​
COMMON LAVENDER VARIETIES
Blue Mountain Lavender Farm grows and/or sells the following types of lavender:
​
-
English Lavender or Lavandula angustifolia: This species of lavender most closely resembles wild lavender indigenous to the Mediterranean basin and can be found under the common names of English lavender, true lavender and fine lavender. Plants are nicely domed with upright flower stems. Blooms are about knee-high, prolific, often dark purple in color and sweetly fragrant. English lavender is good for landscaping, crafting, culinary use and dried arrangements. Some common varieties are Munstead, Hidcote, Sachet, Buena Vista, Purple Bouquet, Ellagance Purple, Folgate, Martha Roderick, Pacific Blue, Royal Velvet, Sweet Romance, Wee One, and Melissa (light pink). Most English lavender is hardy in Zones 5 to 9.
​
-
French Lavender or Lavandula x intermedia: This species of lavender, also known as lavandin, has been hybridized for high oil content and use in the French lavender oil industry. Larger and bushier than English lavender, French lavender is often waist-high when in bloom with showy, long-stemmed flowers reaching 5' across at the base of the plant. The fragrance of French lavender is strong and somewhat sharp, or sweetly medicinal, due to the camphor found in the oil. French lavender, with its long stems, is good for landscaping, dried arrangements and craft use. Some common varieties include Grosso, Phenomenal, Provence, Super, Gros Blue, Impress Purple, and Sensational. Most French lavender is hardy to Zones 5 to 9.
​
-
Spanish Lavender or Lavandula stoechas: This species of lavender is identifiable by its two petals or "rabbit ears" on top. Spanish varieties bloom profusely in spring and will re-bloom with a good pruning mid-summer. Spanish lavender's piney fragrance and bright colors attract bees and butterflies to the garden. These varieties, categorized as Zone 7 to 9, are tender and will not always live through the colder winters in the Inland Northwest. Nonetheless, they are delightful to grow as annuals in pots where they will bloom prolifically until first frost, and can be replaced as necessary.
​