When the lavender blooms, it not only looks beautiful, but also gives off its famous scent. But when does lavender actually bloom?
Table of Contents
The normal flowering time of lavender
Real lavender “Lavandula angustifolia” (synonyms L. officinalis and L. vera) flowers from June to August. The exact flowering time depends on various conditions:
- Lavender Art
- Climatic peculiarities of the region
- Altitude and latitude
- Microclimate at the location
- Sowing time
- Weather of the current season
- Other specifics of the location and care
- Real lavender does not bloom in the first year, depending on the variety and cultivation / planting
The traditional scented, ornamental and medicinal lavender is becoming increasingly rare, however, because another lavender has been on the rise for a long time: the easier-to-grow lavandin:
- Lavandin, Lavandula x intermedia, is a cross of Lavandula and Speik lavender Lavandula latifolia
- It blooms in around 75% of the lavender fields in Provence and is sold more than real lavender in our country
- It contains weaker ingredients, but more camphor (therefore only for external use)
- Lavandin flowers more evenly, larger and certainly in the first year
- However, the flowering period extends from June to September
These flowering times also apply to lavender in Germany, because it is an “almost indigenous” plant here. Real lavender was already introduced by medieval Benedictine monks, but it turned out to be completely hardy in the new, sometimes quite fresh regions. There used to be mountains of lavender (Laubenheim, Rhineland-Palatinate) and cultivation areas around Jena, Rudolstadt and Bad Blankenburg, in Böhlplatten (district of Bad Blankenburg) even a lavender queen is chosen. In addition, plants sold in Germany are usually also grown in Germany (or at least in the temperate zone and not in southern Croatia), usually for many generations of plants. This causes adaptation to the somewhat cooler location.
Now everything would be clear with the flowering time, if it weren’t for the most diverse cultivars that have special features to offer with regard to the flowering time:
The flowering times of the lavender varieties
From Lavandin show z. B. the following well-known varieties have their very own flowering will:
- L. Phenomenal, English lavender, usually blooms for a long time (from June to September) and inimitably evenly – a lavender like a retort
- L x intermedia ‘Blue Dwarf’, already goes in the direction of dwarf lavandin, but compensates for this with particularly lush flowering
- L x intermedia ‘Speciale’ is late with flowering: it starts at the end of August and continues to bloom after other lavenders have been in bloom for a long time
However, if your garden is in a not so friendly corner of Germany or if you also grow lavender for medicinal purposes or if you want real, fine lavender scent in the garden, you should better plant a real Lavandula angustifolia: it is harder than lavandin, it is that Lavender with the real, healing ingredients and it is the lavender with the real, good lavender scent (just not like “grandmother’s perfume”, which was mostly sold with an intrusive lavandin scent).
From this real lavender there are again some cultivars that do not quite adhere to the usual flowering time, here some “deviants”:
- L. angustifolia ‘Blue Mountain White’, medium-sized and white flowering, from the beginning of June to the end of September
- L. angustifolia, Bulgarian lavender, from the second genetic center of the real, wild lavender, grows up to 80 cm, gets by with very little sun and blooms until late October
- L. angustifolia ‘Imperial Gem’, flowers only at the end of July / August and therefore very late, with flower stems up to 55 cm long
- L. angustifolia ‘Irene Doyle’ (also known as ‘Two Seasons’) blooms twice a year, mid to late June and September / October
- L. angustifolia ‘Lady’ blooms in the first season if it is grown early enough
- L. angustifolia ‘Miss Katherine’, blooms from July to August and therefore a bright pink color relatively late
- L. angustifolia ‘Munstead’, uncomplicated classic of public green spaces that blooms very early
Flowering time of other lavenders
The world of plants is large and diverse and in the case of lavender, according to the current state of knowledge, consists of 57 types of lavandula. Since the entire genus from the mint family did not get far beyond the Mediterranean, many species of the genus have always thrived in our country. The warmer the climate, the more it is worth trying lavender species further south. That is why specialized herb nurseries have been selling a range of lavender for years that goes far beyond real lavender angustifolia and lavandin and offers some variety in terms of flowering times:
1. Gray indoor lavender , Lavandula x heterophylla
Lavender suitable as an indoor plant, which shows its large, dark blue flower spikes all year round when the heat is uniform.
2. Canarian lavender, Lavandula pinnata
Canarian lavender does not have a very intense scent and is so sensitive to cold that in this country it is recommended to cultivate it in a bucket. In return, it develops unusually bright, large leaves and beautiful azure blue flowers, and grows and blooms all year round.
3. Moroccan lavender, Lavandula lanata x angustifolia
A lavender for particularly dry locations that develops dark blue-violet flowers all summer.
4. Oregano lavender or fern-leaved lavender, Lavendula multifida
The oregano lavender actually smells and tastes like oregano and thus combines the two herbs that are best added to the normal herbs-of-Provence mixture of savory, rosemary and thyme. It becomes stately 70 cm high and blooms blue from late spring (approx. May) to autumn (approx. October).
5. Crested lavender, Lavendula stoechas ssp. stoechas
The crested lavender, which is only 30 cm high, offers a variety in taste and appearance compared to the typical lavender varieties: Sweet aroma with lots of spice; dark blue flower spikes with pink-violet tufts, blooms from March to June and likes to grow on sandy soils. Widespread in the Mediterranean, as far as the Canary Islands and Madeira, therefore needs some winter protection in rough locations.
6. Speicklavender, Lavandula latifolia
Well-known wild species with rapid and good height growth and a strong camphor scent that blooms until late in summer.
7. Shrub lavender or giant lavender, Lavandula x allardii
The shrub lavender can reach a height of 1.80 m and can be grown as a high stem, it blooms from May to December.
8. Woolly lavender, Lavandula lanata
Flowers in several varieties (‘Richard Gray’, ‘Silver Frost’ = L. angustifolia x lanata) with particularly intensely colored flowers well into autumn.
9. Lemon lavender , Lavendula viridis
The lavender from Madeira is a real rarity with an unusual, light yellow flower and a distinctive lemon aroma. It blooms late, usually from July to August, and grows to an impressive 60 cm.
Conclusion
Lavender blooms in summer, depending on the species and cultivar in early summer, midsummer or until autumn; a month or much longer. For the hobby gardener, however, it is much more important than the exact flowering time that the lavender blooms reliably if it is allowed to grow under reasonably satisfactory conditions. However, a little patience may be necessary, especially with the valuable real lavender.
