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Lavandula angustifolia
Also called English Lavendar, Lavender, Garden Lavender, Common Lavender
English lavender is a fragrant evergreen shrub from the Mediterranean, grown for its purple flower spikes and scent. The key to growing it is sharp drainage and full sun; it dislikes wet, soggy soil.
Lavandula angustifolia, formerly L. officinalis, is a flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to the Mediterranean basin. Its common names include lavender, true lavender and English lavender (though it is not native to England); also garden lavender, common lavender and narrow-leaved lavender."Lavandula angustifolia Mill". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
English lavender is commonly grown as an ornamental plant. It is popular for its colourful flowers, its fragrance, and its ability to survive with low water consumption. It does not grow well in continuously damp soil and may benefit from increased drainage. It does best in Mediterranean climates similar to its native habitat, characterised by wet winters and dry summers. It is fairly tolerant of low temperatures, and is generally considered hardy to Royal Horticultural Society zone H6, or USDA zone 5. It tolerates acid soils, but favours neutral to alkaline soils, and in some conditions it may be short-lived.
The flowers and leaves are applied in herbal medicine. Commercially, the plant is used to produce lavender essential oil used in balms, salves, perfumes, cosmetics, and topical applications. Lavender essential oil, when diluted with a carrier oil, is commonly used for massage therapy or aromatherapy.
French lavender · Woolly Lavender · Broadleaved lavender · Lavender · Cut Leaf Lavender · Spanish Lavender · Lavandula pinnata · Downy Lavender · French lavender · Lavender
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lavandula angustifolia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
