Product Field NotesLavender Plants
Blue River Lavender: Late-July Color in a Dense, Even Mound
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Blue River lavender is a compact English lavender with intense purple and purple-blue flowers held over silver-green to gray-green foliage. It grows into a dense, even mound, and it waits a little longer than many English types to put on its show, starting in early July and peaking in late July.
That timing is its quiet superpower. Plant it with early-blooming lavenders and the purple keeps rolling well into high summer.
Blue River at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Lavandula angustifolia 'Blue River' |
| Flower color | Intense purple to purple-blue |
| Foliage | Silver-green to gray-green |
| Habit | Uniform, compact, dense and mounded |
| Mature size | About 18 inches tall and 24 inches wide |
| Bloom | Starts early July, peaks late July, moderate rebloom |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 5a to 9b |
| Fragrance | Strong, sweet and floral with low camphor |
| Best uses | Fragrance, oil, borders, culinary |
Building a longer lavender season
Many English lavenders hit their peak in June or early July. Blue River's late-July peak lets you plan a relay: early types open first, Blue River carries the color through the heart of summer and lavandins finish the run. The Bloom Calendar makes it easy to pick partners.
Its uniform shape is also handy in formal plantings. A row of matching mounds along a walk or a knot-garden edge looks deliberate in a way a mix of sizes never quite does.
Site and soil
Give it full sun and fast-draining soil. Sandy and loamy soils are ideal; clay needs a raised bed or a generous mound of gritty soil. Space plants about 18 to 24 inches apart for a hedge that just touches, or a little wider in humid spots, since good airflow keeps the dense foliage healthy.
Blue River needs a winter chill to bloom well and is among the hardier lavenders. In wet Great Lakes winters, drainage matters far more than any covering. Confirm your zone with the USDA Zone Finder.
Care notes
- Water: deeply in the first season whenever the top few inches dry. Established plants need little.
- Fertilizer: rarely needed. Lean soil keeps the mound tight and flowers plentiful.
- Shearing: after the late-July peak, cut spent stems and a little leafy growth. Because it blooms later, do this promptly so new growth can firm up before fall.
- Never cut into bare wood. Old woody stems seldom resprout.
- Humidity: it prefers low to moderate humidity, so do not crowd it.
Harvest and uses
As an English lavender with a sweet, low-camphor scent, Blue River is rated great for culinary use. Harvest buds when they are fully colored but before most flowers open, dry in the shade and use sparingly from plants grown as a food crop.
It is rated good for fresh and dried flowers and excellent for oil suitability, so it is a fine choice for sachets, small bundles and anyone experimenting with home distilling. Its compact stems suit posies more than long wands.
Formats offered
Blue River is listed as a 3-inch plug, a 4-inch pot or a 1-gallon pot. The gallon size is a good choice for containers on a sunny patio; plugs suit longer runs. See the product page for current sizes and availability, and use Notify Me if it is not ready yet.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my Blue River blooming later than my other lavender?
That is normal. It starts in early July and peaks in late July, later than many English types.
Is it good in containers?
Yes. At about 18 by 24 inches, it suits large pots with a gritty, fast-draining mix and a drainage hole.
Do deer eat it?
Deer tend to avoid lavender, and Blue River is rated deer resistant.
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