Christiana Lavender: An Everblooming Hybrid for Big Containers

Christiana lavender, Lavandula × christiana, is a hybrid lavender in the Pterostoechas group with a talent most lavenders lack: it is everblooming. In warm climates it flowers nearly year-round, and in a northern summer it simply keeps sending up violet spikes until cold weather stops it. It grows upright and vigorous, and long-lived plants can become large.

Its parentage is disputed, and the listing does not assert a parent formula. What matters to the gardener is how it grows, and that part is clear.

Christiana lavender at a glance

The appeal of an everbloomer

Hardy lavenders give you a concentrated season. Christiana gives you a steady one. That makes it valuable anywhere you want color from late spring until frost without replanting: a sunny entry pot, a deck planter or the corner of a vegetable garden where pollinators are welcome. It is rated great for pollinators, so bees will find it quickly.

Its upright stems hold violet spikes above fine-textured foliage, giving it a lighter, airier look than a dense English lavender mound.

Planting and care

• Where: full sun on a patio or in a well-drained bed after the last frost.
• Container: at least 14 inches for a gallon plant, moving up as it grows; always use drainage holes.
• Mix: gritty and fast draining.
• Water: regular in heat, but let the surface dry between waterings.
• Feeding: an everblooming plant uses more energy, so a light feed every few weeks in a pot helps.
• Cutting: snip finished spikes often; it responds by branching and flowering more.

Winter strategy

The listing does not give a hardiness range, and Pterostoechas lavenders are frost-tender, so plan on bringing it inside before a freeze. Cool and bright is the goal: a sunroom, a cool south window or a small greenhouse. It may keep producing a few flowers if the light is strong. Water sparingly, skip fertilizer and trim back any leggy, stretched stems in late winter. Move it outdoors again once frost is past, using the Frost Date Estimator for timing.

Harvest and use

Christiana rates good for fresh and dried flowers. The steady supply of spikes is handy for small bouquets all summer. Cut stems in the morning, strip lower leaves and place them in water right away. For drying, hang small bunches in a dark, airy place. Culinary use is not recommended.

Choose a 3-inch plug, a 4-inch pot or a 1-gallon pot. See the product page for current sizes and availability.

Because it flowers so freely, it can look a little tired by late summer. A light trim of the longest stems in August, staying in leafy growth, refreshes the plant and keeps it compact enough to carry indoors.

Frequently asked questions

What are the parents of Christiana lavender?

Its parentage is disputed, so we do not state one. It is a horticultural hybrid in the Pterostoechas group.

Will it bloom all year indoors?

It can produce flowers in strong winter light, but expect fewer than in summer. Bright light makes the biggest difference.

Can it stay outside in Michigan?

No. Bring it in before frost or grow it fresh each year.

Keep exploring

• Christiana Lavender Plants & Plugs
• Lavender Plant Library
• Frost Date Estimator
• Cut Flower Planner