Product Field NotesLavender Plants
Provence Lavender: A Big, Classic Lavandin for Sachets and Rows
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Provence lavender is one of the best-known lavandins, Lavandula × intermedia. It grows into a large, rounded, mounding evergreen shrub up to about 39 inches tall and 47 inches wide, with light lavender to pale purple spikes and foliage that ranges from silver-gray to gray-green. Its fragrance is strong and floral-herbal, sweet lavender layered with fresh camphor notes.
If you want lavender by the armload for sachets, bundles and wands, Provence is a reliable place to start. Just give it elbow room.
Provence at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Lavandula × intermedia 'Provence' |
| Parentage | L. angustifolia × L. latifolia |
| Flower color | Light lavender to pale purple |
| Foliage | Silver-gray, gray-green to bright green |
| Size | Up to about 39 inches tall and 47 inches wide |
| Bloom | Starts early July, peaks mid-July, one main flush |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 5a to 9b |
| Ratings | Excellent for oil, cut flowers, dried flowers and pollinators |
Planning for a big plant
Provence's size is its biggest strength and its most common pitfall. Planted too close, the mounds crowd, air stops moving and the plants stay damp after rain. Space them about four feet apart in a garden, or set field rows wide enough to walk and harvest between them. Use it for a large informal hedge, a backdrop to smaller English lavenders or rows grown for bundles and oil.
Map out a bed with the garden planner before planting so each plant gets its full width.
Planting and care
- Sun: full sun, all day if possible.
- Soil: lean and fast-draining. Rich soil makes big lavandins sprawl and split.
- Water: deeply through the first season, then rarely. Water needs are low.
- Feeding: none needed.
- Pruning: after harvest, cut back into a rounded mound above the woody base, leaving green growth.
- Winter: drainage, not covering, keeps it alive.
Harvesting for sachets and bundles
Provence blooms from early July with a mid-July peak. For fragrant dried buds and bundles, cut on a dry morning when about a third to half of the flowers on each spike have opened. Hang small bunches in a dark, airy spot. Once dry, rub the buds off for sachets and potpourri, or keep the stems whole for bundles and wands. It is rated excellent for essential oil, high oil production, fresh bouquets and dried flowers.
It is rated good for culinary use, but lavandin flavor is stronger and more camphor-forward than English lavender, so cooks use it sparingly. Bees work it heavily, and deer tend to pass it by.
Plants, plugs and trays
Home gardeners can choose 3-inch plugs, 4-inch pots or 1-gallon pots. Growers planting rows can order a 72-cell plug tray or a deep 20-cell plug tray. See each product page for current sizes and availability, and the Wholesale Hub for tray orders.
Frequently asked questions
How far apart should I plant Provence?
About four feet, close to its mature width of up to 47 inches, so air can move between plants.
Is Provence the same as Provence Blue or Provençal?
No. Provence Blue is a separate, smaller lavandin, and Provençal is a Spanish lavender. Check the botanical name on each listing.
Does Provence rebloom?
Very little. Expect one generous flush in July.
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