When it arrives
Your 3-inch plug
It arrives actively growing. Water it the day it comes, let it rest in bright shade for 2–3 days, then harden it off for about a week before planting. Set the top of the root ball level with the soil — never deeper.
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Ploughman’s Blue grown by our community
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- Mature height
- 36.0 in
- Mature spread
- 48.0 in
- Bloom
- Year-Round (warm climates) – peak Mid-July
- Fragrance
- Exceptional
- Deer
- Resistant
Lavender grow guide
How to grow Ploughman’s Blue
French lavender (fringed lavender) · Lavandula dentata
A tender, nearly everblooming lavender with toothed gray-green leaves. Give it full sun, gritty well-drained alkaline soil and a frost-free winter; in cold zones grow it in a pot and bring it indoors.
Check my zone & planting dates
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Full sunLight
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Low waterFast drainage
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pH 6.5–8.0Soil
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Zones 8a–10bHardiness
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36″ tall48″ wide
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ResistantDeer · rabbits resistant
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Mildly toxicPets
Huckleberry saysTell me where you grow and I’ll check if Ploughman’s Blue will thrive there.
Hardy in zones 8a–10b
After the last spring frost, once nights stay above 40 F. In zones 9-10, fall planting is fine.
Your year with Ploughman’s Blue
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When it arrives
Your potted plant
It arrives growing in its pot. Water on arrival and let it settle in light shade for 2–3 days. Loosen any circling roots and plant with the top of the root ball level with the soil.
When to plant
After the last spring frost, once nights stay above 40 F. In zones 9-10, fall planting is fine.
How deep
Set the crown (where stems meet roots) exactly at soil level, or slightly high on a mound, never deeper than it grew in the pot. Burying stems invites rot. Top-dress with pea gravel, not bark mulch.
Spacing
24-36 in apart in the ground (it can reach 2-3 ft); one plant per 10-14 in pot.
Soil
Gritty, sandy or rocky soil; in pots a mix with 25-30% grit or perlite · pH 6.5–8.0
Fix-it tip: Wet, cold soil kills this plant faster than frost. Raise beds, add coarse grit, and use clay or unglazed pots with large holes. Lime acidic soil toward neutral per a soil test; avoid peat-heavy potting mixes.
Sun
Full sun (tolerates a very bright south window in winter).
Needs 6+ hours of direct sun outdoors to bloom well; under low light indoors it stretches.
Don’t give up on it
Is it alive? What spring looks like
Evergreen with no dormant period. Indoors over winter it grows slowly and may drop some lower leaves; new growth picks up in spring with more light. If stems are green under the bark, it is alive.
Spring
Plant or move outside after the last frost. Pinch tips and trim lightly to keep it bushy.
Summer
Blooms almost continuously from late spring until frost. Deadhead or harvest spikes to keep new ones coming.
Fall
Light trim only. Bring pots inside before frost in cold zones.
Winter
Indoors: cool, bright, dry. Outdoors in mild zones: keep drainage sharp and protect from cold, wet spells.
Watering
First season: Water deeply at planting and when the top inch of soil is dry through the first season. In pots, check daily in heat, but never let them sit in a saucer of water.
After that: Drought tolerant in the ground once rooted. Potted plants need water when the top 1-2 in are dry; in winter indoors, water sparingly, about every 2-3 weeks.
Feeding
Lean feeder. In the ground, usually none. In pots, a half-strength balanced liquid feed monthly in spring and summer only. Excess nitrogen gives soft, leafy growth and fewer flowers.
Pruning & deadheading
Deadhead regularly to keep blooms coming. Trim lightly after each flush and shape in spring. Never cut into leafless old wood; it rarely resprouts. Always leave at least 2-3 sets of green leaves on each stem.
Dividing
Do not divide. Lavender is a woody subshrub with one main stem base; division usually kills it. Replace old woody plants with new ones from cuttings or plugs.
Winter
Hardy only in about zones 8-10; frost damages it and a hard freeze kills it. In zone 7 and colder, bring it indoors before the first frost, or grow it as an annual.
Summer heat
Thrives in heat and dry air. In humid regions it can rot or get leaf disease; grow it in pots or raised gritty beds with good air flow and wide spacing. Among the more heat-tolerant lavenders.
Blackened, limp shoots after a cold night
Likely cause: Frost damage; this lavender is not hardy in cold zones
What to do: Trim damaged tips back to healthy green growth. Bring indoors or cover before nights drop below its hardiness limit.
Whole plant or one side turns gray-brown and collapses in summer
Likely cause: Root or crown rot from wet, heavy soil, overwatering or mulch piled on the crown
What to do: Remove the plant and soil around it. Replant on a gravel-amended mound in full sun and water less.
Pale, stretched growth indoors in winter
Likely cause: Too little light and too much warmth
What to do: Give the sunniest window or a grow light 12-14 hr, keep it cool (45-60 F), and water sparingly.
Lower leaves drop indoors in winter
Likely cause: Low light, warm dry indoor air, or overwatering
What to do: Move to the brightest, coolest window, water only when dry, and trim leggy stems lightly in early spring.
Too wet or too dry?
Overwatering: yellow lower leaves, blackened stem bases, collapse while soil is wet (root rot). Underwatering: crisp gray tips and dropped flower spikes; soft wilting that recovers after watering.
Watch for
- Root and crown rot in wet soil or soggy pots
- Whiteflies, aphids and spider mites on plants overwintered indoors
- Botrytis gray mold in humid, still air
- Spittlebugs outdoors in spring; rinse off
Pets & wildlife
ASPCA lists lavender (L. angustifolia) as toxic to dogs, cats and horses from linalool and linalyl acetate: nausea, vomiting (not horses), appetite loss. Treat this species the same; keep essential oils away from pets.
Deer: resistant · Rabbits: resistant
Finnegan saysStill not sure what’s wrong? Ask Plant Health — describe it or add a photo.
In a container
Good in pots · 1 gallon+
Excellent in pots, which makes it easy to bring in for winter in cold zones. Use a clay pot and gritty mix; move up a size each spring, to 2-3 gallons for mature plants.
Indoors
Overwinter only
In zones colder than its limit, bring it in before frost to a cool (45-60 F), very bright spot or under grow lights. Water sparingly and move back out after the last frost.
Winter chill
No chill needed
No winter chill needed. It blooms on and off nearly year-round in frost-free climates and from late spring to frost in the North.
Growing it on
3-inch plug
1-gallon pot once roots circle the plug
Garden bed or a 1 gallon pot
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Potted plant
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Garden bed or a pot at least 1 gallon
Time to move up? Slide the plant out: if white roots wrap the outside of the soil, it’s ready for the next size.
The one rule that matters
The green-wood rule
Snip spent spikes just above leaves all season. A light spring shaping keeps it compact. Keep green leaves on every stem and never cut into bare wood.
When to harvest
Cut spikes when bracts are colored and the first flowers open, for fresh bouquets or drying. Leaves are fragrant and can be dried for sachets.
Cold hardiness
Roughly USDA zones 8-10; damaged by frost and killed by hard freezes. A pot-and-overwinter plant in Michigan and most of the North.
In the kitchen
Camphor-rich and not recommended for cooking; use English lavender instead.
Essential oil
Oil is camphor- and 1,8-cineole-rich, used in some perfumes; not a true-lavender-type oil.
Good companions
Pots and dry beds with rosemary, thyme, sage, santolina, gaura, sedums and other Mediterranean plants that share its love of heat and grit.
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