Lavender is such a jaw-dropping beauty that makes a huge statement in any home or garden. It is also very useful for cooking, perfumes, soaps, and other beauty products.
I enjoy lavender blooms almost all year long in my home. How you may ask? Because not all lavenders bloom at the same time, and some produce flowers for longer periods.
And I happen to have one of each specie, and that is how I have my advantage.
In this article, you’ll see more about when lavenders bloom, the length of the blooming season, and tips for getting your barren plant to produce flowers.
When Does a Lavender Plant Bloom?
There are four main types of lavenders, and they have different blooming periods: English lavender, French lavender, Spanish lavender, and Hybrid lavender.
English Lavender
Also called Lavandula augustifolia or common lavender, this type blooms from mid-June or July. It is popularly cultivated for its high-quality oil and fragrance.
French Lavender
Lavandula dentata is highly valued for its long blooming period. With optimal care and the right growing conditions, it can start to flower in spring through summer.
Its smell is more subtle than English lavenders, and the flower has a characteristic crown of petals.
Spanish Lavender
Grown for its fragrant silvery leaves, it blooms more than once a year. Its first bloom is in May, with the second flush of flowers in June and the last flowering in late summer or early fall.
Hybrid Lavender
Lavandula x intermedia, also called Lavandin, is a hybrid cross between Lavandula Angustifolia and Lavandula latifolia. Flowering for this type usually occurs in July or August.
It is mainly grown for commercial uses in fragrant products.
How Long Does it Take a Lavender to Bloom?
In this day and age, we like to see quick results. So, how long will you wait to see your lavender start to manifest fully?
Sadly, lavender is a slow-growing plant. It can take years for one to reach full maturity.
Some varieties of lavender will bloom during the summer of their first year, but it takes two to five years for the plant to mature.
Some varieties are long-lasting, so you’ll have enough time to enjoy plenty uses for your blooms. This alone makes them worthwhile.
How Long Does Lavender Bloom Last?
The different types of lavender bloom for varying periods, from 3 weeks to three months.
English lavender flowering tends to last for three to four weeks, while French lavenders bloom for three months but can be extended to four with proper care and maintenance.
Spanish lavender flowers usually last up to three months as cultivars of this type bloom repeatedly until the end of the season.
Finally, we have the hybrid lavenders that typically stay in bloom until late summer, lasting two months.
How to Care For a Blooming Lavender
Giving your lavender a little love during the blooming season is a sure way to increase the number of blooms and lengthen the blooming period. Here is what you need to do.
Full Sun
Sunlight is probably the most important factor in maintaining your blooms and even making your plant flower in the first place.
The smallest shade can cause the plant to grow smaller and have fewer blooms, so you should keep your plant in the full sun.
If some big leaves or branches disturb the light, cut them away if you can. If this can’t happen, move your lavender to the sunniest part of your house with good airflow.
Water
Lavenders are drought-resistant plants, so they prefer dry conditions. Ensure only to water once in two weeks and only if there has been no rainfall for two or three weeks.
Overwatering will cause many health issues, so keep the watering frequency irregular and low, and your lavender will be healthy.
Prune
Prune back dead blooms frequently. Since lavenders produce flowers well through the summer, deadheading will leave more room for new blooms through the season.
As soon as the blooms turn brown, snip them off. This will stimulate the plant to redirect its energy to pushing out more blooms rather than producing seeds.
Low Humidity
Avoid grouping your plants to maintain a low-humidity environment. Position the plants so that they have enough room for sure to circulate.
No Fertilizing
Because lavenders adapt to the harsh conditions in their natural habitat, they can thrive in conditions like neglect.
Do not add fertilizer to your blooming lavender, as this will encourage foliage growth at the expense of the flowers you try to maintain and increase.
How to Make a Lavender Bloom
If your lavender has produced little to no blooms throughout the flowering season, this is a sign that your plant is stressed.
The first thing to do is to find out what could be stressing it. There are different reasons why lavender has not flowered.
- The soil is too fertile, fertilizer was added, or it is acidic.
- The flower is overwatered, or the soil is draining too slowly.
- The plant is not getting enough sun.
- The climate is too humid.
- It is not the right season for flowering.
From what we already know, lavenders prefer to sit in soil with low nutrients, so you should amend your nutrient-rich or overfertilize soil with sand or gravel.
Amending the soil will also help if the plant has been overwatered. Using sand will help with water drainage because it is very porous and cannot hold onto too much moisture.
Lavenders will flower if they receive six hours of light per day but the more sun, the better for your plant.
It will help if you move your potted lavender or transplant it to a sunny location.
Lavenders prefer slightly alkaline soil, and your garden soil might be too acidic for it to flower.
You may have to test the pH of the soil and amend it with some wood ash or agricultural lime to be suitable for lavender growing.
High humidity and overwatering can cause fungal infections, stressing the lavender and preventing it from flowering.
Provide your plant with a low humid environment and water sparingly.
Assuming the plant is healthy, you may have miscalculated and missed the flowering window depending on when you bought it or planted it.
Be patient and wait for the right time. All lavenders will flower at some point during the spring and summer.
When to Harvest Lavender
Knowing when to make a harvest is important, whether you are growing lavenders for commercial purposes or whatever purposes you have in mind.
It may be a surprise to learn that you should harvest the plant long before the buds have fully opened.
Your first harvest should be in early spring when only half of the buds have bloomed. This way, your plant will have enough time to regrow and bloom in the late summer.
To properly harvest lavender, cut at the ends. Cut off the amount you want and tie the stems together, then hang them up somewhere to dry.
The fragrance will last for the rest of the season. Enjoy!