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How to grow lavender in the UK

Updated: 22 October 2026

A live English lavender has arrived, still in a small nursery pot, and you have a sunny bed that drains. This is how to grow lavender in the ground in the UK, from the April or May planting the Royal Horticultural Society describes through to a trim that stays in green wood. Peter F. used the RHS grow guide, the RHS page for Lavandula angustifolia and BBC Gardeners' World. We did not trial the plants in the [lavender plant comparison](/hub/ornamental-plants/lavender-plant). If the plant is staying in a container, use [lavender in pots](/hub/ornamental-plants/lavender-plant/sub/lavender-plant-in-pots). Plastic stems are not on this page.

A live English lavender has arrived, still in a small nursery pot, and you have a sunny bed that drains.

Our top picks

Carbeth Plants Lavandula angustifolia, 1 × 14 cm

Best overall

Carbeth Plants Lavandula angustifolia, 1 × 14 cm
8.0/10about £11.99
View offer
Carbeth Plants English lavender, 2 × 14 cm

Best value

Carbeth Plants English lavender, 2 × 14 cm
7.2/10about £19.99
View offer
Carbeth Plants English lavender, 1 × 14 cm

Alternative

Carbeth Plants English lavender, 1 × 14 cm
6.8/10about £11.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.When and where to plant
  2. 2.How far apart
  3. 3.Water, then the trim
  4. 4.When to stop

When and where to plant

Plant in April or May, when the soil is workable, not into a cold wet bed for the winter. A 14 cm plant is a starter. On the RHS species page, L. angustifolia is about 0.5–1 m tall and 1–1.5 m across, pruning group 10, hardiness H5. Do not read a listing's 14 cm expected height as the adult size. Set the crown level with the nursery compost. The site is full sun and free-draining soil. Gardeners' World puts hardy types, English lavender and lavandin, at about -15°C. French and Spanish types belong frost-free in a pot, and these live titles are not French. If the only gap is a north wall, use the best lavender plant page and skip a live shrub.

How far apart

A group is not a hedge. The RHS spaces separate bushes about 90 cm apart. The species can run 1–1.5 m across, so 90 cm is already a compromise. For a hedge the RHS says about 30 cm, or about 45 cm for larger cultivars. Gardeners' World says about 40 cm for a neat line. These mail-order plants do not name Hidcote or Munstead, so you cannot assume the compact end. Use the wider hedge figure if you are unsure. Mark the row before you dig, and only where the soil drains for the whole run.
Carbeth Plants Lavandula angustifolia, 1 × 14 cm

Testsieger

Carbeth Plants Lavandula angustifolia, 1 × 14 cm
8.0/10about £11.99
View offer

Water, then the trim

Water through the first summer while the root is still the nursery pot. Drought tolerance is for an established plant in the ground, not a 14 cm root in its first July. A hot week on sand may need a soak. A clay bed that is already wet does not need a daily can. In the second year, water in a long dry spell. After flowering, often August or September, take the spent stalks and about 2.5 cm of leaf, and stop in green wood. Pruning group 10 is that light trim. A cut to brown sticks in the first autumn removes next year's shoots.

When to stop

An old plant that is mostly bare wood is usually replaced. Lavender does not shoot reliably from old wood, so cutting to the ground leaves a stump. Dig it out in spring, at the spacing you actually want, only if the bed still drains. Clay that puddles is not fixed with a grit sprinkle. A hedge that needs pipes or a raised bed is the point to get help. Lavandula is on the high-risk Xylella host list on the UK Plant Health Portal, updated on that page on 24 February 2026. This is not a diagnosis guide. Use the plant-health route if you suspect a notifiable problem.

Common questions

When should I plant lavender in the UK?
Plant a live starter in April or May, in full sun and free-draining soil. The RHS grow guide uses that spring window. Leaving a 14 cm mail-order plant in cold, wet ground over winter is the outcome to avoid. French and Spanish types are a different case, and they are not what these English titles describe.
How far apart for a group and for a hedge?
About 90 cm between plants in a group, so each bush can spread. For a hedge the RHS says about 30 cm, or about 45 cm for larger cultivars, and Gardeners' World says about 40 cm for a neat line. These listings do not name a compact cultivar, so the wider hedge figure is the safer mark if you are unsure.
How do I prune without killing it?
After flowering, remove the spent stalks and about 2.5 cm of leaf, and stop while the stems are still green. The RHS tells you not to cut woody stems. Gardeners' World puts the job in August or September for the main flush. A hard cut into bare wood is how plants are lost, not how they are tidied.
How cold can English lavender take?
Gardeners' World puts hardy types, which include English lavender, at about -15°C. The RHS species page rates L. angustifolia as H5. That is the species, not a certificate for one amazon.co.uk parcel. Wet cold soil kills more plants than a dry frost. French lavender is the type that needs frost-free cover, and it is not the title in this basket.
Can I cut an old woody plant to the ground?
No. Lavender does not reliably regrow from old bare wood. The RHS advice is to replace a woody plant. Plant the new one in spring, at the spacing you actually want, and only if the bed still drains. Cutting to the ground and hoping is how you get a stump.
Will it grow in shade or clay?
Not for long. The RHS and Gardeners' World both say lavender fails in shade and in heavy, wet soil. A north-facing wall or a bed that puddles is the wrong site. If the clay needs a proper drain before a hedge, that is the point to get help rather than to plant and replace the row each spring.
When do I stop and get help?
Stop if the plant is already a woody stump you are tempted to fell, if the bed stays waterlogged and a hedge would need real drainage, or if you suspect a notifiable disease such as Xylella. Use the plant-health route for that last case. Do not treat an import for resale as a home planting job.

Related pages

Lavender plant buying guide

Lavender plant

Best lavender plant: patio, shelf or dry window box

Lavender in pots: size, grit, summer water, dry winter

Real or artificial lavender: sun and water, or colour

Sources

Public sources from the research digest, last checked on 22 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file, captured on 19 October 2026. The price band is this set, not a market average. No listing was trialled in a garden.

  1. RHS: lavender growing guide (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. RHS: Lavandula angustifolia (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. BBC Gardeners' World: how to grow lavender (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK: plant passports to trade plants in Great Britain (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. UK Plant Health Portal: Xylella host risk levels (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Which?: Consumer Rights Act (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Amazon.co.uk listing lines in this comparison (retrieved 22 October 2026)