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Lavender in pots

Updated: 22 October 2026

The parcel on the doorstep is a live lavender in a 14 cm nursery pot, and the patio is where you want it to stay. Lavender in pots is a container job, not a hedge. The Royal Horticultural Society finished size is about 30–40 cm across, with grit in the compost, water in summer and a dry winter. Peter F. used the RHS grow guide and the RHS notes on containers, checked against the 14 cm listings in the [lavender plant comparison](/hub/ornamental-plants/lavender-plant) on 19 October 2026. We did not pot these plants on ourselves. Ground spacing and the April planting calendar are on [how to grow lavender](/hub/ornamental-plants/lavender-plant/sub/lavender-plant-how-to-grow).

The parcel on the doorstep is a live lavender in a 14 cm nursery pot, and the patio is where you want it to stay. Lavender in pots is a container job, not a hedge.

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.The pot in the parcel
  2. 2.Size, holes and grit
  3. 3.Summer water
  4. 4.Winter dryness

The pot in the parcel

Three live pages print a 14 cm pot: one English lavender, two English lavenders, and one Lavandula angustifolia. That is the nursery pot. The RHS finished container is 30–40 cm. Pot on at the same compost level. The six-pack states no diameter. A 60 cm bullet is a grown size, not a 5 litre Hidcote, and Hidcote is not this listing. The Lavender Vera title clashes with mixed herbs in 9 cm pots. Do not pot that page on as a proven cultivar. Indoor-pot bullets do not override full sun. Which listing is which is on the lavender plant buying guide.

Size, holes and grit

Use a container about 30–40 cm across, with large drainage holes, and a peat-free mix such as John Innes No. 2 with up to 25 percent coarse grit by volume. The grit has to run through the compost. A sleeve with no hole, or a saucer you never empty, cancels it. Plastic is fine if the holes stay clear. One 14 cm plant per pot of that size is the usual step. Two plants in one pot will crowd. A trough can hold the pair if they are not one crown. Hedge spacing does not belong in a single patio pot.
Carbeth Plants Lavandula angustifolia, 1 × 14 cm

Testsieger

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

Summer water

A pot does not inherit the drought tolerance of open ground. The RHS says water containers in summer, about once or twice a week in hot weather. Feel the compost. If the top few centimetres are dry and the pot is light, water until it runs from the holes, then let it drain. If it is still wet, leave it. A daily splash on a saucer sits the root in water. The first summer after potting on is the thirsty one. The angustifolia listing says water in the first and second year, which matches a young plant. Stop that habit when winter rain arrives.

Winter dryness

More potted lavenders in Britain die wet than die of frost. Keep the compost fairly dry. The RHS puts the pot in a rain shadow or a cold greenhouse, not a heated room. Take the saucer off, or empty it after rain, and raise the pot on feet so the holes stay open. Roots in a pot get colder than roots in the ground. Do not bring these English titles indoors for the winter just because a general article says so. French and Spanish types are the ones that need frost-free cover. A plastic pot with open holes is fine. A plastic pot in a tray of water is not.

Common questions

Is a 14 cm pot big enough to keep?
No. On these amazon.co.uk listings, 14 cm is the nursery pot the plant arrives in. The RHS finished container is about 30–40 cm across. A plant left for years in the parcel pot runs out of root room, and the little compost either dries out or waterlogs. Pot it on, at the same compost level.
What size pot should I move it into?
About 30–40 cm in diameter, with large holes in the base. One 14 cm plant per pot of that size is the sensible step. The six-pack does not print a pot diameter, so judge the root you unpack and still aim at that finished width. A trade 5 litre Hidcote is not what this six-pack states.
How much grit?
Up to 25 percent coarse grit by volume, in a peat-free mix such as John Innes No. 2, which is the RHS container recipe for lavender. The grit has to be through the compost, not a sprinkle on top of a wet, heavy bag. Without drainage holes the percentage does not matter, because the water still cannot leave.
How often do I water in summer?
About once or twice a week in hot weather, and only when the compost has started to dry. Water until it runs from the holes, then empty any tray. A pot dries faster than open ground, so the drought tolerance of an established border plant does not apply in the first summers. Skip the can when the compost is still wet.
Do I leave the saucer on in winter?
No. Remove it, or empty it after rain. Winter compost should stay fairly dry, with the pot raised so the holes are clear. A saucer of water under an English lavender is a common way to lose the plant, including in a mild British winter that never reaches a hard frost.
Can English lavender stay outside in a pot?
Yes, if the compost drains and the pot is out of the worst winter rain, in a rain shadow or a cold greenhouse rather than a heated room. These live titles are English or angustifolia, not the tender French and Spanish types that need frost-free cover. Roots in a pot still get colder than roots in the ground, which is why the pot is raised and kept dry.
Will a plastic pot work if it has holes?
Yes. The RHS requirement is drainage, not a particular material. Clear, large holes and no standing tray matter more than terracotta. A sealed decorative sleeve with the nursery pot hidden inside and no way for water to leave will rot the plant whatever the outer pot looks like.

Related pages

Best lavender plant

Lavender plant

Lavender plant buying guide: live, pot and passport

How to grow lavender: plant, space and prune in the UK

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)