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Early Blooming Lavender Plants

Choosing the right lavender plants can ensure early lavender flowers in your garden, filling your landscape with color and fragrance from spring through summer.

Lavender Flowers, Lavender Flower, English Lavender, Spanish lavender, French Lavender, Early Lavenders, Lavender Blooming Times, lavandula angustifolia, lavandula stoechas, lavandula x intermedia

Early Blooming Lavender Plants: Selecting the Best for Your Garden

Lavender is a beloved plant for its fragrant flowers, versatility, and ability to thrive in various climates. Choosing the right lavender varieties can ensure early blooms in your garden, filling your landscape with color and fragrance from spring through summer.

There are four main types of lavender with different blooming seasons: English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), French Lavender (Lavandula dentata), Spanish Lavender (Lavandula stoechas), and Lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia).

Some lavenders bloom early in the season, with their magnificent flowers appearing as early as spring, while others bloom later in midsummer.

Types of Early Blooming Lavender Flowers

Spanish Lavender (Lavandula stoechas)

This lavender variety is recognized by its unique and showy flower spikes, topped with “ears” of colorful bracts that resemble butterflies fluttering above the flowers. Spanish lavender is not only attractive but also known for its early blooms, making it a favorite among gardeners who want to see color early in the season.

  • Blooming Time: Spanish lavender is one of the earliest bloomers, typically flowering as early as April or May in mild climates, such as California, and continuing to produce flowers throughout the summer with intermittent blooms in the fall.
  • Planting: Spanish lavender thrives in hot, dry conditions and is less cold-hardy than other types (hardy in zones 8-9). It is a perfect choice for mass plantings, containers, or as accents in Mediterranean-style gardens.
  • Care: Ensure well-drained soil and full sun exposure. Spanish lavender is drought-tolerant once established, making it ideal for xeriscaping.

English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

English lavender is prized for its high-quality essential oil and sweet fragrance. It is a classic favorite in herb gardens and ornamental landscapes alike. While English lavender typically blooms later than Spanish lavender, several cultivars are known to flower early in the season, making them a valuable addition for early color.

  • Blooming Time: English lavender varieties typically bloom in June or July, but some early-blooming cultivars can begin flowering as early as May. These early-blooming varieties, such as ‘Folgate’ and ‘Lavenite Petite,’ are particularly valued for extending the lavender season.
  • Planting: English lavender is highly versatile, fitting well in formal borders, cottage gardens, rock gardens, and herb gardens. It also makes an excellent low hedge or edging along walkways.
  • Care: Hardy in zones 5-9, English lavender prefers full sun and well-drained soil. It thrives in cooler climates and benefits from regular pruning to maintain shape and promote new blooms.

French Lavender (Lavandula dentata)

Often confused with Spanish lavender due to its shared common name, French lavender has distinctive serrated, or “toothed,” leaves and produces lavender-blue flowers throughout the growing season. While not as fragrant as English lavender, French lavender is valued for its long bloom time and ornamental appeal.

  • Blooming Time: French lavender is a prolific bloomer that starts flowering in spring, typically around April or May, and continues to bloom intermittently through fall, particularly in warmer climates.
  • Planting: French lavender is less cold-hardy than English lavender (hardy in zones 8-11), making it ideal for warmer regions. It thrives in containers, Mediterranean-style gardens, and mass plantings, adding continuous color and texture to the landscape.
  • Care: French lavender prefers full sun and well-drained soil. It’s more tolerant of heat and humidity than other lavenders but requires protection in cooler climates.

Lavender Field, Lavender Farm, Best Lavender

Guide Information

Hardiness 5 - 11
Heat Zones 5 - 8
Climate Zones 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Plant Type Perennials, Shrubs
Plant Family Lamiaceae
Genus Lavandula
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late)
Maintenance Average
Water Needs Low
Soil Type Chalk, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Well-Drained
Characteristics Dried Arrangements, Cut Flowers, Showy, Fragrant, Evergreen
Tolerance Drought, Deer, Rabbit, Dry Soil, Rocky Soil
Attracts Bees, Butterflies
Landscaping Ideas Edging, Beds And Borders, Hedges And Screens, Patio And Containers
Garden Styles City and Courtyard, Coastal Garden, Gravel and Rock Garden, Informal and Cottage, Mediterranean Garden, Traditional Garden

Early Blooming Lavender Flowers - Early to Mid May

Tips for Early Blooming Lavender Flowers

Climate Considerations: The blooming time of lavender depends greatly on your climate. In warmer areas like California or the Mediterranean, lavender can begin blooming as early as April or May, while in cooler regions such as New England, flowering might not begin until June. However, the bloom sequence remains the same—early-blooming varieties will always flower first.

Planting Strategy: For continuous blooms throughout the growing season, consider planting a combination of early, mid, and late-blooming lavender varieties. Spanish and French lavender will provide early color, while English lavender and Lavandin will keep the flowers coming into the summer and fall.

Care and Maintenance: Lavender thrives in full sun and well-drained soil. Avoid overwatering, as lavender prefers dry conditions. Prune lavender after flowering to maintain its shape and encourage new growth. Regular pruning also helps to prevent the plant from becoming too woody.

 

Garden Examples

A Fabulous Duo: Rose ‘Bonica’ and Lavender ‘Hidcote’
A Lovely Mediterranean Border with Lavender and Lilies of the Nile
A Long-Lasting Summer Idea for your Borders with Lavender, Achillea and Sedum
A Fragrant Summer Border with Roses, Lavender, Pinks and Sea Holly
A Long-Lasting Summer Duo for your Borders: Lavender and Cosmos
Lavender and Santolina Bliss: The Perfect Xeriscape Duo

Recommended Guides

Late Spring and Early Summer Blooming Lavenders
Mid to Late Summer Blooming Lavenders
Continuously Blooming Lavenders
How to Harvest Lavender: Picking and Preserving Lavender Flowers
Grow the Best Lavender: 25 Top-Rated Flowers for Your Garden
Lavender: How to choose the right one?
Learn How To Plant, Care and Grow Gorgeous Lavender
How to Dry Lavender and Preserve its Fragrance
Lavender Oil: Benefits and How to Make Your Own
Lavender Tea: Benefits and How to Make Your Own
Lavender Lemonade: Benefits and How to Make Your Own
Lavender Syrup: Benefits and How to Make Your Own
How to Propagate Lavender: From Seeds to Cuttings and Beyond
How to Grow Lavender from Seeds: A Guide to Growing Fragrant Flowers
Planting and Caring for Lavender in Pots
Compare All Lavandula (Lavender)
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Explore Great Plant Combination Ideas
Lavandula (Lavender)
While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.

Guide Information

Hardiness 5 - 11
Heat Zones 5 - 8
Climate Zones 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Plant Type Perennials, Shrubs
Plant Family Lamiaceae
Genus Lavandula
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late)
Maintenance Average
Water Needs Low
Soil Type Chalk, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Well-Drained
Characteristics Dried Arrangements, Cut Flowers, Showy, Fragrant, Evergreen
Tolerance Drought, Deer, Rabbit, Dry Soil, Rocky Soil
Attracts Bees, Butterflies
Landscaping Ideas Edging, Beds And Borders, Hedges And Screens, Patio And Containers
Garden Styles City and Courtyard, Coastal Garden, Gravel and Rock Garden, Informal and Cottage, Mediterranean Garden, Traditional Garden
Compare All Lavandula (Lavender)
Compare Now
Explore Great Plant Combination Ideas
Lavandula (Lavender)

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