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Lavender is a visually striking herb with a strong, distinct fragrance.
We’re here to help! Wild Yards is a completely free website that is 100% dedicated to helping you create a wildlife-friendly, sustainable yard. Read more
Lavender is a visually striking herb with a strong, distinct fragrance. Many people feel a herb garden is not complete without it! However, many of us usually buy them as ready-made plants. So, how do you grow lavender from seed for your herb garden?
Growing lavender from seed is easier than you might think, as long as you have sunny planting spots, nutrient-rich soil, and plenty of patience. Lavender is particularly vulnerable to disease and fungi, so you’ll need to be protective of these blooms.
Sourcing your lavender seeds
The first step to growing herbs such as lavender from scratch is to source the seeds yourself – you can either find them scattered across your garden or local fields or buy them from a garden vendor.
Finding your own lavender seeds
Lavender seeds are greenish-gray in color, measure up to 20 mm, and are generally shaped like rice grains. Mature seeds eventually fall off plants unless shaken by wild animals, battered by wind, or eaten.
Wild lavender seeds are often carried in the wind, transported in the paws or claws of animals, from which they may tumble, and self-set.
To extract viable seeds, they should be attached to the top of a stem and dry to the touch. To remove them from stems, slide your fingers from the bottom row of seeds and gently draw your fingers towards the tip of the stem.
Seeds will separate from the stem easily if they are ripe. If they resist too much, they are not ready for collection. Give them a couple more days and check back regularly.
Collecting lavender seeds can be a fiddly business, as they can prove slippery to hold. Use a piece of kitchen towel or toilet tissue to wrap around the stem and contain the seeds as you remove them. This is particularly useful if you collect seeds after rain or during early mornings following a heavy dew.
At the earliest opportunity, gently spread your seeds on a tray on a sheet of white paper or fresh tissue so that you can see any insects which have hitched a ride – and remove them.
Buying lavender seeds – what to look out for
Most garden stores or vendors will have lavender seeds available for you to buy and plant from home, available in packets – which can be useful as they will provide information about your chosen lavender species, color, and potential height.
Before buying from a store or vendor, check the expiry date on the packet. The nearer to the expiry date you use the seeds, the greater the possibility for some reduction in numbers. If buying online, this information should be made clear to you before you checkout!
If you choose to buy seeds, you may only need to do it once. Learning how to propagate lavender from your own plants will usually prove to be immensely satisfying and, of course, free of charge!
Setting and planting your lavender seeds
Once you’ve sourced your lavender seeds, lay them out on a seed tray, removing anything that’s moving (such as insects) and any visibly damaged or squashed seeds. They can be stored in a sealable plastic bag in moist soil for up to three weeks. You’ll need to keep your seed tray indoors for the first leg of lavender care, as you’ll need to ‘harden’ your plants in a few weeks to come when seedlings are large enough to take outside.
If you can’t keep your seeds near sunlight while setting indoors,