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Herb

When to plant Lavender

Computed from land-grant Extension planting-window rules (cited below), localized to real ZIP-level median frost dates, not a single national guess. These are national-generic rules by hardiness class; individual state Extension offices layer their own regional adjustment on top (earlier in the Deep South, later in the Upper Midwest). Enter your ZIP for your own dates, or read the four representative locations below.

Planting windows and crop timing here are computed from USDA/NOAA climate data and the university extension sources cited below, not a site visit or soil test. Treat this as a starting point: local conditions vary, and a local nursery or extension office can advise on your exact site. See our full Disclaimer.

Representative timing, by climate band

When to plant Lavender in four US climates

Each column is the most nursery-dense location in our directory within that USDA zone band, computed from that location's own real median frost dates, not a made-up example.

Stage Zones 1-5 (cold winters)
Fort Plain, NY 		Zones 6-7 (temperate)
McMinnville, TN 		Zones 8-9 (warm)
Apopka, FL 		Zones 10-13 (hot, frost rare or absent)
Loxahatchee, FL
Start seed indoors Not available Not available Not available –
Direct-sow outside Not available Not available Not available –
Transplant outside May 6–May 20 Apr 7–Apr 21 Feb 24–Mar 10 –
Fall planting Not available Not available Not available –
Expected harvest Aug 14–Dec 6 Jul 16–Nov 7 Jun 4–Sep 26 –

Zones 10-13 (hot, frost rare or absent) (Loxahatchee, FL): Frost is rare here (about 359 frost-free days a year); most years see little or no hard freeze. This is a hardy crop. In climates like this one, hardy and semi-hardy crops typically go in during the cooler months (fall through late winter), not on a frost-relative schedule.

Lavender goes into the ground after your last frost, at the same time as other tender-set perennials. Utah State University Extension classifies English lavender as hardy to USDA zone 5, with the popular "Lady" cultivar hardy to zone 4 if mulched (How to Grow English Lavender in Your Garden), and instructs planting after frost danger passes.

The 100 to 200 days shown as "days to maturity" above is not a harvest count; it's USU's figure for how long lavender takes from seed to a transplant-ready plant, because most commercial lavender is propagated from cuttings rather than seed in the first place. If you're growing from seed, budget three to six months before you have a plant to set out.

USU also allows fall planting, provided the plant gets at least two months to establish before winter arrives. At the nursery, lavender is sold almost entirely as a rooted cutting in a small pot, cuttings being how most growers propagate it; seed is the exception, not the rule.

One caution from the same source: other plants sold as "lavender," including Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas) and French lavender (L. dentata), are considerably more tender, hardy only to roughly zone 7. The numbers on this page are for English lavender specifically and don't apply to those relatives.

Frost hardiness

Hardy. Tolerates hard frost. Can go in the ground before the last frost date.

Days to maturity

100–200

Sourcing notes

USU: English lavender is a hardy perennial, USDA zones 5-10 (cultivar 'Lady' hardy to zone 4 with mulching); plant after last spring frost. Most commercial lavender is propagated from cuttings, not seed; if seed-grown, seed-to-transplant takes 100-200 days. Fall planting is possible if plants get at least 2 months to establish before winter (USU). Other lavender species/cultivars sold as 'lavender' (e.g. Spanish/French L. stoechas, L. dentata) are considerably more tender (zones 7-11) -- flagged as a common mislabeling risk, not reflected in this row's numbers, which are for English lavender.

Related crops

Growing zones for this crop

Nurseries near these locations

Sources