French lavender
Lavandula stoechas
Ground coverPlacenta
Production
A pollinator magnet for hot, dry, slightly acid banks — aromatic, evergreen and buzzing with bees. Frost-shy and short-lived, so replace it every few years.
Tolerances & traits
- Strata
- Ground cover
- Lifecycle
- Placenta
- Soil preference
- Sandy, Rocky
- Soil pH range
- 6 – 8
- Min. temperature
- -9°C
- Min. rainfall
- 350 mm/year
- Wind tolerance
- Medium
- Frost tolerance
- Low
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Irrigation needed
- Low
How to manage it
Aromatic pollinator sub-shrub; shear lightly after flowering to keep compact. Unlike English lavender it tolerates mildly acidic soils.
Watch out for
Frost-tender - less hardy than English lavender, surviving only to about -8 to -10 C with sharp drainage. Never cut back into old bare wood, and it is short-lived (replace every few years).
Design your line to see how your land fits French lavender.
Start designing your line →Related species