Woolly lavender
Lavandula lanata
A silvery, wool-leaved lavender built for baking-hot dry banks and poor soil — bees love it. Less frost-hardy than common lavender, so give it sun, grit and no wet feet.
Woolly lavender in a syntropic line
Woolly lavender belongs in the Ground cover layer as a Secondary productive species. Aim for 2–4 species for resilient, continuous cover. Rough in-row spacing starts around 0.3 m in a syntropic row. Good line partners include Bladder senna, Casuarina. As a Secondary species it carries mid-term yield and structure while climax trees slowly claim the canopy.
Tolerances and growing conditions
- Strata
- Ground cover
- Lifecycle
- Secondary
- Soil preference
- Sandy, Rocky
- Soil pH range
- 6.5 – 8
- Min. temperature
- -8°C
- Min. rainfall
- 350 mm/year
- Wind tolerance
- Medium
- Frost tolerance
- Low
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Irrigation needed
- Low
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Waterlogging tolerance
- Low
- Origin
- Mediterranean
- Native to Portugal
- No
How to manage it
Silver, woolly-leaved aromatic sub-shrub for hot dry banks; shear lightly after bloom to keep it compact.
How to propagate
Take softwood cuttings in spring or divide in autumn.
Guidance, not a guarantee — success varies by species and skill.
What to watch out for
More frost-tender than common lavender and rots fast in damp or heavy soil; never cut into old wood.
Frequently asked questions about Woolly lavender
Is woolly lavender frost-hardy?
Yes for winter cold in many climates — generally hardy to around -8°C when dormant, with low frost tolerance in the catalog. Flowering crops can still lose a season to late frost, so site them carefully.
What soil does woolly lavender need?
It does best on sandy, rocky ground, at pH about 6.5–8.
How much water does woolly lavender need?
Plan for a rainfall floor around 350 mm/year, plus low irrigation once established.
Can woolly lavender handle wet or waterlogged soil?
Poorly — woolly lavender has low waterlogging tolerance, so keep it off winter-wet clay and standing water.
What should I watch out for with woolly lavender?
More frost-tender than common lavender and rots fast in damp or heavy soil; never cut into old wood.
Design your line to see how your land fits Woolly lavender.
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