Overview

Transform your garden into a sensory delight with a lavender Provence live plant. Known for its robust growth and intensely fragrant flowers, ‘Provence’ lavender (Lavandula x intermedia ‘Provence’) is a beloved French hybrid that offers both beauty and utility. This healthy starter plug arrives ready for planting, providing a strong foundation for a thriving lavender bush. Unlike many English lavenders, ‘Provence’ is celebrated for its exceptional tolerance to heat and humidity, making it a versatile choice for a wide range of climates. It’s a fantastic addition for anyone looking to grow an aromatic herb plant that can be used for culinary purposes, crafting, or simply to enjoy its calming presence in the garden. This young plant will establish quickly, promising a vibrant display of purple spikes and an unforgettable aroma in the seasons to come.

Whether you’re an experienced gardener or just starting out, this healthy lavender starter is an excellent choice. It’s a low-maintenance perennial that brings a touch of Mediterranean charm to any outdoor space. Plant it in borders, herb gardens, or containers to enjoy its stunning visual appeal and captivating scent. With proper care, your lavender Provence live plant will mature into a magnificent specimen, attracting pollinators and providing endless enjoyment.

Key Benefits

Adding a lavender Provence live plant to your garden offers a multitude of advantages, from its aesthetic appeal to its practical uses. This robust variety is a favorite among gardeners for good reason, providing consistent beauty and a delightful fragrance throughout the growing season.

• Exceptional Fragrance: ‘Provence’ lavender is renowned for its strong, sweet, and soothing aroma, making it ideal for aromatherapy, potpourri, and sachets. The scent is a natural stress reliever.
• Culinary Versatility: The flowers and leaves can be used in a variety of culinary applications, from infusing desserts and drinks to seasoning savory dishes. It’s a key ingredient in Herbes de Provence.
• Pollinator Magnet: Its vibrant purple flowers are highly attractive to bees, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators, contributing to a healthy garden ecosystem.
• Drought Tolerance: Once established, this lavender plant for garden use is remarkably drought-tolerant, requiring minimal watering and making it an excellent choice for xeriscaping.
• Heat & Humidity Resistant: Unlike some other lavender varieties, ‘Provence’ thrives in hot summers and is more forgiving in humid climates, expanding its growing range.
• Deer & Rabbit Resistant: The strong scent of lavender naturally deters deer and rabbits, protecting your garden from common pests without harsh chemicals.
• Beautiful Landscape Addition: With its silvery-green foliage and abundant purple flower spikes, it creates a stunning visual impact in garden beds, borders, and rock gardens.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your lavender Provence live plant is relatively straightforward, especially once it’s established. Understanding its basic needs will ensure a robust and floriferous plant. Lavender thrives in conditions that mimic its native Mediterranean habitat.

For light, your French lavender plant care routine should prioritize full sun exposure. This means at least 6–8 hours of direct sunlight daily. The more sun your lavender receives, the more abundant its blooms will be, and the stronger its aromatic oils. Inadequate sunlight can lead to leggy growth and fewer flowers. When it comes to soil, excellent drainage is paramount. Lavender roots are highly susceptible to rot in waterlogged conditions. Prefer sandy, rocky, or gritty loam soils with an ideal pH between 6.5 and 7.5 (neutral to slightly alkaline). Avoid heavy clay soils at all costs. Incorporating grit or sand can improve drainage if your soil is naturally dense.

Watering requires a delicate balance. For the first 1–2 weeks after planting your healthy lavender starter, keep the soil slightly moist but never soggy to help it establish. After this initial period, lavender becomes drought-tolerant. Water deeply but infrequently, allowing the top 1–2 inches of soil to dry out completely between waterings. Overwatering is the most common cause of yellowing leaves and root rot. In terms of temperature and climate, ‘Provence’ lavender is hardy in USDA Zones 5–9. It tolerates hot summers and is more forgiving of humidity than many English lavender varieties. Protect young plants from frost during their first few weeks outdoors to ensure they establish well. Fertilization is generally not needed; lavender prefers lean soil. If you must fertilize, use a very light hand with a balanced, slow-release granular fertilizer in early spring.

Size & Details

This offering includes one healthy lavender Provence live plant starter plug, typically measuring 1-3 inches tall upon arrival. Each plant is well-rooted in soil and grown in a nursery pot, ensuring it’s ready for successful transplantation into your garden or a larger container. These are young starter plants, meaning they will not have flowers at the time of shipment, allowing them to focus energy on root development and establishment in their new home. Expect your plant to ship without a decorative pot. Once planted in its optimal environment, this variety of aromatic herb plant can grow to a mature size of 2-3 feet tall and equally wide, forming a beautiful, mounding shrub. Blooms typically appear from late spring through summer, offering a long season of fragrance and color. This lavender plant for garden use is a perennial, meaning it will return year after year with proper care.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this lavender Provence live plant get? A: Once mature, ‘Provence’ lavender typically grows to about 2-3 feet tall and spreads 2-3 feet wide, forming a beautiful, mounding bush.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: You will receive one healthy starter plug, which is a young plant well-rooted in a small nursery pot, generally 1-3 inches tall.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: ‘Provence’ lavender is primarily an outdoor plant, thriving in full sun. While it can be started indoors, its long-term success is best achieved in an outdoor garden setting.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: This lavender requires full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day, to produce abundant blooms and strong fragrance.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, once established, ‘Provence’ lavender is considered low-maintenance and drought-tolerant, making it a great choice for both beginners and experienced gardeners. Proper drainage is key.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your healthy lavender starter will arrive as a live, well-rooted plug, carefully packaged to ensure its health during transit. It will be a young plant, not a mature blooming one.
• Q: Is it shipped in soil? A: Yes, the plant is shipped well-rooted in soil within its nursery pot to minimize transplant shock and ensure its vitality.
• Q: Can I use this aromatic herb plant for cooking? A: Absolutely! ‘Provence’ lavender is a culinary variety, and its flowers and leaves can be used in various dishes, teas, and baked goods.
• Q: Is it pet-safe? A: While lavender is generally considered non-toxic to humans, it can cause mild stomach upset in pets if ingested in large quantities. It’s best to keep pets from consuming it.
• Q: How long until it blooms? A: As a starter plug, it will need time to establish. You can typically expect your lavender Provence live plant to start blooming in its first full growing season after planting, usually late spring to summer.
• Q: When is the best time to plant this lavender? A: The best time to plant is in spring after the last frost, or in early fall in warmer climates, allowing it time to establish before extreme temperatures.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: ‘Provence’ lavender is hardy in USDA Zones 5-9. If you are within these zones, it should survive winter outdoors with proper care.
• Q: What’s the minimum temperature it can tolerate? A: This variety is generally tolerant down to temperatures around -20°F (-29°C) in Zone 5, provided it has established well and has good drainage.