8 Essential Tips for Overwintering Lavender So It’ll Thrive in Spring

Known for its fragrant purple blooms, lavender is a popular perennial herb that is beloved for its calming scent and beauty. Although it is not difficult to grow, when cold temperatures arrive, some lavender varieties need special care because they are prone to root rot, frost damage, and even complete dieback in harsh winters.

Your lavender's ability to survive year after year depends on its cold hardiness and where you live. Knowing how to overwinter lavender will help preserve your established plants and save money on replacement plants. Follow these tips for overwintering lavender successfully, whether it's planted in the ground or in containers.

1. Choose Varieties Suitable for Your Zone

Successfully growing lavender starts with selecting the right lavender variety for your hardiness zone to increase the chances that the plant survives the winter and regrows the following year. When you buy lavender plants, the tags indicate the plant’s hardiness zone. Local garden centers and nurseries usually carry selections suitable for your area, but if you order plants online, check the description carefully to make sure it is the right choice for your climate.

English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is the hardiest species of lavender that will overwinter in the ground outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 9 in well-drained soil. Spanish lavender (L. stoechas) and French lavender (L. dentata) are only hardy outdoors in Zone 8 or warmer, so they’ll need to be moved indoors to survive the winter in colder zones.

2. Provide Good Drainage Outdoors

Lavender thrives in dry, well-drained soil. Poor drainage can lead to root rot, especially if your lavender is planted in an area with wet or clay-heavy soil. Well-drained soil allows air to reach the roots, which is essential for healthy plant growth.

To provide good drainage for your lavender, plant it on a slope or in raised beds to encourage water runoff. Mounding the soil around your lavender to elevate the root zone is another trick to help excess water drain away.

3. Protect Outdoor Lavender Against Cold

Even if you are growing lavender that is winter-hardy in your climate, outdoors, the plant may need extra protection from the cold, especially if there is no snow cover or if your area experiences extremely cold temperatures. As a rule of thumb, more tender lavender varieties should be covered when winter temperatures consistently drop below 40°F and 50°F.

Cover plants with a floating row cover that allows light and water to reach the plant. Simply stretch the cloth over your plant and secure it with landscape staples so the cloth doesn’t blow away. Garden cloches also provide good cold protection. Once the weather warms, remove the protective cover.

4. Take Cuttings from In-Ground Lavender

If a lavender plant has been grown in a pot for its entire lifespan, you can move it indoors for the winter. However, it's not recommended to dig up a lavender plant that has grown in your garden all summer long and pot it. This process is highly disruptive to the roots and decreases the chance of the plant surviving the winter indoors.

Instead, if you intend to overwinter your in-ground lavender indoors, plan for it. In late spring or early summer, take 4- to 6-inch cuttings. Remove all the leaves from the bottom third of the cutting and dip the cut end in rooting hormone powder. Insert the cutting in a 4-inch pot filled with damp, well-draining potting mix. Place the pot in a sunny spot outdoors and keep the soil evenly moist. The cutting takes two to three months to root, and by the time the weather turns cold, it should have grown into a healthy plant that you can then bring inside for the winter.

5. Give Indoor Lavender Plenty of Light

Even though lavender does not grow during the winter, it still needs to be placed near a bright, sunny spot, such as a kitchen windowsill with southern exposure. Rotate the plant every week so that all sides receive six to eight hours of direct sunlight.

If there's not enough sunlight inside your home, place your lavender plant under grow lights for 10 to 12 hours each day.

6. Adjust Room Temperature

The optimal indoor temperature for overwintering lavender plants is between 60°F and 70°F during the day and at least 10 degrees cooler at night. It's also important to provide your plant with good air circulation while keeping it away from the flow of forced-air heat and cold drafts.

7. Water Indoor Lavender Sparingly

Lavender plants grown indoors during the winter don't require a lot of water because they go dormant until springtime. It’s best to water indoor lavender plants when the top of their soil feels dry. Let the soil dry out slightly in between waterings and ensure the plant is not sitting in moist soil to help avoid root rot.

8. Skip Fertilizer in Winter

Since lavender does not actively grow during the colder months, it should not be fertilized in winter. Like many houseplants in the winter, nutrients that are not absorbed by the plant’s dormant roots can accumulate in the soil and lead to root stress. Once new growth begins in the spring, restart the fertilizer regimen.