💜 When to Plant Lavender
Perennial in zones 5-9; needs excellent drainage and full sun
📅 Planting Calendar by USDA Zone
Lavender is a warm-season crop — plant it after your last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, and start seeds indoors a few weeks ahead for a head start. Find the exact start-indoors, transplant, and direct-sow dates for your USDA zone in the table below.
Select your zone to highlight your dates. All dates are calculated from each zone's average frost dates — see how we calculate them.
| Zone | Last Frost | Start Indoors | Transplant | Direct Sow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 2A | May 30 | Mar 21 | May 30 | — |
| Zone 3B | May 15 | Mar 6 | May 15 | — |
| Zone 4A | May 8 | Feb 27 | May 8 | — |
| Zone 4B | May 1 | Feb 20 | May 1 | — |
| Zone 5A | Apr 25 | Feb 14 | Apr 25 | — |
| Zone 5B | Apr 18 | Feb 7 | Apr 18 | — |
| Zone 6A | Apr 21 | Feb 10 | Apr 21 | — |
| Zone 6B | Apr 10 | Jan 30 | Apr 10 | — |
| Zone 7A | Apr 5 | Jan 25 | Apr 5 | — |
| Zone 7B | Mar 28 | Jan 17 | Mar 28 | — |
| Zone 8A | Mar 20 | Jan 9 | Mar 20 | — |
| Zone 8B | Mar 12 | Jan 1 | Mar 12 | — |
| Zone 9A | Feb 28 | Dec 20 | Feb 28 | — |
| Zone 9B | Feb 15 | Dec 7 | Feb 15 | — |
| Zone 10A | Feb 1 | Nov 23 | Feb 1 | — |
| Zone 10B | Jan 15 | Nov 6 | Jan 15 | — |
| Zone 11A | Jan 1 | Oct 23 | Jan 1 | — |
Lavender is a fragrant, drought-tolerant herb that attracts pollinators and looks beautiful in any garden.
Top Growing Tips
- Must have excellent drainage — raised beds or sandy soil work best
- English lavender is hardiest (zones 5-8); French/Spanish need zones 7+
- Don’t over-mulch or overwater — mimics its native Mediterranean conditions
- Prune after flowering to maintain shape and prevent woody centers
- Harvest when about half the flowers on the spike have opened
Companion Planting
Good companions: roses, echinacea, yarrow
Avoid planting near: shade-loving or moisture-loving plants
Harvest Timeline
Cut stems when flowers are just beginning to open
Growing lavender in your region?
These dates come from your zone's frost windows. For the full month-by-month plan — succession sowing, variety picks, and timing tuned to your climate, not just your zone — our regional vegetable-gardening guides cover your area start to finish.
Find your regional growing guide