From Potted Plant to Potpourri: Indoor Lavender Care
Lavender is a perennial favorite (ha — see what we did there?), even of people who aren’t that into plants. It’s one of the most popular and versatile plants you can grow, and while it’s easier to grow it outdoors you can certainly grow lavender inside.
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Lavender belongs to the family Lamiaceae, a group of aromatic mint herbs, and it has a long history of use as a healing herb, perfume, an additive in soaps, an insect repellent… the list goes on! These small, woody shrubs are drought-tolerant and enjoy full sun — no surprise since they originated in places like the Mediterranean, Northern Africa, etc.
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Potting Mix
Lavender tends to thrive in sandy, well-draining soil mixes — again, little surprise given its origins. The key to growing lavender is drainage. Drainage, drainage, drainage. We can’t stress that enough, as water-logged potting mix will easily cause root rot and kill your plant. In terms of the actual pot, choose one that’s only slightly larger than the root ball of the plant so you don’t have a lot of extra soil to stay moist.
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Watering & Humidity
While lavender is drought-tolerant, a thorough watering is appreciated — again, don’t let it sit in water-logged soil. Allow it to dry out between waterings, but not to the point where the plant becomes stressed. Check with a water meter or by sticking your finger into the potting mix.
Lavender is one plant that won’t beg you for humidity — in fact, higher humidity levels may cause fungal issues. Got a dry spot in the house with a lot of light? Perfect!
Light & Temperature
Lavender loves light as much as it loves good drainage. One of the big challenges to growing it indoors is getting enough light. If you have a sunny south-facing window that’s your best bet for growing lavender in the house. If not, and you’re really determined, you may want to invest in a grow light.
It will tolerate normal household temperatures fairly well, but as with most plants do not place it directly in front of heat or air conditioning vents. That’s a sure-fire recipe for an unhappy plant.
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Fertilizing & Pruning
You can fertilize lavender with a well-balanced multi-purpose fertilizer during the growing season. Pruning should be done if you want to promote bushier, fuller growth — but be aware that the flowers are produced that the tips of the branches, so if you want it to flower don’t prune too much!
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