How to Grow Lavender Indoors

lavender plant in a container
  • 1-2 hours
  • Beginner
  • 0-50
What You'll Need
Lavender plant
Agricultural lime juice
Water
Soil
Plant pot
What You'll Need
Lavender plant
Agricultural lime juice
Water
Soil
Plant pot

Growing lavender indoors allows you to enjoy all the benefits of this beautiful, fragrant plant throughout all hours of the day. Lavender can be used as a culinary herb or a crafting material. It even has medicinal properties.

Lavender is also a decorative element, and when dried, it is a favorite in making potpourri that you can use or give away as gifts. Best of all, as long as the plants last inside your home so shall their pleasant aroma.

Keeping your lavender plants indoors requires a little extra work, but it is well worth the effort.

Step 1 - Find a Location

lavender sprig

Indoor growing doesn't mean you can plant your pot down just anywhere in your home. When choosing a location for your lavender plant, you need to consider sunlight and air flow.

Find a location with lots of natural sunlight. Lavender needs as much bright daylight as it can get, so make sure you place them near windows.

Lavender also needs fresh air to rejuvenate. Make sure your windows are open for a few hours each day and provide enough breeze to give your plant gentle airflow to keep it healthy. In other words, a window blocked by a nearby building will not provide enough airflow to the plant.

Without the right conditions and maintenance, your lavender will dry out and possibly die. After the needs of the flowers have been considered, make sure you put the plant in an area where you will be able to enjoy its beauty and benefit from its many uses.

Step 2 - Pick a Variety

There are different varieties of lavender plants, the most popular types being English, French, and Spanish. Make sure you research the plants before purchasing them, as they each have different qualities you may or may not want. Of these three varieties, the French is the easiest to grow indoors, though it will not have as strong an aroma as the other two.

Once you've decided on which kind of plant you want, head to your local gardening store to purchase it. Read the tags carefully to ensure you're buying the right thing. One easy tip to recognize the French variety is that its leaves are serrated.

Step 3 - Planting Your Lavender Plants

Most varieties of lavender like to have a good amount of room, so space individual flowers a few inches apart in a fairly large pot.

Make sure to start the lavender out in quality soil. You can enrich your soil by mixing in agricultural lime juice. This will give the plant extra nutrients that it will need for getting established and growing indoors.

Water it thoroughly after you have finished planting it.

Step 4 - Lavender Maintenance

You'll probably be tempted to be generous with water given how young and thirsty your young lavender seems, but always allow the plant to dry out before watering again. Soil should be dry to the touch.

As a simple "mulch," give your plants a little agricultural lime juice about once a month. This will give the plant extra nutrients to keep it strong.

Even though your lavender plant is intended to be kept indoors, remember to set it outside from time to time during the spring and autumn. This will help encourage growth. Just be sure to cover it so it won't get damaged by rain or snow.

With its beautiful and fragrant flowers, lavender has much to offer as an indoor plant. Once you get the hang of it, growing a thriving lavender plant indoors will become quite simple.