3 ways to successfully plant lavender in July – and ensure it thrives, even when the weather is hot and dry
Cultivate strong, established plants
Lavender is a staple in any drought-tolerant garden, which means it’s perfectly suited to the hot weather we’re having this summer. Can you plant lavender in July, though?
Well, according to experts, you can – you’ll just need to complete a few preparatory tasks beforehand. Learning how to grow lavender is pretty easy, because it’s so low-maintenance, but it still needs a little extra help settling into the garden when the weather is hot and dry.
‘Whilst July isn’t the best time to plant Lavender, if you’ve been given a plant by a friend or need to fill an empty space and must plant during this month, then there are a few things which you can do to make the process as successful as possible and reduce the stress for your plant,’ says Lucie Bradley, gardening and greenhouse expert at Easy Garden Irrigation.
So, under what conditions can you plant lavender in July? Here’s what the experts recommend.
What you'll need
A large English lavender plant in a 5-litre container.
Lavender would look beautiful in one of these ribbed terracotta pots.
Horticultural grit is great at improving drainage, and lavender loves free-draining soil.
1. Keep new plants well-watered
Lavender might be a hardy Mediterranean plant once established, but it'll struggle to establish itself in hot, dry weather.
’Dry weather means your plant will lose more moisture from its leaves than its roots can supply, which makes a new plant vulnerable to transplant shock and could result in your lavender wilting, dropping leaves and even struggling to survive,’ explains Lucie.
That doesn’t mean you can’t plant lavender in July, though – you can still buy the plants in a range of sizes, like English lavender ‘Hidcote’ from Crocus. You’ll just need to start by compensating for that lack of soil moisture.
‘You need to soak the root ball of the plant before transferring it to the ground, as well as fill the planting hole with water and allow it to soak into the soil prior to positioning the plant,’ Lucie advises.
After that, you’ll need to keep the soil moist (never waterlogged, since drought-tolerant plants hate sitting soggy). Lucie recommends deep watering the plant twice a week, avoiding wetting the foliage where possible, but always check the soil beforehand (a soil moisture meter like this one from Amazon can be a useful indicator).
2. Mulch with gravel
To lock some of that moisture in, Lucie also recommends mulching around the base of your lavender plant. Don’t reach for bags of organic matter mulch, though, since lavender tends to thrive in poor, free-draining soils.
‘If you use a light-coloured gravel or stones to act as mulch (don’t use organic mulches, as these can hold too much water to suit lavender), the light colour will help to reflect the strong July sunlight into the lower canopy of the plant,’ says Lucie. These Mellow Cotswold Decorative Stones from B&Q should do the trick.
If you want your lavender to flower well, you’ll also need to make you’re planting it in the correct position.
‘Ideally, lavender should be planted where it will receive at least six to eight hours of sunlight a day, or it will produce fewer (or no) blooms, and may grow leggy in attempt to reach the light,’ says Richard Barker, horticultural expert at LBS Horticulture.
3. Provide some shade
It might seem like a waste of time to shield a sun-loving, drought-tolerant plant from the sun, but new plants will benefit from a little extra protection while they establish themselves in your garden. As Lucie mentioned before, transplant shock is still a looming risk – but there are several ways to shade plants from the sun.
‘It’s best to shade your new plant over the first few weeks at mid-afternoon so it’s not damaged by the intense sunlight,’ says Lucie. ‘This can be done easily by using garden canes to support either shade netting, garden fleece or an old pale sheet above your plant to protect it from strong sunlight.’
You can order shade netting for plants online, like this Seedzbox Shade Netting from Amazon.
'If you’re looking to plant lavender in July, it’s important to try and minimise heat stress on the plant,' adds Chris Bonnett, founder of GardeningExpress.co.uk. 'Choose a time when there is no prolonged heatwave and temperatures are slightly cooler.
So, you can plant lavender in July – you'll just need to water it in well, add some gravel mulch around the base, and consider shielding it from the intense midday sun.
