Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Desert Lavender
Desert Lavender is a large native shrub with woolly, gray leaves that smell minty when brushed. It covers itself in small, fragrant purple flowers in spring and blooms again several times a year, feeding bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. It grows 6 to 10 feet tall and wide and needs little water once rooted.
Best for: a large, fragrant native shrub, bee and butterfly gardens, informal screening, and spots where the minty scent can be enjoyed.
The woolly gray leaves have a strong minty, sage-like smell, and the small purple flowers are fragrant too. Plant it beside a path or patio where you brush past it.
Small purple flowers open in spring and several more times through the year. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds visit them, and extra water brings more growth and flowers.
It grows about 6 to 10 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide, so it suits the back of a bed or an informal screen. It keeps its gray leaves all year and needs only light pruning to stay in bounds.
Frost in the mid 20s can burn it back, though it regrows from the base. Wait for spring growth before cutting off the damage, and plant it in soil that drains.
- Informal screen6 ft apart
- Open planting10 ft apart
Water a new plant every 2 to 4 days for the first few weeks, then stretch the time between waterings. Watch watering closely through its first hot season. Once rooted, a weekly soak in hot weather keeps it looking its best.
Frost in the mid 20s can burn it back, but it regrows from the base. Wait for new spring growth, then prune off the damage.
It needs only light pruning to keep it in bounds. Cut frost damage only after spring regrowth starts.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
How big does desert lavender get?
It grows about 6 to 10 feet tall and wide with age. Give it room at the back of a bed or use it as an informal screen.
When does desert lavender bloom?
It blooms mainly in spring and several more times through the year. Extra water in the warm months brings more growth and more flowers.
Does desert lavender smell like lavender?
The leaves have a strong minty, sage-like smell, and the small purple flowers are fragrant. Plant it where you brush past it to enjoy the scent.
How much water does it need?
Watch its water closely through the first hot season. Once rooted, give it a weekly soak in hot weather to keep it looking its best.
Is desert lavender frost hardy?
It handles only light frost, and temperatures in the mid 20s can burn it back. It regrows from the base, so wait for new growth in spring before you prune off the damage.
Does it attract bees?
Yes. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds visit the flowers, so plant it where you can watch them.
Can it grow in shade?
It does best in full sun or lightly filtered sun, such as the edge of a light tree canopy.
What soil does it need?
Plant it in any soil that drains, and sandier soil is better. Avoid low spots where water sits.
Does it need pruning?
It needs only light pruning to keep it in bounds, plus cleanup after frost. Wait until spring growth starts before cutting frost damage.
Is desert lavender native to Arizona?
Yes. It grows wild in the Sonoran and Mohave Deserts, from central Arizona into Sonora and Baja California. Plant it with other desert natives that share its low water needs.
Does desert lavender stay green in winter?
Yes. It is evergreen, keeping its woolly gray leaves all year. Expect some leaf burn only after a hard frost in the mid 20s.
Is desert lavender messy?
No. It drops very little litter, so it works as an informal screen along a path or patio.
Desert Lavender for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Desert Lavender is a large native shrub with minty, woolly gray leaves and fragrant purple flowers. Below are the questions people ask most, from size and bloom to water, frost, pruning and wildlife.
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Desert lavender in Phoenix
Desert lavender is a large native shrub with minty gray leaves and small purple flowers. It grows 6 to 10 feet tall and wide, and bees and butterflies come to it through the year.
Desert lavender and frost
Frost in the mid 20s can burn it back, but it regrows from the base. Wait for new spring growth, then prune off the damaged stems.
How often to water desert lavender
Watch watering closely through the first summer. Once it is rooted, a weekly soak in hot weather keeps it looking its best, and extra water brings more flowers.
Is desert lavender good for bees?
Yes. It blooms in spring and several more times a year, and its small purple flowers feed bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
How big does desert lavender get?
It grows about 6 to 10 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide with age. That size suits the back of a bed or an informal screen.
Desert lavender fragrance
Brush the woolly leaves and they give off a strong minty, sage-like scent. The small purple flowers are fragrant too.
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