Who doesn’t love lavender? Not only does it add a gorgeous contrast of bright purple flowers against their silver/gray foliage to the garden, but the bees love it too… PLUS it smells amazing!
Growing lavender is great for so many reasons! Once you learn how to propagate lavender plants from your garden, you’ll be able to grow as much lavender as you want – and you can share it with all your friends too!
There are a few different ways you can propagate lavender plants: by rooting the stems in soil, by rooting the cuttings in water, or by collecting lavender seeds from your garden.
In this post, I’m only going to talk about how to propagate lavender from cuttings taken from mature plants, and then propagating them either in water or soil.
How To Propagate Lavender Plants
Before you can propagate lavender, you’ll need to collect a few supplies. Don’t worry, you won’t need a bunch of expensive equipment – and you probably already have some of this stuff on hand.
Supplies Needed:
- Propagation soil (I make my own using a mix of perlite, vermiculite, and potting soil – but a nice seed starting mix will work too)
- A container or propagation chamber
- Rooting hormone
- A sharp, sterile pair of clippers or a sharp knife
- Plastic bag (optional)
Supplies needed for lavender plant propagation
If you’re going to be propagating lavender inside the house or outside in a dry climate, you’ll need to add humidity.
It will be easiest to use a propagation chamber, or cover your cuttings with a plastic bag if you put them in a pot (simply tent the bag over the top of the cuttings).
But if you live in a humid climate like I do, lavender cuttings will root pretty quickly outside in a shady spot.
Have soil ready before taking lavender cuttings
Prepare the soil or vase of water before taking your cuttings, that way you can get them into the dirt or water fairly quickly.
You don’t want to let lavender cuttings dry out before you try propagating them.
Related Post: How To Harvest Lavender Fresh From The Garden
Taking Lavender Cuttings For Propagation
There are a few things you need to look for before you take cuttings from your lavender plants.
Ideally you want to take cuttings of branches that haven’t flowered yet. Flowering takes a lot of energy from the plant, and a branch that hasn’t flowered yet will be able to put all of that energy into growing new roots instead.
Lavender branch without flowers
It’s also best to take cuttings from a mature lavender plant rather than one that’s brand new or immature. Once you find the perfect branch, cut it from the plant at the base of the stem.
Taking cuttings for lavender propagation
Take cuttings that are several inches long. You want the cuttings to have 3-5 leaf nodes on the stems that you can remove, but still have several inches of growth at the top. Learn how to prune lavender plants.
Lavender cuttings ready for propagation
Preparing Lavender Cuttings For Propagation
After taking cuttings from your lavender plant, remove the bottom 3-5 sets of leaves from the stem of the cutting. You can pinch them off with your fingernail, or snip them off with a sharp pair of clippers.
Lavender cutting with several leaf nodes
You want to leave small wounds on the stems, that’s where the roots will grow out of.
Longer stems make it easier to propagate lavender plants because there will be more stem area to stick in the dirt/water, and that gives you a better chance of rooting.
Remove lower leaves before propagating lavender
If any of the lavender cuttings you took had already started to flower, simply snip or pinch off the flower spike to encourage the cutting to put that energy into growing new roots.
A cutting with a flower on it is probably not going to root.
Pinch off lavender flower spike before propagating
Propagating Lavender Cuttings In Soil
Once your cuttings are ready, dip the base of the cutting in rooting hormone. Rooting hormone helps plants root faster (and gives you a better chance of success!).
Dip lavender cutting in rooting hormone
Make a hole in the dirt with your finger first, this way the rooting hormone won’t rub off when you stick the cutting into the soil.
Make hole in propagation soil
Then place the cutting into the hole and gently press soil around the stem of the cutting so that it stays firm in the soil, and also so that the soil will come in contact with the stem.
Place lavender cutting in soil
Repeat the same steps for the rest of your lavender cuttings. You can put several cuttings into one large pot or your propagation chamber, but try to space them apart far enough so they don’t touch each other.
This will ensure adequate airflow, and will help to avoid molding or rotting of the cuttings.
Gently press soil around lavender cutting
Protect your lavender cuttings from sun, wind and heavy rain during propagation – but make sure the cuttings never dry out completely.
Try to keep the soil evenly moist, and you can also mist the cuttings if you’re not using a propagation chamber or plastic bag.
Propagating lavender in soil
Once you start to see new growth, that’s a good indication that the cutting has started to grow roots.
It takes 3-6 weeks for roots to develop on lavender cuttings, depending on the temperature and humidity level. Adding bottom heat will help to speed things up, and helps the cutting root faster.
Related Post: How To Dry Lavender From Your Garden
Rooting Lavender Cuttings In Water
Propagating lavender plants in water is even easier than using soil. But on the down side, cuttings rooted in water have a harder time being potted up than those that are propagated in soil.
It’s fun to experiment, so I encourage you to try both methods to see which one works the best for you!
Propagating lavender cuttings in water
To propagate lavender plants in water, follow the same steps above to take the cuttings and prepare them for propagation.
Then all you need to do is put your lavender cuttings into a vase of water just like you would with fresh cut flowers.
Don’t allow any of the leaves to touch the water, or they will only rot. I like to use a clear vase for propagating my cuttings so I can easily see when the roots start to form.
Potting Up Your New Lavender Plants
Once the roots are established, it’s time to pot your lavender cuttings up into their own pots. At this point, you can move them into the sun, and allow the soil to dry out a bit between waterings.
After your lavender plants become established in their new pot, you can plant them into the garden. I recommend planting your baby lavender plants on a shady day, or in the early evening after the intense heat of the sun has passed.
Propagating plants is fun and addicting! If you want to learn how to propagate even more of your favorite plants, then you will love my Plant Propagation eBook. It has everything you need to get started using basic propagation methods to propagate any plant that you want! Download your copy today.
Now that you know how to propagate lavender, read our comprehensive lavender plant care guide next!
Products I Recommend
More Information About Plant Propagation
- What Is Plant Propagation (and how to get started)
- Plant Propagation Supplies
- A Cheap and Easy Propagation Box for Rooting Cuttings
- Propagating Mint Plants From Cuttings Step-By-Step
Have you ever tried to propagate lavender plants from your garden? Share your tips in the comments section below!
Tim says
Hi, i have a big lavender hidcote at the front of my property tjats obviously been there a few years. I am in tje north east of england and it been a very extreme summer sun one day rain the next, i had taken 3 cutting but 2 died and the 3rd grow 4 inches but wouldnt root. After seing a lot of new growth amd some heavy rainy periods i took 18 more. But the problem is the had grey mold and it spread thru them in the propagation chamber and all had to be disposed of. Now the plant stil has some healthy growth. But i am just wanting some more advice on how to get it right this time. Its been a very humid summer and i am finding it hard too get the condition right. If i dont water cutting yhe die and if i do they rot. What should i do?
Amy Andrychowicz says
If your lavender plant has problems with mold, then I would recommend waiting until next spring/early summer to try propagating it. I would also dump out the soil, and disinfect your propagation chamber before trying again with fresh soil.
Chris Davis says
I live in Alabama (zone 8) and it gets hot and humid here in the south east. I grow them in pots and most Lavenders do well in my area except for the English Variety. The trick to growing them here with the humidity in mind, is to space them a couple of feet apart for air circulation to keep the foliage dry. Well draining soil is a must and I use 75% course sand with 25% coconut coir which is perfect for drainage. I am still experimenting with cuttings on my Lavandens (Grosso, Edelweiss, etc.), Phenominal, Silver Frost, and similar others. I haven’t gotten down the nack for rooting the cuttings before they end up dead or rotting but I am constantly working on it!! Just remember, don’t kill your Lavender with too much attention! They truly thrive on neglect!! Another thing, you need to prune the bushes now and then to prevent them from being tall and spindly!! After trimming, they will start to spread out a little and grow into a bush instead of the ugly non kept looking Lavender we do not really want to look at!!
Amy Andrychowicz says
Sounds like you’ve been busy experimenting with propagating lavender, and really getting the hang of it! Thanks for sharing all of your tips with us.
Gilmour, Deanna says
It sounds so easy to grow from clippings but I haven’t had any luck. They just die after a few weeks. They get moldy and die. I used hormones, put them in sand, covered with plastic wrap and kept them near a window. It was obvious that they were not doing well so I re-cut the stems higher up where it looked alive, used hormone again, bought a gro light ($200) and put them in a closet with a light bulb to keep them warm. I don’t know if this will work or not. I could start with new clippings? The plants are in Michigan and I could still take some if it’s not too late in the season?
Amy Andrychowicz says
Sorry to hear you haven’t been successful with propagating your lavender plant cuttings. It’s definitely best to take the cuttings in the spring or summer, rather than in the fall. Also, be sure your cuttings have a few leaf nodes exposed on the stem. Try both hardwood and softwood cuttings too, cause the hardwood cuttings can be more challenging to root. You could also try making your own propagation box to see if that helps. You say they are molding, so it sounds like maybe the soil is too wet. The soil should be moist, but not wet or soggy. And don’t water it until the cuttings show signs of new growth.
DEANNA R GILMOUR says
Thanks, I will try that.
Amy Andrychowicz says
You’re welcome. Good luck!
Sandra Stanley says
If growing lavender in pots make sure your drainage holes don’t become blocked with roots etc. This will drown your plant.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Great tip, thanks for sharing!
Elena Castagnetti says
Hi – i got all the necessary info fm my cousin in London UK where she is overwhelmed with Lavender! So i bought a couple plants – i live in Italy and summers are pretty hot. Planted them straight into the ground, clayish soil so mixed it with some sand. As ORDERED by my cousin, planted where the roots can go DEEP, and never over water. They grew a wonder! The first year just pruned them back… our plant supplier (we almost live in the countryside) gave me about 10 small potted lavenders at the end of the season for free: they were tall but no flowers, looked just like dried up twigs. Well, planted them anyway near my dogs hoping the WOULD grow a ton for a sort of hedge. Watered them rarely, and rain etc was enough, and no snow or freeze over that year.
The beginning of the growing season surprised me with green twigs, leaves and YES! They grew beautifully!!!! Have never pruned them, but will this year reading your info. And have usually harvested to late when flowers were almost dry. So will do as you said. And will try propagating too….
Till now – 3 yrs – they have simply grown taller and bushier every year providing me with ALL the flowers i could possibly want for biggish pot pourris for wardrobes etc, ; plenty longstemmed for decoration, and plenty to give away!
I truly think they propagated themselves dropping their seeds and just naturally growing… Want to propagate myself this year so I can then plant them where wanted…
The hedge is GORGEOUS, did all by itself! Our soil n position seems to be perfect so am aiming at making more clumps for the large garden : now I know not to plant too close…they have become almost 60-70cm diam, bushes fm sickly little sticks!!!!
Your description of HOW TO, is the BEST and most COMPREHENSIVE and SIMPLE I have read so far!!! Thanks SO SO much !!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Amy Andrychowicz says
Fantastic, I’m so glad to hear your lavender is growing so well for you! Enjoy!
Sharon Diemer says
My daughter gave me a lavender tree. After the first bloom I cut it back like it said to and it grew just fine. I just don’t know what to do with it over winter. Can I plant it in my garden next spring and is it hardy. I live in S.W. Minnesota. Thanks for any help you can give me.
Amy Andrychowicz says
It depends on the variety of lavender you’re growing. Some are hardier than others.
cheyl says
I have tried for years to grow Lavender in three different states I said this is the last time I read an artical from a ladie in Texas who grows it. She said to plant it where the roots get heat you can put rocks around it or place plants near your drive ways the heat from the dconcrete will help and I am proud to say my two plants have doubled in size and are doing wonderful in Morning sun on the south side of the house next to the drive way good luck.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing your tips and experience for successfully growing lavender. 🙂
Michelle Willems says
I don’t think that I’ve ever lost a lavender plant that I’ve bought. Definitely not too much water and well draining soil. I had a plant that grew happily with no attention at all!
I’ve just come across a Bella Pink lavender which is supposed to have red flowers, and also some cuttings from a double headed lavender. I’ve taken all of the advice here, and have some cuttings from the red and also the double headed variety, and have some in a pot covered with cling wrap, and some in a small amount of water, so here’s hoping that I can get some more plants from those cuttings.
I live in Australia.
Thanks and cheers ??
Amy Andrychowicz says
How fun! Good luck with your lavender cuttings, I hope they will grow new roots fast and thrive for you!