How To Grow Spanish Lavender In A Terra Cotta Pot

Isn’t this Spanish lavender just lovely? I am pleasantly surprised by the bright purple blooms, having only tried growing French lavender previously. Yes, previously, meaning not successfully, though I don’t recall why. So now, equipped with a bit more experience and knowledge, I’m giving lavender a try once again and hopefully it will be a success. I read this week that lavender is actually one of the most common gardening fails as folks basically overwater it! And so it does need neglect actually, but only after it has established itself, meaning new roots have grown, not immediately after planting flats or small pots straight from the nursery. (I almost killed one due to the extreme heat and sun……it may or may not come back, yikes.) Even plants that need full sun need to be slowly acclimatized when you bring them home unless the plants were indeed in the full sun with no tarp, so take note and do consider this issue!

To successfully grow Spanish Lavender (Lavandula stoechas) in pots, choose a 12-to-16-inch unglazed terracotta pot with excellent drainage holes. Use a sandy, well-aerated potting mix combined with grit or pumice. Place the pot in full sun (6-8 hours daily), and water only when the top inches of soil are dry to the touch.

Step-by-Step Guide:

The Right Container: Spanish lavender requires excellent drainage to avoid root rot. Unglazed terracotta is ideal because it allows the porous material to breathe, preventing moisture buildup in the soil. Ensure your pot is at least 12 inches across to accommodate root growth. NOTE: I just learned that actually a plastic pot might be preferable in a very hot environment as it retains a bit of moisture. Experiment! (The small seedlings that I purchased were looking quite happy in the small plastic pot before I transferred them to the terra cotta pot, so hmmmm!)
Soil Requirements: Never use dense, moisture-retaining garden soil. Use a specialized mix consisting of standard potting soil, perlite, and coarse sand or pea gravel in a roughly equal ratio. NOTE: If you live in a very hot Mediterranean climate, like me, the combination of a terra cotta pot and a rocky mix might be too dry, so regular garden soil, or half garden soil and half course soil might be just the right thing. Lavender also thrives in slightly alkaline conditions, so you can mix in a tablespoon of garden lime.
Planting the Lavender: Gently remove the plant from its nursery container and lightly massage the root ball to loosen the roots. Place it in the new pot, ensuring the crown of the plant sits slightly above the soil line.
Sunlight: Spanish lavender thrives in heat and requires at least 6 to 8 hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight every day.
Watering: Treat potted lavender a bit like a succulent. Wait until the soil is completely dry to the touch, then soak the root system deeply until water flows out of the bottom drainage holes. Avoid keeping the soil continuously moist.

Just so very lovely, really hoping for success with Spanish lavender, and actually giving it a try in two full sun locations, one with full sun, wind, and some protection, and another less windy with full sun, (the location where I already failed with one small plant) in a pot together with bouganvillea that also prefers neglect.

Okay, I’ll keep you posted as to the success (hopefully) of these new Spanish lavender plants! Now I think I need to capture their beauty in the form of my very addictive cross stitch habit. Ah yes, but we are cleaning out the studio, so that will have to wait.