How much of your summer is characterized by the familiar scent of lavender? Whether it’s a few plants in your garden, or swathes of the purple flowers in a field, these perennially favorite flowers evoke memories and bring joy to us all at some stage.
The flowering season for lavender plants stretches from late spring to early fall. Most varieties of lavender only bloom once in the season, usually during mid to late summer. No lavender plants bloom for the whole season. However, the few varieties that have a third bloom and may seem to do so.
In this post, we will discuss the different types of lavender and when and for how long they bloom.
When does lavender bloom?
Lavender plants bloom in spring and summer. The three different varieties bloom for different periods, between three weeks to about three months. Some varieties of lavender can be encouraged to extend their blooming season by deadheading the plants or harvesting the flowers.
Lavender plants can bloom throughout their growing season, which is mainly summer.
This means you can expect blooms in early, middle and late summer, depending on where you live.
Some lavender plants can bloom as early as mid-spring.
There are three basic types of lavender and each has a slightly different blooming season.
- English lavender blooms from mid-to-late spring until early summer.
- French lavender blooms from late spring to late summer.
- Hybrid lavender plants bloom from mid to late summer.
The climate, temperatures and elevation of a location affect the blooming time of a lavender plant.
Find out whether lavender spreads, & how deep its roots grow.
How often does lavender bloom?
In general, lavender plants bloom once a year in summer. There are some varieties that bloom twice, late in spring and then in summer. Some varieties of French lavender may bloom a third time in late summer, or early fall.
All lavender plants will bloom at least once during the growing season, which stretches from mid spring to late summer.
There are quite a few varieties that have a second blooming period.
Some lavender plants bloom throughout the season.
If a lavender plant is dead-headed, or pruned or the flowers are harvested, the plant will continue to grow and will produce new blooms.
If you harvest your lavender flowers a few times in a season, the plants should continue to bloom through most of the summer.
How long does lavender bloom?
Lavender blooms for between three weeks and three months, depending on the variety and the location. English lavender has the shortest blooming season, while French lavender has a blooming season that is nearly three times longer.
There are three main species of lavender, each of which bloom for a different length of time.
English lavender blooms for about three to four weeks, from mid-to-late spring until early summer.
French lavender blooms for about three months, from late spring to late summer.
Hybrid lavender plants bloom for about three weeks, from mid to late summer. They have been bred as a combination of the hardiness of English lavender species and the longer blooming season that the French lavender plants have.
How many times does lavender bloom?
Most common lavender plants bloom only once in a season. Varieties of French lavender usually bloom twice in a season, and some may have a third bloom. The three flowering peaks mean that those varieties of plants seem to bloom throughout the season.
Different varieties of lavender bloom a different number of times in one season.
Some plants only bloom once in a season, while others have a second bloom.
There are a few varieties that have a third bloom, while others can bloom continuously throughout the season.
You can encourage your lavender plants to bloom an extra time in a season by harvesting the blooms at least once during the season.
Harvesting the blooms from lavender promotes new growth, which means at least a second bloom, or even a continuous blooming season.
Some varieties of English lavender will bloom twice in one season.
French lavender reaches its blooming peak later than English lavender, which means in August.
The plants often bloom a second time in September, which gives them a very long blooming season.
Does lavender bloom all summer?
English and hybrid varieties of lavender have a relatively short blooming season and don’t bloom for the whole summer. French lavender has a longer blooming season, which is longer than the summer. The plants bloom from spring to late summer.
Most varieties of lavender do not bloom all summer.
See our complete guide to types of lavender.
However, there are some species that do have a long blooming season.
English lavender
English lavender (also called common or true lavender) has a relatively short flowering season.
The plants bloom in early summer and their season lasts for about four weeks.
They produce the first blooms in early summer.
These varieties of lavender usually only have one bloom.
French lavender & Spanish lavender
French lavender (also called Spanish or butterfly lavender) has a long flowering season.
The plants begin to produce flowers in early spring, especially in areas that have a mild winter.
The season lasts through most of summer, making these plants almost continuous bloomers.
There is a second bloom in mid-summer and a final bloom in late summer.
Some varieties of French lavender may even produce flowers in early fall.
Hybrid lavender
Hybrid lavender is a cross between French and English lavender.
The flowering season is longer than that of English lavender, but not as long as the varieties of French lavender.
The plants usually produce blooms in mid-summer and the season lasts until late summer.
How to keep lavender flowering longer
If lavender plants are dead-headed regularly, they will keep producing flowers and the blooming season will be extended.
Harvesting the flowers from lavender plants will promote new growth and may extend the blooming season.
You can read all about lavender, particularly about growing it at home, in our post: How to grow lavender indoors.
When does lavender bloom in different areas?
Lavender plants do best in areas with hot summers and wet winters. The overall blooming season lasts from mid-May to early August. This is influenced by the local climate and elevation.
Lavender does best in areas with a Mediterranean climate (long, hot summers and relatively cold, wet winters).
Elevation can affect how lavender grows and when it blooms. This is dependent on where you live. Lavender plants have slightly different blooming periods in different areas.
| Area | Blooming period |
| Michigan | From mid-June to early July |
| Texas | From mid-May to early July |
| Oregon | From June through August |
| Wisconsin | From mid-June to the end of August |
| Maryland | English lavender blooms from early June to September |
| Georgia | From May to June |
| New Jersey | From late June to the end of July |
| Utah | Late June to late July |
| North Carolina | From mid-May to mid-July |
| Washington | From late June to late July |
| California | From early June to late July |
| Florida | From late June until early October |
| New York | From early June until early October |
| Illinois | From mid-June to late July |
| Missouri | From mid-June to late September |
| Minnesota | From early June to mid- August |
| Ohio | From mid-June to |
| Indiana | From mid-May to late September |
| Quebec | From mid-June to early August |
| France | From mid-June to mid-August |
You can read more about the KY Hardiness Zone, which will be a guide when it comes to growing and harvesting lavender.
Conclusion
Lavender plants produce flowers during the warm months, which means from late spring to the end of summer. Some varieties may even flower as late as early fall. Not all plants bloom for that long, though. Some of them only bloom once in one season, while other varieties may bloom up to three times in that time.
