Lavender is cultivated around the world. It’s a flowering plant that comes from the mint family. Its origins began in the Mediterranean, India, and the Middle East some 2500 years ago. It’s known to provide a sweet floral scent, which is why it’s used widely for creating aromas in products. But, lavender is also lauded for its medicinal and culinary properties. There are many reasons to grow lavender indoors.
If you’ve been on the fence about whether to incorporate lavender into your life and indoor garden, then get ready to hop right over that fence and head to your nearest nursery. Because after you read this guide, you’ll become a massive fan.
What is lavender?
First, let’s explore what lavender is. Lavender comes from the Latin term “lavare,” which means “to wash.” So, it comes as little surprise that lavender is used widely in detergents, soaps, lotions, skincare products, and just about anything else you’d want to help you smell better. Romans used it for similar purposes for thousands of years. They scented their baths, beds, clothes, and hair with it. Credited with discovering lavender’s medicinal qualities, Romans used lavender a lot.
The Medical Benefits of Lavender
It’s important to note that not all these claims about lavender are medically proven. This guide is not meant to convince you to use lavender instead of anything prescribed or proven to cure your ailments. We are not health experts. This exploration of the medicinal benefits of lavender is meant for entertainment purposes only.
Many people claim that lavender has multiple health benefits:
- Ursolic acid is a nutrient in lavender that is said to fight cancer and help burn calories.
- Lavender fights bacteria and can add to the effects of hand sanitizer.
- Helps people relax and stay calm without causing them to feel sedated.
- It reduces anxiety.
- People commonly use lavender to help them overcome stress, insomnia, dementia, pain, depression, and other conditions. Though no scientific evidence can support these uses for it.
- Rumored to have used lavender for upset stomachs and illnesses, Ancient Romans loved lavender. Some research suggests that lavender’s essential oils can help fight inflammation of the colon or colitis.
- Lavender can improve your memory, and in a recent study, lavender showed an ability to help nursing students score higher on tests.
- And lastly, another study showed that lavender reduces falls in the elderly.
That’s a lot of benefits! Growing lavender around your home will at least make it smell fantastic.
Where to Place Lavender In Your Home
As a native plant to the Mediterranean, Lavender requires full sun for optimal growth. Place in a pot near direct sunlight or under grow lamps. It grows into a round, bushy shrub in warmer climates. Its size ranges from 1 to 3 feet tall and wide. It does not require stalking.
Lavender plants should be spaced about 12 to 18 inches apart to allow adequate airflow between plants. Try not to overcrowd your plants when you grow lavender indoors.
How to Grow Lavender from Seed
The trick to growing lavender from seed is to give a great start. You can do this by planting a seed in a very light mix of fine vermiculite that drains well. Then place the seeds on a seed tray, heat mat, or very warm location. The seedlings germinate in about two weeks. Seedlings require sufficient water, but you should let the sunlight dry them out.
Another way to grow lavender from seed is the plate method. Wet a paper towel on a plate, spread the seeds on the damp paper towel (avoid clumping), and place the plate into a clear Ziploc bag. Then place the bag in the fridge for 30-40 days. After your seeds germinate, carefully take each (you may only get 20-30% germination using this process) and place it into a cup or pot full of potting soil. You only need one per pot or cup. To avoid damage, you should let the seedling leaves poke out of the soil while planting the root carefully. Place your pot or cup in full sun and follow the watering guidelines.
How to Transplant Lavender
If planting from seed sounds like too much work, you can also have great success transplanting lavender instead. Cuttings of lavender can be taken directly after it blooms to begin more lavender plants. Take the cuttings from stems with no flower buds and prepared by removing the leaves at the bottom of the stem.
Do not split lavender while propagating. Splitting will cause the plant to die.
If moving lavender from an outside garden, it’s best to do it in spring or fall in mild climates and spring only in colder climates. It’s best to transplant lavender during a cool day instead of a hot one. Additional care should be taken during colder climates.
Lavender is a perennial, and you should cut off or prune any spiky blooms during the first growing season to promote health and growth. You can cut the plant by a third during the first autumn to have an even healthier plant for the next season. Or, regulate your environment to grow lavender indoors all year.
How to Care for Lavender
Lavender requires full sun and about 35 ounces (1 liter) of water every two weeks. It’s okay to let lavender dry between waterings, as long as the plant doesn’t begin to wilt. Watering should occur at the plant’s base to avoid the foliage. Pots should use sandy, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.7 to 7.3.
Lavender grows best in low to moderately-fertile soils. A simple soil test should help determine the pH level, then adjust your soil accordingly.
Once established, lavender requires little care besides watering. Cut and prune wilted or faded blooms.
Uses for Lavender
The most common ways you can get the most out of your lavender plants.
Add to Soaps, Lotions, and Oils
Lavender makes an excellent addition for those who make their own soaps, lotions, oils, or other homemade products. You can use full stems or crush the flowers. A quick Google search will result in hundreds (maybe thousands) of ways to add lavender to homemade products. The natural smell is great and a fantastic reason to grow lavender indoors.
To Clean Your Air
Lavender oils, plants, and misters can help clean airborne fungi and bacteria, which are two of the more common irritants found in our homes.
In Food and Drinks
Culinary lavender refers to the specific species and how the lavender is processed. These are Angustifolia lavenders that possess a sweeter oil and can be used for cooking, baking, and drinking. Intermedias are generally not eaten but can sometimes be found in savory dishes. Lavender can go well with other parts of your garden that you harvested!
When to Harvest
Harvest lavender flowers just as the lowest flowers on the stem open. Cut it just above the first set of leaves. It’s best to cut lavender in the morning. You can hang your bundles of cut lavender upside down in a cool, dark place to dry them out. Harvesting often encourages regrowth throughout the year.
How much your lavender plant produces will depend on your pruning maintenance and how often you harvest. The best part is the smell when you grow lavender indoors.
How to Store Lavender
Lavender should be stored in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight, or the leaves will fade, and the plant will go stale. If drying upside down in bunches, it will take about 7 to 10 days to completely dry.
To extract oil from the leaves, put the lavender in a tight-fitting jar and fill it entirely with grain alcohol or vodka. Shake the jar several times a day for multiple days in a row. The longer it steeps in the alcohol, the more intense the extraction.
To freeze lavender, first cut the leaves and flowers from the stem and spread them over a cookie sheet, and place them in the freezer for an hour. After that, you can put them in freezer bags and back in the freezer until you need them.
Diseases and Pests to Look Out For
Four-lined plant bugs, Septoria leaf spot, and the garden flea hopper are the major pests of lavender. You should also look out for (especially if transplanting) spittlebugs, tarnished plant bugs, and woolly bear caterpillars.
Xylella is a bacterial disease that can be highly destructive. Root rot is another common disease found in lavender.
There you have it. Lavender is easy to grow and offers seemingly endless benefits and uses. We hope you find it as beautiful an indoor plant as we do.