Prepare Your Lavender Plants For Winter With One Simple Addition To The Soil

Lavender plants (Lavandula) are drought tolerant and thrive in full sun, like the true summer lovers they are. If lavender was a person, they'd probably be frolicking on a sandy beach somewhere with a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses on. These herbaceous perennials are famous for their bright purple flowers and grey-ish green foliage that light up any garden landscape. Preferring well-drained soil, lavender plants that sit in the wet, soggy ground through the winter don't hold up very well. As you might imagine, these warm weather beauties need a little extra love to get them through the cold winter months. A simple way to do that is to add a light layer of organic mulch on top of the soil.

Organic mulch is made up of natural materials like straw, leaves, grass clippings, or wood chips, that actually decompose and blend nutrients right into the soil. Elements like these are some of the best ingredients to use in your DIY mulch. You can, of course, purchase bags of mulch at your local garden center, too. While not all plants do, lavender is one of the types of plants that need mulch in the winter. It not only helps protect the plant roots from extreme weather conditions, but also improves aeration and drainage of the soil. Talk about a win-win. This is a huge support for lavender plants that long for the drier soil of warmer days. And lucky for you, it's not a very complicated process.

Timing is key when it comes to winter mulch. You'll want to wait until after the ground freezes and the plant has gone dormant. When it gets to that point, you can add a thin layer (about 1 to 2 inches) of organic mulch over the soil at the base of the plant. A good choice of organic matter to lay over the dormant plant is straw or shredded leaves. The one downside to using organic mulch in winter is that it can attract unwanted pests looking for food and shelter. Keeping mulch dry and disturbing it regularly with a rake will keep pests away. 

The winter hardiness of lavender is a little different depending on what variety it is. For example, English lavender is fairly winter-tough and hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9. Spanish lavender and French lavender tend to be slightly less hardy and fall in zones 8 and warmer. If you're in a USDA hardiness zone lower than 8 and have the Spanish or French varietals, you might need to just bring your lavender indoors for the winter. For all others, mulch will be all you need to help your plants survive the cold season.