Name: The Plant Company
Address: 284 Meeanee Road, Meeanee, Napier, 4112, New Zealand
Telephone: 0800 843 752
Price range: Contact Us
Rating: 4.8/5

lavender herb plant

The lavender herb plant is one of the world’s favourite aromatic shrubs, renowned for its soothing scent, bee-friendly blooms, and resilience in New Zealand gardens. Whether you’re looking to fill your garden with colour, attract pollinators, or create fragrant borders, lavender is a staple no gardener should be without. This hardy perennial combines silvery foliage with flowers in purple, blue, or white shades, making it both beautiful and useful. The lavender herb plant thrives in coastal conditions, poor soils, and sunny sites, rewarding minimal care with maximum visual and aromatic impact.

Lavender 'Ruffles Vanillaberry'

Lavender 'Ruffles Vanillaberry' is a standout lavender variety known for its ruffled pink purple blooms and aromatic grey green foliage. Flowering from spring into summer, it adds colour, fragrance, and a playful texture to New Zealand gardens. Its compact, rounded habit suits pathways, borders, pots, and cottage themed landscapes. This hardy and easy care lavender is ideal for gardeners seeking a unique flowering variety with reliable performance and long lasting garden appeal.

Buy Lavender 'Ruffles Vanillaberry'

From $23.63

Suited to regions: Subtropical, Temperate

Plant type: Shrubs

Height: 60 cm

Spread: 80 cm

Flowering time: Spring, Summer, Autumn

Garden uses: Borders, Containers, Hedging, Living areas, Paths & Steps, Pool areas

Garden styles: Architectural, Backyard, City & Courtyard, Formal, Frontyard, Japanese, Modern, Rock

Lavender 'Sensation Blue'

Lavender 'Sensation Blue' is a standout lavender variety admired for its deep blue purple blooms and aromatic grey green foliage. Flowering from early spring into summer, it brings bold colour, uplifting perfume, and soft texture to New Zealand gardens. Its compact, rounded growth habit suits pathways, borders, pots, and cottage themed landscapes. This hardy and easy care lavender is ideal for gardeners wanting rich colour and long lasting seasonal flowering.

Buy Lavender 'Sensation Blue'

From $24.98

Suited to regions: Subtropical, Temperate

Plant type: Shrubs

Height: 70 cm

Spread: 70 cm

Flowering time: Spring, Summer, Autumn

Garden uses: Borders, Containers, Hedging, Living areas, Paths & Steps, Pool areas

Garden styles: Backyard, City & Courtyard, Formal, Frontyard, Japanese, Modern, Rock

Why Grow a Lavender Herb Plant?

Lavender herb plants aren’t just a picturesque addition to your landscape — they’re incredibly versatile. Their aromatic flowers and foliage can be used to scent your home, fill sachets, garnish baking, or even add a unique touch to cocktails and herbal teas. Traditionally valued for their calming properties, these plants easily earn their reputation as garden workhorses. Drought-tolerant and robust, lavender herb plants are ideal for busy gardeners seeking beauty with low-maintenance needs.

Best Lavender Varieties for Your NZ Garden

Choosing the right lavender herb plant is key to garden success. For a classic cottage garden look, Lavender dentata (French Lavender) is a popular option, thriving with delicately toothed leaves and a long flowering season. If you prefer rich, bold hues and upright flower spikes suited for hedging, Lavender 'Foveaux Storm' offers deep violet shades, while Lavender 'Sensation Blue' introduces striking blue-mauve blooms.

Those after romance and scent should explore Lavender 'Love Heart', which carries heart-shaped petals, or the robust Lavender 'Major', ideal for tough garden spots and exposed sites. Each variety lends its own character to paths, borders, and pots, making the lavender herb plant one of the most adaptable choices for NZ homes.

Tips for Planting and Caring for Lavender

To give a lavender herb plant the best start, choose a well-drained, sunny position. Lavenders prefer poor soils compared to many shrubs and dislike wet feet. Prepare the planting hole with a handful of grit if drainage is questionable, and mulch around the base with gravel to discourage weeds and humidity. Prune lightly after flowering to maintain compact growth and encourage a repeat flush the following season.

Feeding needs are minimal; too much rich compost or fertiliser can lead to floppy growth. Water new plants during their first season, but once established, the lavender herb plant is wonderfully drought-tolerant — an advantage in New Zealand’s variable climate.

Uses for Lavender at Home

The lavender herb plant is prized for its multi-purpose uses. Snip fresh stems for bouquets, infuse sugar or honey for baking, make your own lavender oil, or dry bunches for potpourri and moth deterrent sachets. In the garden, use lavender to edge garden beds, line pathways, or create living hedges. Their year-round foliage and bee-attracting blooms also make them ideal for wildlife-friendly planting schemes.

Discover Your Favourite Lavender

Ready to welcome the classic lavender herb plant to your garden or patio? Explore our favourite varieties, including Lavender dentata (French Lavender), Lavender 'Foveaux Storm', Lavender 'Sensation Blue', Lavender 'Major', and Lavender 'Love Heart'. With so much choice, it’s easy to find the perfect lavender herb plant to suit your taste, site, and gardening goals.

Contact us

Whether you need assistance finding the plant you’re looking for or you simply want to know more about who we are and what we do, we invite you to get in touch with us today. A member of The Plant Company team will get back in touch as soon as possible.