How to Grow Lavender Indoors

Growing lavender indoors allows you to enjoy all the benefits of this beautiful, fragrant plant through the day. Lavender can be used as a culinary herb and as a crafting material. Lavender is also a decorative element, and when dried, it is a favorite in making potpourri that you can use or give away as gifts. Best of all, its lovely fragrance will last in your home as long as the plants do. Keeping your lavender plants indoors requires a little extra work, but it is well worth the effort to enjoy this beautiful plant in your home.

Finding the Right Location in Your Home

When choosing a location for your laverder plant you will want to consider sunlight and air flow. Without the right conditions and maintenance, your lavender will dry out and possibly die. Find a location with lots of natural sunlight. Lavender needs as much bright daylight as it can get, so make sure you place them near windows.

Lavender also needs to have fresh air to rejuvenate. Make sure your windows will open and will give your plant gentle airflow to keep it healthy. After the needs of the flowers have been considered, make sure you put the plant in an area where you will be able to enjoy its beauty and benefit from its many uses.

Finding the Right Lavender Plant

There are different varieties of lavender plants, the most popular being English, French and Spanish. Make sure you research the plants before purchasing them, as they each have different qualities that you may or may not want. Of these three varieties, the French is the easiest to grow indoors, though it will not have as strong an aroma as the other two.

Make sure you know which qualities you would like in your plant before you purchase it, and check the tags carefully at your local garden store. Different lavender varieties have different qualities and it is good to know the difference between them. One easy tip to recognize the French variety is that its leaves are serrated.

Planting Your Lavender Plants

Most varieties of lavender like to have a good amount of room, so space flower a few inches apart in a fairly large pot. Make sure to start the lavender out in quality soil. This will give the plant extra nutrients that it will need for growing indoors. You can enrich your soil by mixing in lime juice. Water it thoroughly after you have finished planting it.

Maintaining Your Lavender Plants

While you will want to be generous with water, always allow the plant to dry out before watering. The soil should be dry to the touch. As a simple "mulch" give your plants a little lime juice about once a month. This will give the plant extra nutrients to keep it strong. Even though your lavender plant is intended to be kept indoors, remember to set it outside from time to time during the spring and autumn. This will help encourage growth. Just be sure to cover it so it does not get damaged by rain or snow. With its beautiful and fragrant flowers, lavender has much to offer as an indoor plant. Once you get the hang of it, growing a thriving lavender plant indoors will become quite simple.