Steve Yoder
I'm Steve, a 30-something urban gardener fascinated by companion planting research. Growing up surrounded by greenery sparked my passion for gardening early on. I enjoy transforming my small backyard, experimenting with companion planting techniques and eco-friendly practices. Sustainability matters—I advocate for native plants and composting.
Table of Contents
Lavender is an aromatic herb that belongs to the Lamiaceae family. It grows well in warm areas with full sun and well-drained soil. Lavender companion plants will help you with your pest problem in your garden. At this step, you can grow your lavender as a perennial or annual. This is depending on your climate and what you want to achieve. Lavender oil contains monoterpenes, which ward off mites and other insect pests. It is also beneficial for bees and butterflies. In this article, you will find some of the best lavender companion plants.
Companion Planting Lavender in a Nutshell
Lavender plants come in different varieties, but all have fragrant flowers and leaves. The plant is famous for its many uses in medicine and aromatherapy, as well as its delightful fragrance. It’s also very easy to care for and makes a great companion plant. It repels insects like mosquitoes and aphids while attracting bees. Bees as you know will pollinate your flowers.
Lavender needs full sun and well-drained soil. That’s why you should not overwater it. The best way is to water lavender plants deeply and infrequently. Furthermore, Lavenders need plenty of space to grow. Therefore, you should plant them at least 3 feet apart from each other and away from other plants.
Lavender oil contains monoterpenes. Other plants that contain monoterpenes include lemon grass and citronella grass. Monoterpenes can be used in the prevention of insects. They’re also found in many personal care products such as soap and lotions. These products are marketed for their repulsive effect on bugs.
If you’re new to companion planting, check out our list of favorite lavender companion plants below.
Best Lavender Companion Plants
Here are some of the best companion plants for lavender:
Some more tips on lavender companion plants:
- Plant lavender with plants that attract bees. Bees are a gardener’s best friend because they help pollinate your plants and crops. Lavender is often planted in large beds with other fragrant flowering herbs and annuals to create an edible landscape. You can also plant it as a border or small hedge to add height and color.
- Grow lavender alongside plants that attract butterflies. Butterflies are another important member of the pollinator community, and they love lavender flowers! A butterfly garden full of nectar-rich plants like sedum, fennel, salvia, dianthus, veronica, and others will draw them in for some tasty treats while also providing a habitat for their larvae.
- Planting lavender near other herbs is beneficial since many repellent pests will avoid these aromatic herbs when searching out food sources nearby.
- Studies in greenhouses conclude that there was a reduction in the number of nymphs in pepper plants neighboring lavender.1,2
What not to plant with lavender
Lavender is a very versatile plant, and you can plant it in many different climates and regions. Yet, you should not plant some plants near lavender. These include:
Tomatoes sometimes suffer from growth problems when they are grown next to lavender. The smell of the lavender may make them bitter or unpleasant-tasting.
This is especially true if you grow tomatoes in containers or boxes rather than in soil. Soil absorption is typically less of an issue with these containers because there isn’t usually enough space for chemicals to enter into such small spaces between soil particles.
Potatoes also don’t do well when planted near lavender because they will absorb the oils from an herbicide used on the flowers of this plant. The result is that they become poisonous themselves!
For a long time, the rule was that if you plant lavender with roses, you keep aphids away. This has now turned out to be a mistake. So you should not plant roses and lavender nearby.
References
- Ben-Issa, R., Gomez, L., & Gautier, H. (2017). Companion plants for aphid pest management. Insects, 8(4), 112.
- Ben Issa, R., Gautier, H., & Gomez, L. (2017). Influence of neighbouring companion plants on the performance of aphid populations on sweet pepper plants under greenhouse conditions. Agricultural and Forest Entomology, 19(2), 181-191.
