How Many Hours of Sun Does a Lavender Plant Need?

Lavender plants flourish where they can receive full sun.

Planting lavender in your garden can offer delicate, aromatic blossoms and graceful stalks of gray-green foliage. If you really want your lavender plants to thrive, you'll need to make sure that their light needs are well provided for. The precise requisite for hours of sunlight can vary somewhat, depending on what time of day the plants will receive light and whether the sun filters through any foliage or other obstruction.

Full Sun

For best results, plant lavender in a spot that receives full sun. As a rule of thumb, a plant requiring "full sun" should ideally receive at least six hours of direct sunlight, unfiltered by any foliage or screening. The precise period of sunlight can vary somewhat, depending on what time of day the plant receives sunlight. Generally, receiving full sun during the morning is less warming than an equal number of hours in the afternoon.

Midday Sun

The hours of sunlight around midday, when the sun is high, will also provide fuller sun exposure than the same number of hours closer to sunrise or sunset. As a result, receiving more than three hours of full sun around midday can suffice for many "full sun" plants, including lavender, even if the sun is indirect or filtered earlier or later in the day. For example, should you wish to plant the lavender as a border planting near your home, it can tolerate the hours of shade due to the building's structure as long as it receives direct sunlight during midday.

Sun and Soil

Native to southern Europe, lavender thrives in hot, dry climates. As a result, daily hours of direct sunlight are necessary not only to aid in photosynthesis and foster the aromatic blossoms, but also to maintain sufficiently dry soil. Particularly if your lavender's sun exposure is on the lower end of the scale, it's imperative that the soil be well-drained. Otherwise, the plant can easily develop fungal or bacterial diseases.

Drying Lavender

While lavender needs full sunlight to produce colorful blossoms while growing, the opposite holds true for dried flowers. If you wish to preserve your harvested lavender blossoms by drying them, place them in a dark place. Exposing the cut stems to sunlight will eventually bleach the flowers of all purple pigment. Just as for the living flowers, dried lavender also require dryness to avoid rot problems.

References

• North Carolina State University: Growing Herbs for the Home Gardener
• University of Illinois Extension: Beyond Impatiens and Petunias
• Fine Gardening: The Allure of Lavender