English lavender vs Lavandin

English lavender and Lavandin are often considered for the same spot in the garden (hedge, flowers, pollinator friendly, container). The data below shows where they differ: size, hardiness, care, toxicity and price.

English lavender

Lavandula angustifolia 60 cm × 80 cm after 10 years

An evergreen, grey-leaved, scented subshrub covered for weeks in early summer with purple, blue, pink or white flower spikes that bees and butterflies…

Perennial

Full sun

from about CZK 83

Lavandin

Lavandula × intermedia 90 cm × 1 m after 10 years

A bigger, more vigorous hybrid than true lavender: a grey-green, aromatic subshrub that carries long-stemmed, strongly scented flower spikes in summer…

Perennial

Full sun

from about CZK 170

Key differences

Lavandin grows larger: 90 cm × 1 m after ten years, against 60 cm × 80 cm for English lavender (an estimate: sources differ).
English lavender is hardier: down to -29 °C, against -23 °C for Lavandin.
English lavender is cheaper: about CZK 83 at the size usually planted, against about CZK 170 for Lavandin.

Which one to choose?

English lavender is the better choice if space is tight, the garden is cold or a frost pocket or price matters.

Watch out for

English lavender

The usual failure is root rot: in winter wet, on heavy clay or when overwatered the plants die out in patches. In hard frost without snow cover, especially in wet soil, it can be cut back or killed. Left unpruned it becomes bare and splits open, and it cannot be renewed from old wood, so expect to replace plants after about ten years. Leaf spot and spittlebugs occur but rarely do serious harm.

Lavandin

In Central Europe it is somewhat less frost hardy than true lavender: in frost below about minus 18 °C without snow cover, especially in wet, heavy soil, it can die, so give it a sheltered, sunny spot and free-draining ground. Root rot occurs in waterlogged soil and leaf spot in humid, stagnant weather. After some years plants turn woody and bare and are best replaced.

The data side by side

Feature	English lavender	Lavandin
Group	Perennial	Perennial
Size after 10 years	60 cm × 80 cm (uncertain)	90 cm × 1 m
Ultimate size	30–90 cm × 0.6–1.2 m (uncertain)	0.6–1 m × 0.6–1 m
Growth rate	Medium (uncertain)	Medium (uncertain)
Light	Full sun	Full sun
Soil	Average garden soil, Sandy, Calcareous	Average garden soil, Sandy, Calcareous
Hardiness	down to -29 °C (USDA 4, RHS H7)	down to -23 °C (USDA 6, RHS H7)
Heat tolerance	High	High (uncertain)
Foliage	Evergreen	Evergreen
Flowering	June–August, purple, blue, pink, white (uncertain)	June–September, purple, white
Water need	Low	Low
Drought tolerance	High	High
Maintenance	Medium	Medium
Planting distance	40 cm	70 cm
For dogs	Toxic	Mildly toxic (uncertain)
For cats	Toxic	Mildly toxic (uncertain)
For children	Mildly toxic (uncertain)	Mildly toxic (uncertain)
Typical price	approx. CZK 83	approx. CZK 170

Prices are rounded, indicative values. Toxicity data is for information only. If your pet or child has eaten a plant, contact a vet or a doctor. Data updated: October 26, 2026

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