5 Best Lavender Plants For Attracting Pollinators To The Farm That Thrive
Attract more pollinators to your farm with the right plants. We cover 5 hardy lavender varieties that are easy to grow and irresistible to bees.
You walk out to your squash patch and see dozens of beautiful yellow blossoms, but very few tiny squash forming behind them. The problem isn’t your soil or your watering schedule; it’s a lack of pollination. For a busy hobby farmer, creating a resilient, self-sustaining ecosystem is just as important as amending the soil, and attracting pollinators is a cornerstone of that system.
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Why Lavender is a Farm Pollinator Powerhouse
Lavender isn’t just a pretty herb for sachets and soaps; it’s a functional workhorse on a small farm. Its real value lies in its long blooming season, often lasting from late spring well into summer. This provides a consistent, reliable nectar source for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects when other flowers have come and gone.
Unlike many thirsty annuals, established lavender is incredibly drought-tolerant. This is a huge advantage when you’re managing limited water resources or simply don’t have time for daily watering. It thrives in the kind of lean, well-drained soil that can make other plants struggle, turning a dry, sunny bank into a buzzing hub of activity.
The plant’s intense fragrance, produced by its essential oils, acts like a beacon for pollinators, drawing them in from all over your property. Once they arrive for the lavender, they’ll stick around to visit your nearby vegetable crops, from tomatoes to beans. Planting a lavender hedge near your garden isn’t just decorative; it’s a strategic investment in your future harvest.
‘Munstead’ English Lavender: A Hardy Classic
If you’re new to lavender or farming in a colder climate, ‘Munstead’ (Lavandula angustifolia) is your go-to. This variety is known for its exceptional cold hardiness and compact, manageable size. It won’t get leggy and out of control, making it perfect for borders or interplanting near vegetable beds.
‘Munstead’ is one of the earlier English lavenders to bloom, providing a crucial food source for pollinators emerging in late spring. Its flowers are a softer, lighter purple, but they are produced in abundance. Think of it as the reliable, no-fuss foundation of a pollinator-friendly landscape.
The trade-off for its hardiness is a slightly less intense aroma compared to other varieties. But for pure pollinator attraction and farm-tough resilience, it’s hard to beat. It establishes quickly and asks for very little in return.
‘Hidcote’ Lavender: Deep Color, Strong Scent
‘Hidcote’ (Lavandula angustifolia) is the lavender people picture in their minds. It boasts incredibly deep, violet-blue flowers and a powerful, classic lavender fragrance. That combination of strong color and scent makes it exceptionally attractive to a wide range of pollinators.
This English lavender variety is prized not only by bees but also by farmers who want a dual-purpose crop. The flower heads hold their color and scent beautifully when dried, making them ideal for culinary use, crafts, or creating value-added products. If you plan to harvest your lavender, ‘Hidcote’ is an excellent choice.
While still quite hardy, ‘Hidcote’ can be slightly more sensitive to wet winter soils than ‘Munstead’. It demands excellent drainage to thrive. Its slightly slower, more upright growth habit also makes it a stunning choice for creating formal-looking, low hedges that double as pollinator highways.
‘Grosso’ Lavandin: The Ultimate Bee Magnet
When your primary goal is attracting the maximum number of pollinators, ‘Grosso’ (Lavandula x intermedia) is the undisputed champion. As a lavandin, a hybrid of English and Spike lavender, it’s a larger, more robust plant that produces an astonishing number of flowers on long, elegant stems. A mature ‘Grosso’ plant in full bloom is a sight to behold, literally humming with bees.
‘Grosso’ is a mid-summer bloomer, perfectly timed to support pollinator populations when they are at their peak. Its high nectar content makes it a favorite of honeybees in particular. Because it’s a sterile hybrid, the plant wastes no energy on seed production, pouring all its resources into creating more and more flowers.
The sheer size of ‘Grosso’ means you need to give it space. This isn’t a plant for a small, tidy border; it’s meant for mass plantings or long hedgerows where it can grow to its full potential. Its productivity is its greatest asset, making it the workhorse of the lavender world for both honey production and general pollination.
‘Phenomenal’ Lavandin: All-Weather Performer
The name says it all. ‘Phenomenal’ (Lavandula x intermedia) is a newer lavandin variety bred specifically for toughness. It demonstrates exceptional resistance to both summer humidity and winter cold, two factors that can spell doom for other lavenders. If you’ve struggled with lavender dying off due to root rot or winter die-back, this is the plant to try.
This variety maintains a uniform, mounded shape without the splitting or flopping that can plague other large lavandins. It’s incredibly vigorous and produces a heavy flush of purple flowers on long stems. Its resilience makes it a low-risk, high-reward choice for farmers who need plants that can handle unpredictable weather without constant coddling.
While its oil is more camphor-heavy than English lavenders, its value as a reliable, long-blooming pollinator plant is second to none. ‘Phenomenal’ is the definition of a low-maintenance powerhouse, perfect for the time-strapped farmer who needs a plant that simply performs.
‘Anouk’ Spanish Lavender: Early Season Blooms
Don’t overlook Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas). Varieties like ‘Anouk’ look distinctly different, with charming tufts or "bunny ears" atop the flower heads. Their most significant contribution to the farm is their bloom time: they are often the very first lavenders to flower in the spring.
This early food source is a lifeline for queen bumblebees and other pollinators emerging from hibernation when few other nectar sources are available. By planting Spanish lavender, you support the very foundation of the season’s pollinator population. This helps ensure you have strong, healthy pollinator colonies ready to go when your fruit trees and early vegetables start to flower.
The main tradeoff is hardiness. Spanish lavenders are typically less cold-tolerant than their English cousins, often rated for Zone 7 or warmer. In colder climates, they can be treated as annuals or grown in pots. But if your climate allows, their unique look and critical early-season support make them a valuable addition to the farm’s ecosystem.
Planting and Care for a Thriving Lavender Patch
Forget everything you know about rich, loamy garden soil. Lavender thrives on neglect and demands two things above all else: full, direct sun and sharp drainage. Planting it in a shady spot or in heavy clay soil that holds water is a recipe for failure.
The number one killer of lavender is "wet feet," especially during winter. If you have heavy soil, consider planting on a slope, in a raised bed, or by amending the planting hole generously with sand or fine gravel. Water new plants regularly to get them established, but once they’re mature, they will need very little supplemental water.
Pruning is the only essential chore. After the plant has finished flowering, or in early spring, shear back the entire plant by about one-third. Be careful not to cut into the old, woody base. This annual "haircut" prevents the plant from becoming leggy and woody, encouraging bushy growth and prolific flowering for years to come.
Beyond Lavender: Supporting Your Farm’s Pollinators
Lavender is a fantastic cornerstone, but a truly resilient farm ecosystem relies on diversity. A single-species planting creates a "boom and bust" cycle for pollinators. Your goal should be to provide a continuous sequence of blooms from the first thaw of spring to the last hard frost of fall.
Supplement your lavender with other easy-care, pollinator-friendly plants.
- Early Spring: Crocus, willow, and maple trees provide critical early pollen.
- Mid-Season: Borage, comfrey, and various clovers are bee magnets that also improve your soil.
- Late Season: Asters, goldenrod, and sedum offer a final, crucial nectar source before winter.
Think beyond just flowers. Providing a water source, like a shallow dish with pebbles for bees to land on, can be a huge help during dry spells. Leaving some areas of your farm a bit "wild" with bare ground or dead wood also provides essential nesting habitat for solitary native bees, which are often more efficient pollinators than honeybees for certain crops. A holistic approach will always yield the best results.
Ultimately, choosing the right lavender is a strategic decision that pays dividends in the health of your entire farm. By matching the plant’s strengths to your climate and goals, you’re not just planting a flower; you’re investing in a more productive and self-sufficient agricultural ecosystem.
