Plants to NEVER grow near lavender

Traits For Lavender Companions
Lavender companion plants are herbs, flowers, or crops that grow synergistically alongside this infamous purple flower. For example, echinacea, rosemary, and yarrow all perform well with lavender because they can tolerate the same low-fertility, well-drained, drought-prone soils.

Lavender companions tend to prefer the same conditions as this Mediterranean native:

Perennial growth habit (in zones 5 through 11, depending on lavender type)
Sandy or gravelly well-drained soil
Alkaline pH (6.5 to 7.5)
Low nutrient conditions
Full sunshine
Plenty of summer heat
Periods of drought
If a species can thrive in these conditions, you can save your space and time by preparing the same bed for it to grow with lavender. As you’ll see below, height, spacing, fertility requirements, and seasonal maintenance also play a role in determining the best garden allies.

Companion Planting Benefits

Top Companion Plants
Lavender’s origins make it a nice pair for any Mediterranean native shrub or drought-tolerant ornamental. It can be combined in the garden with many different plant options. Without further delay, here are our top recommendations:

Rosemary
Lavender and Rosemary work as well together in the garden as they do in your herbs de provence seasoning blend. They have practically identical maintenance needs— barely in water and once or twice a year prunings!

Like lavender, it is native to the Mediterranean basin and loves hot, dry sites with plenty of soil drainage. It prefers low-nutrient soils with a pH between 6.0 and 7.5. However, rosemary is not as cold hardy. It cannot survive without frost protection in zones 6 or colder.

Rosemary is a popular companion plant to keep pests away from your garden vegetables. It has a strong fragrance and beautiful bee-attracting flowers in the spring and summer.

Depending on your pruning efforts, rosemary can grow up to 4 feet tall and wide. You can plant a rosemary shrub 2-4 feet from a neighboring lavender bush in border beds around your garden.

Sage
Another Mediterranean herb, sage thrives in exposed areas with vibrant direct sunshine. It loves sandy or gravelly soil that water runs through very quickly. Like lavender, you won’t need to put any irrigation on these hardy drought-tolerant plants.

Sage is perennial in zones 5 through 11. At up to 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide, it typically stays stouter than lavender plants. You can squeeze sage plants between lavender and rosemary to add dimension to the planting.

Yarrow
This North American native wildflower is known for its incredible drought resilience and its ability to attract a range of beneficial predatory insects. Yarrow can be planted as a companion plant for everything from tomatoes to strawberries, and it also thrives alongside lavender.

Yarrow plants need full sunshine and plenty of warmth. Like lavender, it hates soggy or waterlogged soils. The well-drained sandy soils you prepared for your lavender beds are perfect for this honey-flavored umbel flower.

Jasmine
Well known for their decadent fragrance, Jasmine gives lavender a run for its money in the smell department. While you may recognize this scent in perfumes and teas, jasmine is also a gorgeous vine or brush to grow in your garden.

Coneflowers
Also known as echinacea, this ornamental perennial plant is just as cold hardy, and even more drought tolerant. Its beautiful violet blooms complement lavender’s more subdued purple spikes in perfect harmony. The daisy-like blooms appear in June through October in most climates and make for the perfect prairie-style herb garden.

Thyme
Thyme is ubiquitous in cuisines across the world. The herb itself is native to Eurasia and may have some varieties (specifically Thymbra capitata or Mediterranean Wild Thyme) that originated in the hot, sunny outcrops of the Mediterranean basin alongside high-elevation wild lavender meadows.

Mugwort
Artemesia vulgaris or mugwwort is a mysterious silvery herb that gladly grows alongside lavender. While it loves the sunshine and drainage, it does prefer a bit more moisture than its drought-loving companions.

Catmint
While regular mint is not very compatible with lavender, catmint is more drought tolerant and grows in similar conditions. The purple flowers are strikingly similar to lavender blooms and make for a gorgeous border bed.

Oleander
This lesser-known shrub or small tree is technically poisonous, but still the perfect addition to an ornamental landscape. It is dense, fast-growing, and native to some of the same parts of North Africa as lavender.

This means that oleander doesn’t mind drought and heat. It tolerates poor soils and is naturally deer-resistant. Oleander’s star-shaped flowers bloom almost year-round in zones 8 and warmer.