🌱✗ Tested and false“Lavender is too tender to survive winter in Scotland”
English lavender and its hybrids are hardy and can overwinter outside in free-draining soil, most carrying an H5 rating on RHS's own AGM variety list. What actually kills lavender is wet, heavy soil, not cold, especially over winter.
What to do: Choose English lavender specifically (not French or Spanish types, which genuinely are more tender) and put the effort into drainage: a raised bed or gritty container, not fleece.
In Scotland: Scotland's typically damper, heavier ground makes drainage non-negotiable here in a way it might not be further south, even though the plant itself can take the cold.
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- RHSEnglish lavender and hybrids are hardy and can overwinter outside in free-draining soil
- Gardener's WorldCopes well with drought but suffers in wet, heavy soils, particularly over winter
“All lavender varieties are equally hardy, whatever the label says”
English lavender AGM varieties mostly carry an H5 hardiness rating, while French, Spanish and hybrid types on the same RHS award list range down to H3, a meaningfully lower bar. RHS names French/Spanish/tender types as less hardy and short-lived outdoors, best grown in containers moved under cover for winter.
What to do: Check the type before buying, not just the AGM label: English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) for a reliable outdoor Scottish planting, French or Spanish types only if grown in a container that can be moved somewhere frost-free for winter.
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- RHSEnglish lavender AGM cultivars carry H5; hybrid and Spanish AGM cultivars on the same list range down to H3
- RHS growing guideFrench/Spanish/tender types are less hardy and short-lived; best in containers moved to frost-free shelter for winter
“Lavender doesn't care about soil pH as long as it's free-draining”
Lavender generally prefers neutral to alkaline soil. On acid soil, French lavender is specifically recommended as the better-suited type instead.
What to do: On acid soil, either amend it toward neutral before planting English lavender, or grow French lavender instead, which is named as the more suitable choice for that condition, in a container that can be moved under cover over winter given its lower hardiness.
In Scotland: Worth checking directly given how variable Scottish soils are, from acidic upland peat to more neutral lowland ground.
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- Gardener's WorldPrefers neutral to alkaline soil; try French lavender instead on acid soil
“You can cut an old, woody lavender plant hard back into the bare wood to rejuvenate it”
Cutting into woody stems when pruning lavender should be avoided. Older plants that have gone properly woody and straggly are better replaced than rescued, since lavender establishes quickly from new stock.
What to do: Prune annually in late summer after flowering, removing spent flower stalks and about 2.5cm of leaf growth, staying within the soft growth. Once a plant is genuinely woody at the base, propagate a replacement from cuttings rather than cutting the old one back hard.
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- RHSDo not cut into woody stems; older plants become straggly and are best replaced
“Lavender oil (aromatherapy or oral capsules such as Silexan) is a clinically proven treatment for anxiety and insomnia.”
NCCIH states oral lavender oil products (e.g. Silexan) have shown suggestive benefit for anxiety in clinical trials, but research quality, sample sizes and funding independence remain limitations. Separately, whether lavender aromatherapy (diffusers, sachets) helps sleep quality or insomnia is explicitly described as unclear.
What to do: Don't conflate the two: oral lavender-oil capsules have some real trial support for anxiety symptoms, but scent-based aromatherapy for sleep does not have solid evidence behind it. Neither is a substitute for medical treatment of a diagnosed anxiety disorder or insomnia.
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- NCCIH — Lavender: Usefulness and Safety"Studies have suggested that a lavender oil product, taken orally, might be beneficial for anxiety, including anxiety with co-occurring symptoms of depression." / "It's unclear whether aromatherapy with lavender oil has benefits for anxiety, stress, symptoms of depression, some types of pain, sleep quality or insomnia, or other conditions."
“Dried lavender sachets in wardrobes and drawers repel clothes moths and protect woollens.”
University of California's IPM programme, in its clothes-moth guidance, addresses herbal-oil repellents placed in storage (the category lavender sachets fall into), and states plainly that little is known about their real-world effectiveness, in contrast to cedar, whose larvicidal oil is documented but fades within a few years.
Our read GrowScotland's read: this is a case of 'absence of harm' rather than 'evidence of benefit': lavender scent is pleasant and moths are known to dislike strong volatile oils in lab settings, but no extension service or study we found has tested lavender sachets specifically against real infestations. Treat it as a nice-smelling extra, not pest control.
What to do: Use lavender sachets as a bonus, not your main defence. Pair them with proper laundering/dry-cleaning before storage and periodic vacuuming/inspection, since sachets don't kill eggs or larvae already in fabric.
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