Lavender Blooming Season
As Hawaii’s number one destination for lavender, we hear from locals and visitors from near and far to learn about our favorite plant. The most frequent question we hear is about the lavender blooming seasons. You too may have wondered when lavender season peaks. Luckily, we are the best source to break lavender blooming season for you. Our property boasts a variety of other botanical plants. But we know there is no comparison to the colorful and fragrant burst of lavender at the peak of the lavender blooming season.
The first thing you need to know about lavender blooming seasons is that there are about forty species of lavender in addition to 400 cultivars, or hybrids, in between. Our farm has approximately 20 varieties of lavender in total. And, thanks to our ideal soil and weather, we experience blooms year round. But the answer to when lavender blooms depends on the location and the strain of lavender.
Here, we cover some of the main types of lavender. All of these vary in appearance, fragrance, and blooming times.
True Lavender
General Blooming Season: June – July
Alii Kula Lavender Blooming Season: June – September
USDA Grow Zone: 5 – 9
Latin Name: Lavandula Angustifolia
Other Names: Common Lavender, English Lavender, Garden Lavender, Narrow-Leaved lavender
Notes: Sweet, floral, delicate, medicinal
English Lavender, which is actually native to Northeastern Spain, is one of the heartiest lavender varieties. It blooms up to two times during a season, typically occurring in June or July. We continually harvest throughout the peak bloom time; individually harvesting the mature flowers while allowing for young shoots to mature. This allows our farm to prolong the bloom time through August and in to September before final cutback.
True Lavender is known for producing a lot of essential oil—up to 10x more than other varieties. Here at Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm, this is our largest crop and make up a majority of our fields. The oils are often used in cleaning products due to his high camphor content. It is unmistakable when this variety blooms as you can smell it the moment you step out into the cool Country air. You can shop our essential oils here.
French Lavender
General Blooming Season: Late Spring – Late Summer
Alii Kula Lavender Blooming Season: Mostly Year Round
USDA Grow Zone: 8-11
Latin Name: Lavendula Dentata
Other Names: None
Notes: Light, sweet, citrusy
Globally, this fringed bloom first appears in late spring and lasts until late summer. However on our farm, the French Lavender has proven to be our most active perennial and blooms all year round.
French Lavender is as aromatic and flavorful as it is pretty to look at. With a wooly leaf texture, toothed leaves and pale violet bracts, one can’t help but embrace the delicacy of lavender. Also, the leaves have an aromatic quality to them as well. French Lavender is known to be useful as a source for seasoning dishes and we use this variety in our delicious lavender scones and lavender scone mix.
Spanish Lavender
General Blooming Season: May to Fall
Alii Kula Lavender Blooming Season: Perennial
USDA Grow Zone: 8 – 9
Latin Name: Lavender Stoechas
Other Names: Butterfly Lavender, French Lavender, Topped Lavender
Notes: Earthy, spicy, peppery, medicinal
Spanish Lavender is perhaps our most colorful bloom. You can see rows of this variety pop up in unimaginable shades of purple, maroon, pinks, plum and even white. We experience blooms throughout the year on the farm. However, in most locations worldwide it will typically show off multiple flushes of flowerings from May and into the fall.
So, while Spanish Lavender is quite a beautiful bloom, it mostly ornamental in nature and not often used as a dried flower or for oils.
Fernleaf Lavender
General Blooming Season: Spring – Summer
Alii Kula Lavender Blooming Season: Summer into late Fall
USDA Grow Zone: 8-11
Latin Name: Lavandula Mulifida
Other Names: None
Notes: Pungent, skunky, earthy, medicinal
This bushy floral blooms all summer long and often, beyond. It gets its name from the lacy leaves that divide magnificently into a fernlike appearance. Like ferns, this plant embraces environments of great humidity. Our property sits within the cloud line of Haleakala and offers that lovely moist air this plant enjoys.
When in bloom, this variety boasts long, wiry spikes topped by trident formed lavender flowers. The Fernleaf Lavender has a highly herbal aroma, reminiscent of oregano seasoning. Also, it is quite interesting to not that while it attracts butterflies, it can be used to repel mosquitos.
