The beautifully flowering and intensely scented lavender is also often cultivated in gardens and on balconies in Germany. Many plant lovers would like to enjoy the plant indoors, but the subshrub is not very suitable for keeping indoors.
Can you keep lavender as a houseplant?
Lavender is rather unsuitable as a houseplant because it needs a lot of sun and should go through a cold phase in winter. In summer, lavender can be placed on the balcony or in the garden; in winter, hibernation in a cold house at 10-12 °C is ideal.
Lavender should be kept outside in summer
There are a wide variety of beautiful houseplants, but they all have one thing in common: They come from tropical and subtropical regions and therefore could not survive outdoors in our climate zone - with the exception of hot summer days, when many palm trees also feels comfortable on the balcony. Mediterranean plants, such as lavender, are not particularly suitable as houseplants. At least in summer the plant should be allowed to stand in a sunny spot on the balcony or in the garden. Indoor cultivation usually means that the plants do not receive enough sun and are therefore weakened. Very often the result is an infestation with plant pests and fungi.
Dried lavender as home decoration
Nevertheless, you don't have to miss out on the wonderful scent of lavender in your home. Instead of a live plant, you can simply use dried lavender bouquets to decorate your home. To do this, you use flowers as well as stems and leaves, which are either braided or packed in potpourris or scented bags.
Overwintering lavender in the room
Wintering in a heated room is also problematic because, unlike tropical plants, lavender needs a winter break. However, most lavender species are not hardy and therefore belong in a cold house in order to imitate the conditions of the Mediterranean home. Cold house overwintering means that the plants overwinter indoors at around 10 to 12 °C - this can also be in a (little or unheated) bedroom or in a stairwell.
Warm overwintered lavender usually dies
If you overwinter your lavender in a heated living room, it will most likely not survive the winter. Like so many Mediterranean plants, lavender is evergreen and therefore needs more light the warmer it is in winter. However, the light intensity we have in winter is not enough for lavender. Furthermore, a warm winter prevents the lavender from taking its urgently needed vegetation break, it is weakened and therefore more susceptible to diseases.
Tips & Tricks
Lavender is said to have a stimulating effect, especially in the bedroom. Since ancient times, the herb has been considered an aphrodisiac, i.e. H. its active ingredients increase libido.