Plants Similar To Lavender

If you love lavender but want more variety in your garden, you’re in the right place. Finding plants similar to lavender that offer the same aromatic charm and drought-tolerance is easier than you might think.

These alternatives can give you that beautiful, fragrant, and water-wise garden you’re dreaming of. They thrive in sunny spots with well-drained soil, just like lavender does. Let’s look at some excellent options that will bring scent, color, and resilience to your landscape.

This list focuses on perennials and shrubs that share lavender’s key traits. They are known for their pleasant fragrances, often from their foliage or flowers, and their ability to withstand dry conditions once established.

Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)

This is a top contender. With its wispy, lavender-blue flower spikes and silvery-green foliage, it creates a similar visual effect. It’s incredibly drought-tolerant and blooms from mid-summer into fall.

Aroma: The foliage has a strong, sage-like fragrance when brushed against.
Care: Needs full sun and excellent drainage. Cut it back hard in early spring.
Bonus: It’s highly resistant to deer and rabbits.

Catmint (Nepeta)

Catmint is a garden workhorse that often blooms even longer than lavender. The gray-green foliage and spikes of small, usually lavender-blue flowers are a perfect match for the aesthetic.

Aroma: The leaves release a mild, minty scent. It’s pleasant but not overpowering.
Care: Loves full sun, tolerates poor soil, and needs little water. Shearing after the first bloom encourages a second flush.
Popular Variety: ‘Walker’s Low’ is a award-winning and reliable choice.

Santolina (Santolina chamaecyparissus)

Also called Cotton Lavender, this plant offers fantastic silvery, fine-textured foliage that is highly aromatic. It forms a neat, mound-shaped bush and produces bright yellow button flowers in summer.

Aroma: The foliage has a sharp, clean, almost medicinal fragrance.
Care: Requires full sun and perfect drainage. It’s very drought-tolerant and benefits from a light trim after flowering.

Hyssop (Agastache)

Often called Hummingbird Mint, Agastache is a magnet for pollinators. It boasts long-blooming flower spikes in colors ranging from orange and pink to purple and blue. The foliage is highly aromatic.

Aroma: Leaves smell like licorice or mint, depending on the variety.
Care: Prefers full sun and well-drained soil. It’s heat and drought tolerant once its settled in.

Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)

While often thought of as a culinary herb, rosemary makes a superb drought-tolerant shrub. It can be trained upright or as a trailing ground cover, and it blooms with tiny pale blue flowers.

Aroma: The needle-like leaves have that classic, pungent piney scent.
Care: Needs full sun and excellent drainage. It’s sensitive to wet winters in cold climates.

Lavender Cotton (Santolina virens)

The green-leaved cousin to silver Santolina, this plant forms bright green mounds with contrasting yellow flowers. It’s just as tough and drought-tolerant, offering a different color palette.

Aroma: The foliage has a strong, resinous aroma.
Care: Same as gray Santolina: full sun, sharp drainage, and occasional pruning.

English Lavender Varieties (Lavandula angustifolia)

Don’t overlook other lavenders themselves! If you have success with one, try different cultivars. ‘Hidcote’ has deep purple flowers, ‘Munstead’ is compact, and ‘Jean Davis’ offers soft pink blooms.

They all share the same basic needs but can add subtle variety to your garden design.

How to Plant and Care for These Drought-Tolerant Gems

Success with these plants hinges on mimicking their preferred Mediterranean conditions. Here’s a simple step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Choose the Right Location

Almost all of these plants demand full sun. That means at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight per day. More sun leads to stronger growth, better flowering, and more intense aromas.

Good air circulation around the plants helps prevent fungal diseases, which is important for silvery-leaved varieties.

Step 2: Prepare the Soil

Drainage is non-negotiable. These plants despise wet feet, especially in winter. If you have heavy clay soil, you must amend it.

Dig a hole wider than the root ball.
Mix the native soil with a generous amount of coarse sand, gravel, or crushed granite.
You can also plant in raised mounds or beds to improve drainage immediately.

Step 3: Planting Correctly

Plant in spring or early fall to allow roots to establish before extreme weather.

Water the plant in its pot thoroughly before planting.
Gently remove it and tease out the roots if they are pot-bound.
Place it in the hole so the top of the root ball is level with the soil surface.
Backfill with your soil mix and firm it gently.
Water deeply to settle the soil.

Step 4: Watering Wisely

While drought-tolerant, they need regular water to get established in their first growing season. After that, they require minimal supplemental watering.

Year 1: Water deeply once a week during dry periods.
Year 2+: Rely on rainfall in most temperate climates. In prolonged droughts, a deep soak every 3-4 weeks may be needed.

Overwatering is a far greater risk than underwatering for these plants.

Step 5: Pruning and Maintenance

Regular pruning keeps plants compact and encourages new growth. The general rule is to prune lightly after the main flowering period ends.

For woody plants like lavender and santolina, avoid cutting back into old, bare wood, as it may not regrow. Just trim the green, leafy stems.

Designing Your Aromatic Garden

Grouping these plants together creates a stunning, low-water garden zone. Here are some ideas.

Create a silvery-gray garden with Russian Sage, Santolina, and lavender for a cool, calming effect.
Mix textures by pairing the fine leaves of lavender with the broader leaves of Rosemary.
Use catmint or hyssop as a flowering border along a sunny path where you can brush against them.
Incorporate ornamental grasses for movement and contrast with these structured shrubs.

Common Problems and Solutions

Even tough plants can have issues. Here’s what to watch for.

Leggy Growth: Usually means not enough sun or a lack of pruning. Move the plant if possible or prune more regularly.
Poor Flowering: Often caused by too much shade, over-fertilizing (which promotes leaves, not flowers), or pruning at the wrong time.
Root Rot: The number one killer. Signs include wilting, yellowing leaves, and plant collapse. Ensure your soil drains perfectly.

FAQ

What plants smell like lavender and are drought resistant?
Russian Sage, Catmint, and many types of Salvias (like Cleveland Sage) offer fragrant foliage and excellent drought tolerance, similar to lavender.

What is a good substitute for lavender in cooking?
While not a perfect match, rosemary or thyme can provide a robust herbal flavor in savory dishes where lavender might be used. For a floral note, a tiny bit of dried rose petal can sometimes work.

Are there any lavender look-alikes that bloom longer?
Yes. Catmint (Nepeta) often has a much longer blooming period, from late spring through fall if sheared back. Many Agastache varieties also bloom continuously from summer to frost.

What can I plant with lavender that needs the same care?
Excellent companions include other Mediterranean herbs like sage, thyme, and oregano. Ornamentals like yarrow, sedum, and echinacea also thrive in similar sunny, well-drained conditions.

Adding these plants similar to lavender to your garden expands your options without sacrificing the qualities you love. They provide that wonderful blend of scent, beauty, and easy care, making your garden a resilient and fragrant haven. With the right placement and a little attention to soil and water, you’ll enjoy them for many seasons to come.