If you love the look and scent of lavender but want to try something different, you’re in the right place. There are many wonderful plants similar to lavender that can bring fragrant purple blooms to your garden.
These alternatives offer the same romantic color and lovely perfume, and they can often thrive in conditions where lavender might struggle. Let’s look at some excellent choices that will give you that lavender-like feel with their own unique charm.
Plants Similar To Lavender – With Fragrant Purple Blooms
This list focuses on perennials and shrubs that share key traits with lavender: grey-green or silvery foliage, spikes of purple flowers, and a beautiful fragrance. They are perfect for sunny, well-drained spots and attract plenty of pollinators.
Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
This is a top contender for a lavender substitute. It forms a large, airy bush with finely cut, silvery-grey leaves and long wands of tiny, lavender-blue flowers.
- Fragrance: The foliage has a strong, sage-like scent when brushed against, which is quite different from lavender but equally pleasant.
- Bloom Time: It flowers from mid-summer right into fall, providing a long season of color.
- Growing Conditions: Loves full sun and poor, dry soil. It’s extremely drought-tolerant once established.
- Size: Can reach 3-4 feet tall and wide, so give it plenty of space.
Catmint (Nepeta)
Catmint is a garden workhorse that’s often confused with catnip. Its profuse blooms and easy-going nature make it a fantastic choice.
- Fragrance: The grey-green foliage has a minty, aromatic scent. It’s not identical to lavender, but it’s wonderfully fresh.
- Bloom Time: It starts flowering in late spring and, if sheared back after the first flush, will often bloom again until frost.
- Growing Conditions: Thrives in full sun to part shade and isn’t fussy about soil, as long as it drains well.
- Popular Varieties: ‘Walker’s Low’ is a classic, with mounds of foliage and long spikes of purple-blue flowers.
Hyssop (Agastache)
Often called Hummingbird Mint, this plant is a magnet for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. It offers an incredible variety of flower colors, including many in the purple family.
- Fragrance: The leaves are highly fragrant, with a scent reminiscent of licorice or mint, depending on the variety.
- Bloom Time: Flowers from early summer to fall on tall, upright spikes.
- Growing Conditions: Requires full sun and excellent drainage. It can be short-lived in heavy, wet soils.
- Great Purple Varieties: ‘Blue Fortune’ (violet-blue), ‘Black Adder’ (deep purple), and ‘Raspberry Summer’ (magenta-purple).
English Lavender’s Cousins: Other Lavandula
If you want something very close to traditional English lavender but with a twist, consider these other species within the same genus.
- French Lavender (Lavandula stoechas): Known for its unique “rabbit ear” petals at the top of the flower spike. It has a stronger, more camphorous scent and blooms earlier in spring.
- Spanish Lavender (Lavandula dentata): Has serrated, tooth-like leaves and a pungent, clean fragrance. It’s more tolerant of humidity than English types.
Salvia (Sage)
The Salvia family is vast, and many varieties offer the spiky form and purple hues you’re looking for. They are some of the best plants similar to lavender for long-lasting display.
- Fragrance: Many have aromatic foliage, though the flower scent can be more subtle.
- Bloom Time: Most bloom from early summer non-stop until the first hard frost.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil are essential.
- Top Picks: Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ (deep purple spikes), Salvia x sylvestris ‘Mainacht’ (violet-blue), and the annual Salvia farinacea ‘Victoria’ (true blue).
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
While grown primarily for its culinary leaves, rosemary produces delicate, small flowers in shades of blue, purple, and white.
- Fragrance: The pine-like scent of its needles is iconic and very strong.
- Bloom Time: Typically flowers in late winter or early spring, which is a valuable time for pollinators.
- Growing Conditions: Needs full sun and excellent drainage. In colder climates, it’s often grown in pots and brought indoors for winter.
Designing With Purple and Fragrant Plants
Using these plants effectively in your garden is key. Here’s how to create stunning combinations.
- Create a Sensory Border: Plant them along a path where you’ll brush against them and release their scent.
- Mix Textures: Combine the fine texture of Russian Sage with the broader leaves of a purple sage (Salvia officinalis ‘Purpurascens’).
- Play with Heights: Use taller Agastache or Perovskia at the back, with mid-height catmint and lower-growing lavender or thyme at the front.
- Complementary Colors: Pair purple blooms with silver foliage plants (like Artemisia) or with flowers in contrasting colors like yellow (Coreopsis) or orange (Calendula).
Growing Tips for Success
Most of these plants share a common need: they hate wet feet. Here’s how to ensure they thrive.
Soil Preparation is Everything
Good drainage is non-negotiable. If you have heavy clay soil, you must amend it.
- Dig a hole twice as wide as the plant’s root ball.
- Mix the native soil with a generous amount of coarse sand or fine gravel and some compost.
- For extreme cases, consider building a raised bed or planting on a slope or mound.
Watering Wisely
Overwatering is the fastest way to lose these drought-tolerant plants.
- Water deeply immediately after planting to help establish roots.
- Then, allow the soil to dry out completely between waterings.
- Once established, most of these plants will only need water during prolonged droughts. Their drought resistance is a major benefit.
Pruning and Maintenance
Proper pruning keeps plants tidy and encourages more blooms.
- Spring Pruning: For woody plants like lavender and Russian sage, wait until you see new green growth at the base in spring, then prune back the old wood carefully, avoiding cutting into bare stems with no leaves.
- Deadheading: For plants like catmint and salvia, shearing off spent flower spikes after the first bloom will often promote a second, smaller flush of flowers.
- Fall Clean-up: It’s often better to leave the dead stems and seed heads on plants like Agastache and Perovskia over winter for visual interest and wildlife shelter. Cut them back in early spring.
Solving Common Problems
Even tough plants can have issues. Here’s what to watch for.
- Leggy Growth: Usually means not enough sun. These plants need at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily.
- Center of Plant Dies Out: Common in older lavender. Prevention is key through annual light pruning. For catmint, simply divide the plant every few years in spring or fall.
- Poor Flowering: Can be caused by too much nitrogen-rich fertilizer (which promotes leaves, not flowers), too much shade, or improper pruning. Use a balanced or low-nitrogen fertilizer in early spring only.
- Winter Die-Back: In wet winter climates, the combination of cold and moisture is more damaging than dry cold. Ensure perfect drainage to help prevent this.
Beyond the Garden: Using Your Fragrant Harvest
Like lavender, many of these plants can be used in crafts and home projects.
- Drying: Harvest stems just as flowers begin to open. Tie in small bunches and hang upside down in a dark, dry, well-ventilated place. Russian sage, salvia, and hyssop dry beautifully.
- Potpourri: Mix dried flowers and leaves from catmint, rosemary, and lavender for a long-lasting fragrant mix.
- Simple Sachets: Fill small muslin bags with dried cuttings and place in drawers or closets to scent linens and repel moths.
- Herbal Teas: Leaves from rosemary, hyssop (in moderation), and catmint can be used to make flavorful herbal infusions. Always confirm a plant’s edibility and safe dosage before consuming.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good replacement for lavender if my soil is heavy clay?
Catmint (Nepeta) is your best bet. It is much more tolerant of heavier soils than true lavender, as long as the site isn’t constantly waterlogged. Alternatively, build a raised bed filled with a sandy, well-draining soil mix.
Which plant smells most like lavender?
While no plant has an identical scent, Russian Sage’s foliage aroma is in the same aromatic family, though more sage-like. For a flower fragrance closest to lavender’s sweet perfume, other Lavandula species, like French or Spanish lavender, are the most similar.
What are the best purple flowering plants for full sun and dry heat?
All the plants listed here excel in full sun. For extreme dry heat, Russian Sage, Rosemary, and the native American species of Agastache (like ‘Blue Boa’) are exceptionally tough and drought-resistant once they have settled in.
Can I grow these plants in containers?
Absolutely. Choose a pot with excellent drainage holes and use a gritty, cactus/succulent potting mix. Smaller varieties of catmint, lavender, and salvia are perfect for pots. Remember, container plants need watering more frequently than those in the ground, but still let the soil dry between waterings.
How do I make my purple flowering plants bloom more?
Ensure maximum sun exposure, avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers, and practice regular deadheading. For plants that bloom on new growth, like Russian sage, a hard prune in early spring will encourage lots of fresh flowering stems.
Are these plants safe for pets?
Many are generally safe, but it’s always best to check. For example, the ASPCA lists lavender as mildly toxic to dogs and cats if ingested in large amounts. Catmint is related to catnip and is safe. Rosemary is generally safe. When in doubt, research the specific plant or consult your veterinarian if you have a pet that likes to nibble on garden plants.
Adding plants similar to lavender to your landscape expands your options for creating a beautiful, fragrant, and pollinator-friendly space. Each one brings its own character while delivering that sought-after combination of purple blooms and lovely scent. By choosing the right plant for your specific garden conditions and following simple care guidelines, you can enjoy a succesful display that reminds you of lavender but with its own unique flair. Experiment with a few and see which ones become the new stars of your garden.