English lavender may get off to a slower start, depending on weather. pasoroblesdowntown.org Paso Robles Lavender Festival is free to the public, meet with the lavender producers from across the Paso Robles region, learn of its many uses, enjoy free samples, and shop, buy food, refreshments and look at displays. Most lavenders are labeled hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9. Several indoor and outdoor plants will bloom all year long in California. Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas), sometimes known as French lavender, is the least hardy and most heat-tolerant of the lavender species. When you've grown accustomed to spectacular, deep-purple flowers from "Hidcote" lavender (Lavandula angustifolia "Hidcote"), the unexpected absence of those blooms leaves a gaping hole in your garden. While you can grow lavender in USDA Hardiness Zone 5, it is unlikely you will ever have a lavender hedge. Reviewed July 19, 2012 . We visited for our first time the first weekend in July. The first English bloom takes place during mid to late June and the French bloom begins in early July and only lasts for about two weeks. It’s already go-time for petal-seekers in California’s deserts and inland valleys—like the explosive color along the Fresno County Blossom Trail —and there’s more to come. Learn about which lavenders are best for culinary uses, drying, crafts, and making a … English lavender does not tolerate humid summers very well, but other lavenders will happily grow in areas of mild humidity. California Lavender Festivals and Events PASO ROBLES : Lavender Festival July 6, 2019, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.. In California and Texas, both areas of commercial lavender farming in the U.S., blooming can start in mid-spring. It is derived from Grosso (Lavandula x intermedia), a famously fragrant variety. 8 7. 2. Lavandula angustifolia, also called True Lavender or Common Lavender has long been cultivated for its high quality lavender oil. Remove one-third to one-half of each outer stem with sharp pruning shears. As to the plant's tenacious tap root, the University of California Integrated Pest Management program notes that it can grow 15 feet long, but is … More realistically you can expect to have plants that will do well when the weather cooperates, but experience the occasional loss of a … This variety does especially well in humid zone 9 climates, including Florida. It thrives in USDA zones 8 through 9. It is is relatively easy to care for and as a bonus its fragrant oils repel pests, rabbits and deer, but attract bees and butterflies to your garden. Goodwin Creek Gray lavender is a zone 9 lavender with high heat tolerance.