Which lavender is best for essential oil production in containers?

When growing lavender for essential oil production in containers, your primary considerations are:

1. Yield: Containers will inherently limit the size of the plant and thus the amount of plant material you can harvest for distillation. You'll need many container plants to yield even a small amount of essential oil.

2. Container Suitability: The variety needs to be compact enough to thrive in a pot and not become root-bound too quickly.

3. Essential Oil Quality: As discussed, Lavandula angustifolia (English Lavender) is generally preferred for its sweet, therapeutic oil, while Lavandula x intermedia (Lavandin) offers higher yields but a more camphoraceous oil.

Given these factors, here are the best types and specific cultivars of lavender for essential oil production in containers:

1. For High-Quality, Sweet, Aromatherapy-Grade Oil (Lavandula angustifolia / English Lavender)

These varieties are generally smaller and more compact, making them excellent choices for containers, and they produce the desirable sweet, low-camphor oil.

• 'Munstead':

  • Why it's good: A classic, very popular English lavender. It's compact (typically 1-2 feet tall and wide), hardy, and produces abundant fragrant flowers with a sweet aroma. Excellent for containers due to its manageable size.

  • Oil Quality: Known for a high-quality, sweet essential oil suitable for aromatherapy and culinary use.

• 'Hidcote':

  • Why it's good: Another highly favored English lavender. It's slightly more compact than 'Munstead' (around 1-1.5 feet tall and wide) with deep purple flowers. It maintains a neat, mounding habit in pots.

  • Oil Quality: Produces a high-quality, intensely fragrant oil, often darker in color.

• 'Thumbelina Leigh':

  • Why it's good: A dwarf English lavender, growing to only about 1 foot tall and wide. Its very compact size makes it ideal for smaller pots or window boxes. It's known for plump, deep lavender-blue flower spikes.

  • Oil Quality: Offers a strong and pleasant fragrance for an angustifolia variety, suitable for oil extraction.

• 'Lavenite Petite':

  • Why it's good: Another compact L. angustifolia cultivar that thrives in containers, known for dense growth and fragrant blooms.

  • Oil Quality: Good for essential oil production due to its strong fragrance.

• 'Melissa Lilac':

  • Why it's good: A compact English Lavender with soft, lilac-colored blooms. Good for containers.

  • Oil Quality: Offers a delightful, sweet essential oil.

• 'Royal Velvet':

  • Why it's good: A slightly larger English lavender (up to 2-3 feet tall and wide), but can still be grown in larger containers. It produces abundant, velvety deep violet blooms.

  • Oil Quality: Known for a sweet, inviting, classic English lavender scent. While some sources say it's a lower oil producer, others value its oil for its quality.

2. For Higher Yields (but a More Camphoraceous Oil) (Lavandula x intermedia / Lavandin Hybrids)

While generally larger than angustifolia, some Lavandin varieties can be grown in very large containers, offering more plant material for distillation. Be aware their oil will have a sharper, more medicinal scent.

• 'Phenomenal':

  • Why it's good: While it can get quite large (2-3 feet tall and wide), 'Phenomenal' is exceptionally vigorous and known for its resilience to heat and humidity, making it a good choice if you're in a challenging climate but want a larger container plant.

  • Oil Quality: Produces a good yield of oil, but it will have the higher camphor content typical of Lavandin.

• 'Grosso':

  • Why it's good: One of the highest oil-producing lavenders globally. It's large (2-3 feet tall and wide) but can be cultivated in very large pots or half-barrels.

  • Oil Quality: High yield, strong camphoraceous scent. More suited for industrial or cleaning product uses, or for those who prefer that stronger aroma for certain applications.

Important Considerations for Container-Grown Lavender for Oil Production:

• Pot Size: Choose the largest possible pot to accommodate root growth and maximize plant size and flower production. A 12-18 inch diameter pot is a good starting point for smaller varieties; larger varieties like 'Phenomenal' or 'Grosso' would need 20+ inch pots.

• Drainage: This is paramount. Lavender hates wet feet. Ensure your pots have ample drainage holes and use a very gritty, fast-draining potting mix (e.g., cactus/succulent mix, or a regular potting mix amended with perlite, grit, or sand).

• Sunlight: Full sun (6+ hours per day) is essential for maximizing flower and oil production.

• Watering: Allow the soil to dry out completely between waterings. Containers dry out faster than garden beds, so monitor regularly.

• Fertilization: Container plants deplete nutrients faster. A slow-release granular fertilizer or occasional dilute liquid feed can be beneficial.

• Harvesting: You'll still harvest the flower spikes when the bottom florets are opening, on a dry day, for distillation. Remember, you'll need a large volume of plant material for even a small amount of oil.

For a beginner, sticking with compact English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) varieties like 'Munstead' or 'Hidcote' is probably the best choice for container growing, as they are well-suited to pots and yield the most desirable aromatic profile for essential oil use.