My front yard takes up approximately 6000 square feet (is about half of my lot size with my house squarely in the middle), gets full sun on the northwest side of my house. I'd love to change my grass lawn into an entire front yard of lavender. I'm in a typical suburban neighborhood without an HOA, my front yard is adjacent to the neighborhood sidewalk. Is this a good idea? How should I start?

We need more information...
Like soil type...
I've read that the way to grow lavender is to put in a sand berm...
At my house in the sand hills, I could probably grow lavender... I can certainly grow other drainage loving plants, like rosemary and sage...

If you are in the clay, probably be a big heartbreak... if you are already growing lavender, then... maybe encouraging it to spread would be doable.

Almost anything besides turf gets my endorsement...

Nope not going to change your mind. If its doable, it should be done, the less lawn grass on the planet, the better

https://www.onlyinyourstate.co...

Hmmm...
lavender fields in Virginia...

https://www.thespruce.com/grow...
Growing lavender...

Apparently grown by taking cuttings... The same as sage and rosemary.

A better resource:
https://attradev.ncat.org/wp-c...

Soil Preparation
Lavender is best established on sandy loam soils of pH 6 to pH 8. Although lavender is a drought-tolerant plant, a regular irrigation schedule is necessary during establishment, as well as supplemental fertilization or adding compost annually in the spring (Sunshine Lavender Farm, 2018).

@stone Yes! I've been to one of those lavender farms, White Oak. It was amazing and inspiring, obviously. Thanks for sharing those resources. I've successfully grown it from seed in a pot and kept it in a pot. My neighbor grows it well in a raised bed and I've seen rosemary in another neighbor's garden. My soil survey says my soil is a combination of Wheaton soil type and Glenelg which consist of "very deep well drained soils." The taxonomic class is "fine-loamy, mixed, semiactive, acid."

Personally, it is easier for me to mow than to weed large areas In defense of turf, its primary purpose in a residential setting is to provide a fire break. Lavender, being an oily herb, is much more flammable than other planting options, including most native species.

Turf also reduces cover so as not to provide shelter for unwanted critters. Lavender can be harmful to pets, I'm told. Opinions seem divided as to whether or not it repels rodents, snakes, etc. Definitely a pro if it does indeed repel the property damaging creatures.

Lavender is susceptible to a number of pests and diseases. Are you prepared to deal with 6000 square feet of dead monoculture in your front yard in the event of a serious outbreak?

To each his own, so they say, but we are also charged to love our neighbors. That can be challenging enough even when "our own" coincides with "their own." Will doing this start a turf war (pun intended)?

Lastly, does it have to be all or nothing? What is the benefit of going all in at once, versus doing a phased trial?

@hawkeye_daddy you know, I never considered the fire deterring benefits of a grass lawn! We are in an area that's not prone to wildfires, but I can certainly see that as a benefit. I'm on super good terms and have open communication with my neighbors. One of them just asked my permission to build a trellis for her garden because it will be high enough to barely see the top of it over my fence (naturally, I didn't object).
And yes, I would definitely do small bits at a time. I can't afford to buy a bunch of lavender, anyways, so it would be a slow process.

"Turf also reduces cover so as not to provide shelter for unwanted critters."
...Also provides little value to wanted critters

I concur, it needn't be all or nothing, but otherwise I'm with most of the others — go for it! How heavenly to live around lavender, plus bees love it and there are so many different varieties, hues, sizes and scents! Maybe visit several of those lovely farms and inquire about best-suited varieties for your area. 💜

https://northerngardener.org/g...

@Bschmuck, we look forward to seeing photos as the project progresses!

Where I live, the careless disposal of a cigarette encouraged by the prairie winds can start a field fire in nothing flat. Grass grows easily here; it is, after all, the land of the tall grass prairie. It isn't a big chore requiring a lot of additional input to have a nice lawn. @NMoasis, I understand why you wouldn't want one in your more arid climate. I don't know anything about the "wanted wildlife" that lives in your neighborhood, but I can tell you that all sorts of songbirds use my lawn as a home improvement/grocery store!

Good to hear, Hawkeye. That leads me to assume (hope?) you're not piling on nasty 'cides to keep it weed- and bug-free.

I vote yes on lavender. I suggest you conduct a trial by purchasing three or six lavender plants in small pots - 3 to 4" of a few varieties and plant them in an area that you can enjoy but also will not be devastated to see some fail. I also am of the belief that small plants establish more readily than larger ones and soon catch up to their larger, more expensive brethren.
Those that do particularly well can then be propagated via cuttings from the mother plants and planted out the following year.
Good drainage is more crucial than much of the other soil consideration. Here we have very heavy clay soil but because there is quite a lot of limestone the heavy soil still drains and lavender copes with it surprisingly well. Some varieties even self-seed for me. As for the comment about mowing vs. weeding, once established lavender can likely outcompete many weeds. You may want to intersperse with other sun loving drought tolerant plants as well and might consider exploring some types of thyme for ground cover and weed suppression. Many of the 'Mediterranean' herbs would grow happily together.

I'm in agreement with JB. Plus remember after flowering lavender can look pretty gnarly and will need care and pruning. The sun loving herbs are a great idea-Rosemary, thyme, sages. Heavenly.

There is nothing lovelier than a field of Lavender and the heady, heavenly scent will be a wonderful bonus. You may have dreams of making products with the blooms to sell and many folks have successfully done that. Don't give up on your dreams and I vote yes. Go for it!

Having driven through Norfolk, England's many lavender field areas years ago, just looking at your photo brings back memories of intoxicating aromas that would waft through the car windows on that drive. Love, love love lavender. One of the few perfume scents I will wear. I have always wanted to do it but don't have luck with it potted up, so I'm afraid to try in the beds in my front yard as the trees are getting taller now and shading those beds. It might not thrive there as a result. We do have alkaline soil where I am in Central TX, so I probably should give it a go. Best of luck with your lavender attempts. A large field of it is truly a sight to behold and enjoy.

"I can't afford to buy a bunch of lavender, anyways, so it would be a slow process."

If cost is a limiting factor please note that you can propagate lavender from existing plants. Once you get some lavender plants established and growing well you can take cuttings and grow new plants, saving yourself the expense of buying them from a nursery.

Here's a link that describes the process: https://www.thespruce.com/how-...

I'd also reinforce the above advice to try different varieties to find the varieties that work well in your yard. And I'd suggest you think about trying different sizes of lavender to give your yard some variety. Color also varies somewhat between varieties so you can consider that as well.

Good luck and please post pictures of your progress

Peggy, it sounds like you are on the verge of starting a Lavender patch. I have had Lavender in my gardens 4 different times and different varieties, and I loved it, and it was big and beautiful. All I did was give it a top dressing of compost in spring and I had to put wood ashes around it because we had clay soil.

@slowcala, The two plants I had in two huge planters at the foot of my front steps burned off in our Texas mid-summer scorching heat. My sprinkler system doesn't hit those two pots and I have to remember to water them regularly or they succumb to our heat (or my failing to water often enough). I rarely use my front door is the thing. You know the old: "Out of sight, out of mind" thing. But that is the kiss of the death in Texas summers. My husband isn't fond of doing the no-grass thing :(, which is one reason I've only tried it in pots. Maybe I could try it in those large planters again, and dolly them over to the shadier beds in my front yard when it gets too hot in August/September to take my 'neglect' at times.

Peggy, we have the same scorching summer sun that you have here in central Florida. We also had our irrigation system capped off due to the valves freezing & bursting and leaking twice. Yes, it does freeze here in winter, and anything involved in irrigation repair can be pricey, hundreds of dollars pricey.

I had to work very, very hard last year to salvage so many plants that I had been given. I was determined to keep them alive in order to have a garden established before I get too old to do it. I did accomplish the feat and now have quite an extensive garden all around the yard, but we do have an HOA and we do still have lawn. I don't ever want to be a slave to lawn.

Doing all that intensive work last year I didn't protect my skin and developed so many pre-cancerous skin spots that had to be frozen. I hope you will protect yourself, no matter what you end up doing with the Lavender.

Here is what I can suggest, since I have tried every method of growing things here in this wicked heat. The biggest containers that are made of foam would work well and are light as a feather. Set up an individual irrigation system for each pot. They are easy to set up and you won't ever have to worry about if they are getting adequate water. My neighbors did this method for their window boxes, and it worked beautifully.

Place your containers on the side of the house that gets the morning sun only. That is my only saving grace for my tender plants, & herbs.

I think also that it would be best to try the Lavender on a small scale before you go all out because what if the lavender is not able to withstand that wicked heat, or does it bloom only once a year and would you just have a lawn of green plants except for spring/summer.

Don't get overwhelmed with gardening. Enjoy life and take it easy. Gardening is supposed to be one of life's little pleasures for us. Bless you for wanting to have a yard full of Lavender. I used to want to go to France and see those beautiful Lavender fields.

Thanks so much for those tips, @slowcala. Right now, I'm just focusing on weeding, planting some more Nandina 'Firepower' and a new double red KnockOut rosebush when it comes it. Don't think lavender will be in the plans for this year, for sure. concentrating on my irises I planted last year out front and a few I've ordered from Schreiners to plant in huge pots in my back garden.