Grosso Lavender - History & Care
Among the lavender family, Grosso Lavender is something of a workhorse—and a showstopper at the same time. With its large, rounded silvery-green plants, long sturdy stems, violet-purple flower spikes, and powerful fragrance, Grosso is one of the most recognizable lavenders grown on farms around the world.
Here on the farm, Grosso is one of our later-blooming lavenders, extending the season after many of the English lavenders have begun to fade. Its long stems are wonderful for cutting and drying, while its strong fragrance makes it especially valuable for distilling, crafting, and aromatic products.
Botanically, Grosso is Lavandula × intermedia ‘Grosso,’ commonly called a lavandin. Lavandins are hybrids between English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and spike lavender (Lavandula latifolia). They tend to be larger, more vigorous, later blooming, and more productive than traditional English lavenders.
A Brief History of Grosso Lavender
Grosso has a particularly interesting connection to the lavender fields of France.
The cultivar was selected and introduced in 1972 by Pierre Grosso, but some sources state he discovered it in 1957. A lavender grower and nurseryman from Goult in the Vaucluse region of Provence. At the time, French lavandin fields were suffering significant losses from a plant decline disease that had badly affected older commercial varieties, particularly Abrial. Grosso's newly selected plant proved vigorous, productive, and more resistant to the decline affecting those fields.
Farmers took notice. Grosso spread rapidly through the French lavender industry and eventually became one of the world's most important commercial lavandins. Its combination of strong growth, abundant flowers, high oil production, and dependable performance made it particularly valuable for large-scale lavender production. Today, those sweeping purple fields we associate with Provence often contain lavandin rather than true English lavender, and Grosso is one of the varieties that helped shape that landscape.
Uses of Grosso Lavender
Essential Oil & Distilling
Grosso is particularly famous as a lavender grown for essential oil production.
Its large plants produce an abundance of flower spikes, making it a productive choice for distillation. Grosso's fragrance is strong and distinctly lavender, but it contains more camphor notes than the sweeter, softer fragrance associated with Lavandula angustifolia.
That bold fragrance makes Grosso especially useful for:
Essential oil
Soaps
Lotions and body products
Candles and wax products
Cleaning products
Room and linen products
Sachets and potpourri
If you have ever wondered why some lavender smells sweet and delicate while another smells stronger and almost medicinal, you may be noticing the difference between an English lavender and a lavandin such as Grosso.
Dried Bundles & Crafts
This is one area where Grosso really shines.
Its flowers grow on long, sturdy stems, making them excellent for cutting and drying. The stems give you plenty of length for working with:
Dried lavender bundles
Wreaths
Lavender wands
Swags
Floral arrangements
Sachets
Wedding and event décor
The flowers also hold their color and fragrance well after drying, which helps explain why Grosso is so popular with lavender farms and crafters. We found at Wildwood that Grosso dried in outdoor drying rooms did not keep its color and the buds were mostly gray. Now, with our new cool drying room, the buds are holding their coloring wonderfully!
Ornamental & Landscape Use
Don't let Grosso's commercial reputation fool you—it is also a beautiful landscape plant.
Grosso develops into a substantial rounded mound of silvery-gray to gray-green foliage. When it blooms, long flower stems rise above the plant and create that classic sweeping lavender appearance.
A mature plant commonly reaches about 2–3 feet tall and wide, although plants can become larger under ideal conditions.
Grosso works beautifully:
In mass plantings
Along walkways and driveways
In sunny perennial borders
In herb and pollinator gardens
As a low informal hedge
In gravel and Mediterranean-style gardens
Give it room. Grosso is not a tiny English lavender—it wants to spread out and make a statement.
Pollinator Gardens
When Grosso comes into bloom, people aren't the only ones who notice.
Its abundant flowers are highly attractive to bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects. The Royal Horticultural Society specifically highlights Grosso as an excellent lavender for pollinators. Because Grosso generally flowers later than many Lavandula angustifolia varieties, planting both types can also help extend the period when lavender flowers are available to pollinators. We noticed that bumblebees prefer Grosso over the angustifolia.
How to Care for Grosso Lavender
Grosso is vigorous and relatively easy to grow when its basic requirements are met.
The formula is simple:
Sun. Drainage. Airflow. And don't love it to death with water.
Sunlight
Grosso wants full sun.
Aim for at least 6–8 hours of direct sunlight each day. Full sun encourages:
Stronger flowering
More compact growth
Better fragrance
Faster drying after rain and morning dew
That last point becomes especially important in humid climates like ours here in Maryland.
Soil
Excellent drainage is one of the most important ingredients for successfully growing Grosso.
It prefers:
Well-drained soil
Sandy, gravelly, or rocky conditions
Neutral to alkaline soil
Lower to moderate fertility
Lavender does not need rich garden soil to thrive. In fact, overly rich soil can encourage excessive leafy growth instead of the compact, flower-filled plant we're looking for.
Heavy, wet soil is a much bigger concern than poor soil. Root rot is a common problem when lavender remains wet, particularly during winter.
Watering
Once established, Grosso is drought tolerant.
During its first growing season, provide enough water to establish a strong root system. After that, allow the soil to dry between waterings.
A good rule with established lavender is that too little water is generally easier to correct than too much.
Constantly damp soil and frequent irrigation can lead to root problems, especially when combined with summer humidity.
Spacing & Airflow
Grosso is a big lavender, so resist the temptation to crowd young plants together.
Allow approximately 3 feet between plants, and consider even wider spacing in hot, humid climates where increased airflow can help reduce disease pressure. Guidance from the U.S. Lavender Growers Association specifically recommends generous spacing—around 3 feet or more—in humid conditions.
Good airflow is particularly important here on the Eastern Shore.
Pruning
Regular pruning helps Grosso maintain its attractive rounded shape instead of becoming woody and sprawling.
Deadhead spent flower stems after bloom
Shape plants after flowering if needed
Avoid cutting deeply into old, leafless wood
Avoid heavy pruning late in the season
Remove winter-damaged growth after new growth begins in spring
Here in Maryland, the University of Maryland Extension recommends not pruning lavender after mid-August, since late pruning can encourage tender new growth heading into winter.
🌡️ Cold Tolerance at a Glance
Grosso is considerably more cold-hardy than Spanish lavender such as Anouk.
Generally hardy in USDA Zones 5–8
Can tolerate winter temperatures around 0°F (-18°C) under suitable conditions
Established plants are quite cold tolerant when their roots remain well drained
Winter wetness can be more damaging than cold alone
Why Cold Isn't the Only Issue
Just like other lavenders, Grosso has an important winter rule:
Cold + dry is much better than cold + wet.
A perfectly hardy lavender can still die during a relatively mild winter if its roots remain saturated.
Grosso survives winter best when:
Soil drains quickly
The crown remains relatively dry
Plants receive plenty of sun
Air circulates freely around the plant
Water doesn't collect around the roots during winter
Growing Grosso in Maryland
Maryland presents an interesting challenge for lavender.
Our temperatures are generally suitable for Grosso. The bigger challenge—particularly on the Eastern Shore—is our combination of humidity, summer rainfall, and wet winter conditions.
University of Maryland Extension notes that lavender can be difficult to grow here because of humidity, wet soils, and susceptibility to root rot.
That makes drainage and airflow especially important.
For the best chance of success:
Choose the sunniest location available
Avoid low areas where water collects
Plant on a slight mound or raised area when drainage is questionable
Give plants plenty of room for airflow
Avoid frequent irrigation once established
Keep organic mulch away from the crown
Don't bury the plant too deeply
Avoid heavy late-season pruning
Interestingly, in one Maryland Extension inquiry from a lavender planting in Anne Arundel County, the grower reported that Grosso and Hidcote were the varieties that were thriving when several others had failed—an anecdotal example, but an encouraging one for Maryland growers.
When to Harvest Grosso
Timing depends on what you plan to do with it.
For dried bundles and crafts, harvest when the flower spikes have good color and the first flowers are beginning to open. University of Maryland Extension recommends cutting lavender flower spikes as the first flowers begin to open for drying.
Cut stems on a dry day after morning moisture has evaporated.
Bundle them loosely and hang them upside down somewhere dry, dark, and well ventilated. Grosso's sturdy stems and strongly scented flowers make beautiful dried bundles that can retain their fragrance for a long time.
For distillation, harvest timing can vary depending on the type of oil and fragrance profile desired, so growers often develop their own preferred harvest window through experience.
Grosso vs. English Lavender
Although Grosso is often casually called "French lavender," technically it is a lavandin hybrid.
There are some noticeable differences.
English lavender (L. angustifolia) tends to be smaller, earlier blooming, and sweeter in fragrance.
Grosso (L. × intermedia) tends to be larger, later blooming, longer stemmed, more productive, and stronger smelling with a more noticeable camphor note.
Neither is necessarily "better." They simply excel at different things—which is one reason we enjoy growing multiple lavender varieties and cultivars on the farm.
Why We Love Grosso on the Farm
Grosso is one of those lavenders that earns its place in the field.
It gives us height, long stems, beautiful deep-purple flowers, strong fragrance, excellent dried bundles, abundant material for crafting and distilling, and a later bloom that helps extend lavender season.
There's also something special about growing a variety with such a strong connection to the lavender fields of Provence. More than fifty years after Pierre Grosso introduced his selection in France, plants carrying his name are growing on lavender farms around the world—including right here on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
Grosso may have been developed as a practical solution for commercial lavender growers, but it became much more than that.
Beautiful, fragrant, hardworking, and wonderfully useful, Grosso has earned its reputation as one of the great classic lavenders—and it's easy to understand why it remains a favorite on lavender farms today.
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