21 Beautiful Lavender Look-Alike Plants for Your Garden

Transform challenging landscapes with aromatic purple blooms that thrive in any climate.

By Medha deb

Created on Aug 28, 2025

Transform challenging landscapes with aromatic purple blooms that thrive in any climate.

Lavender (Lavandula spp.) is beloved for its aromatic foliage and stunning flowers, making it a popular choice for gardens worldwide. However, not all climates and landscapes are ideal for growing true lavender. Fortunately, many plants mimic the appearance, texture, or color of lavender while offering unique attributes that complement various garden designs.

In this comprehensive guide, we explore 21 enchanting lavender look-alike plants to help you achieve a similar effect in your landscape, whether youâre searching for drought tolerance, a touch of Mediterranean style, or simply love the calming hues of purple, blue, and silver foliage.

Why Seek Lavender Look-Alikes?

Whether your climate doesnât support lavender, or you want to diversify your planting palette while keeping the iconic lavender appeal, these look-alike plants can help:

Expand color options: Enjoy a broader range of blues, purples, and silver foliage.
Enhance biodiversity: Attract distinct pollinators and wildlife with new flower forms and bloom times.
Match site conditions: Many alternatives thrive in varied soils, shade, or wet sites where lavender struggles.
Personalize your landscape: Add height, texture, or regional flair to mimic or complement lavenderâs look.

21 Top Lavender Look-Alike Plants

This curated selection covers a range of annuals, perennials, and shrubs noted for their lavender-like colors, flower spikes, aromatic foliage, or silver leaves. Each entry includes common and botanical names, growth habit, ideal zones, sun needs, key features, and care advice.

Plant Name	Botanical Name	Height	Sun	Zones	Key Features
Larkspur	Delphinium spp.	1â3 ft	Full to Part Sun	3â9	Tall purple/blue spikes; annual/perennial
Leadplant	Amorpha canescens	3â6 ft	Full to Part Sun	2â9	Woody shrub, silvery foliage, purple flowers
Russian Sage	Perovskia atriplicifolia	2â4 ft	Full Sun	5â9	Silvery leaves, airy purple blooms, drought-tolerant
Catmint	Nepeta spp.	1â2.5 ft	Full Sun	3â8	Bluish-purple spikes, aromatic leaves, deer-resistant
Agastache	Agastache spp.	2â4 ft	Full Sun	5â10	Spikes of purple/mauve, licorice scent, attracts pollinators

Plant Profiles & Growing Tips

1. Larkspur (Delphinium spp.)

Larkspur is known for its tall, spiky racemes of purple, blue, pink, or white flowers that mimic lavenderâs upright habit. Gardeners love larkspur for spring and summer display. Native and cultivated species thrive across temperate regions.

Height: 1â3 feet
Sun: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Moist, well-draining, enriched
Zone: 3â9
Note: All parts are toxic to pets and humans.

2. Leadplant (Amorpha canescens)

A drought-tolerant North American native shrub, leadplant boasts gray-silver leaves and upright spikes of rich purple flowers, echoing lavenderâs effect but with a bushier, looser form. Perfect for prairie gardens and wildlife landscapes.

Height: 3â6 feet
Sun: Full sun to partial shade
Zone: 2â9
Soil: Dry to moderately moist, sandy or rocky
Wildlife: Attracts pollinators, provides habitat

3. Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)

Russian sage is often mistaken for lavender at a distance due to its feathery, silvery foliage and prolonged display of small lavender-blue flowers. It flourishes in hot, sunny, dry gardens and is both deer and drought resistant.

Height: 2â4 feet
Sun: Full sun
Zone: 5â9
Care: Little supplemental water, well-drained soil

4. Catmint (Nepeta spp.)

Catmint produces long blooming, fragrant spikes of lavender-blue flowers, with aromatic gray-green foliage. Its neat mounding habit is perfect for borders and pollinator beds, and itâs more tolerant than true lavender of clay soil and cold climates.

Height: 1â2.5 feet
Sun: Full sun
Zone: 3â8
Benefits: Deer-resistant, attracts bees
Varieties: Try ‘Walkerâs Low’ or ‘Six Hills Giant’ for standout color.

5. Agastache (Agastache spp.)

Agastache, often branded ‘hummingbird mint’ or ‘anise hyssop’, features dense vertical spikes in lavender, mauve, pink, or soft orange hues. The foliage emits a licorice scent when crushed, and its showy flower wands bloom over a long summer season.

Height: 2â4 feet
Sun: Full sun
Zone: 5â10
Pests: Few; drought, heat, and deer tolerant

6. Bluebeard (Caryopteris x clandonensis)

This low, mounding shrub is prized for its clusters of blue-purple blooms late in the summer and aromatic silver-green leaves. Itâs ideal for pairing with ornamental grasses and perennial borders where true lavender wonât thrive.

Height: 2â3 feet
Zone: 5â9
Sun/Soil: Full sun, well-drained

7. Salvia (Salvia spp.)

With their tall flower wands in shades from blue to purple, pink, and white, salvias echo lavenderâs form and are magnets for pollinators. Many hardy varieties are drought tolerant and bloom prolifically through the heat of summer.

Zones: Vary by species, usually 4â10
Height: 1â4 feet
Care: trim after flowering for repeat blooms

8. Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)

Compact and upright, hyssop bears spikes of purple-blue flowers on aromatic stems, resembling a cross between culinary lavender and Mediterranean sage. Bees and butterflies flock to its mid to late summer blooms.

Height: 1â2 feet
Zones: 3â10
Uses: Edging, herb gardens, well-drained sites

9. Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)

While classified within the broader Agastache group, this species stands out for its particularly upright lavender-blue spikes and fragrant licorice leaves. Itâs a pollinator favorite and naturalizes in wild flower gardens.

Zone: 4â9

10. Spanish (or French) Lavender (Lavandula stoechas)

This cousin of standard English lavender features showy flowers topped with petal “rabbit ears.” Flowers range from purple to pink to white, blooming robustly in warm, dry climates.

Zones: 7â9
Note: True lavender, but a distinct look; more tolerant of humid or coastal conditions

11. Meadow Sage (Salvia nemorosa)

Offering dense, upright purple-blue flower spikes above mounded foliage, meadow sage is durable, long-flowering, and less fussy about soil than lavender.

Height: 1â2 feet

12. Veronica (Speedwell) (Veronica spicata)

Veronica creates neat clumps topped by vivid blue, pink, or violet flower spikes in early to mid summer, resembling miniature lavender stalks.

Zones: 3â8

13. Santolina (Lavender Cotton) (Santolina chamaecyparissus)

This evergreen herb subshrubs flaunts finely textured, silvery leaves, offering lavender-like color and a similar mound habit. Bright yellow button blooms rise in summer.

Height: 1â2 feet
Drought-tolerant; Mediterranean beds

14. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

Notable for narrow, aromatic leaves and blue or purple flower spikes, rosemary is frequently mistaken for lavender at a glance. Grow it in sunny, dry beds for similar Mediterranean flair.

Use: Culinary, ornamental, hedging

15. Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys)

Germander is a tidy, evergreen perennial with aromatic leaves and spiky clusters of lavender-pink flowers all summer. Itâs a classic for knot gardens, low hedges, and edging.

16. Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum)

Massing into billows of pale lavender-blue, this summer-to-fall perennial forms clouds of airy flowers over leafy stemsâexcellent in wild gardens or for soft informal borders.

17. Globe Thistle (Echinops ritro)

Globe thistle brings silvery stems and round blue-violet flower heads that evoke lavenderâs cool tones, perfect for wildlife and cutting gardens.

18. Woolly Betony (Stachys byzantina)

Often called lambâs ear, this plantâs velvety silver foliage echoes lavenderâs soft texture, and it occasionally sends up spikes of pink or lavender flowers.

19. Provence Blue (Hybrid Lavender)

Some hybrid lavenders, especially ‘Provence Blue’, offer exceptional hardiness and ornamental appeal where English lavender fails.

20. Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

Breathtaking spikes of tubular purple, pink, or white blooms and rosettes of fuzzy green foliage ensure foxglove holds its own beside lavender in cottage gardens. Note: Extremely toxic.

21. Mexican Sage (Salvia leucantha)

This autumn-blooming, shrubby sage features woolly stems and extravagant spikes of deep purple or bicolor violet and whiteâan eye-catching substitute for lavender in frost-free zones.

Table Summary: Lavender Look-Alikes at a Glance

Name	Foliage	Flower Color	Notable Traits
Larkspur	Green	Violet, Blue, Pink	Tall spikes, spring/summer flowers, toxic
Russian Sage	Silver	Lavender Blue	Drought-tolerant, long flowering
Catmint	Gray-green	Lavender Blue	Deer resistant, long blooms
Santolina	Silvery	Yellow	Evergreen mound, Mediterranean
Globe Thistle	Gray-green	Blue	Globe blooms, pollinator-friendly

Design Tips for Using Lavender Look-Alikes

Repeat color and texture: Plant different look-alikes in groups amid lavender or on their own for gentle cohesion.
Contrast with bold foliage: Companion plant with broad-leafed shrubs, roses, or ornamental grasses for balance.
Layer heights: Use tall spires like delphinium at the back, and mounded types like catmint in front.
Extend the bloom time: Combine early, midsummer, and late-blooming species for continuous color.
Drought tolerance: Many look-alikes suit dry gardens where traditional lavender falters.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Are all lavender look-alikes aromatic?

While many, such as catmint, agastache, rosemary, and santolina, have aromatic foliage, not all look-alikes share lavender’s iconic fragrance. Carefully review each species if scent is important on patios or sensory gardens.

Q: Which lavender substitute is best for cold, wet climates?

Catmint (Nepeta), Veronica, and meadow sage (Salvia nemorosa) are excellent choices for colder or wetter regions, thriving where Mediterranean lavenders may fail.

Q: Are any lavender look-alikes toxic?

Yes. Take care with larkspur, foxglove, and globe thistle, as all parts of these plants are toxic to people or pets if ingested. Always research the plantâs safety for your household.

Q: Can these alternatives be planted with lavender?

Absolutely. Most look-alikes share similar growing requirements with true lavenderâfull sun and well-drained soil. Grouping them can increase pollinator visits and visual appeal.

Q: Will any of these look-alikes thrive in pots or containers?

Yes. Catmint, santolina, rosemary, bluebeard, and some shorter salvias are excellent for containers, provided they receive ample sun and are not overwatered.

Q: Which is the most drought-tolerant lavender substitute?

Russian sage, santolina, agastache, and rosemary are famously tough in arid, low-maintenance landscapes.

Final Thoughts

Fill your landscape with lavender’s charm using these dazzling alternatives. With so many forms, habits, bloom times, and adaptations available, thereâs a lavender look-alike for every garden need. Choose thoughtfully for site conditions and donât be afraid to experimentâa soothing, beautiful, pollinator-friendly tapestry awaits.

References

Author

medha deb

Medha Deb is an editor with a master's degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Hyderabad. She believes that her qualification has helped her develop a deep understanding of language and its application in various contexts.

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