Lavender is a showy perennial with gray-green foliage with abundant blooms. Most Lavender have upright, purple blooms but some varieties come in other colors like pink and white. The plants are aromatic and used for a variety of perfumes and potpourris. In addition to smelling good, the plants and blooms are also edible making lavender a very useful perennial herb. In addtion to all those great attributes, Lavender also attracts all kinds of pollinators.
The common Lavender is English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia formerly named L. officinalis). English Lavender is hardy to USDA Zone 5 (USDA Hardy zones). It’s known as English Lavender because it grows well in the English climate, but it does well in just about any soil types as long as it has good drainage and lots of sunlight. Varieties of English Lavender come in shades of pink, blue, violet, purples and white, and they bloom twice a season. Purple colored blooms are the most common. English Lavender has a stronger fragrance than French Lavender.
Other types of Lavender available are Spanish Lavender (L. stoechas) and French Lavender (L. dentata) that are hardy to USDA Hardy Zones 7-9. French Lavenders are bigger and bloom longer than English Lavender. There are also hybrid Lavenders (L. x intermedia) and Portuguese Lavender (L. latifolia) that have larger plants but generally only bloom once a year in late summer. Lavandula x intermedia varietes are hybrids that combine the heat tolerance of Portuguese Lavender with the cold hardiness of English lavender.
Lavender are low maintenance plants as long as they soil is well-drained and they have good sunlight. They only need infrequent watering and are heat and drought tolerant. Deadheading (removing old blooms) allow for them to keep blooming.
We grow Lavender in our Perennial Quart size category.
Lavender Provence
Provence is a hybrid lavender with a strong fragrance and grey-green foliage. It is blooms in summer with a mass of pale-purple flowers on upright stems. It is a prolific bloomer with large flowers that attract bees and hummingbirds.
Provence Lavender does well in mass plantings and can be used for dried flowers and aromatic herb projects. Both its blooms and foliage are very aromatic. It’s one of the most aromatic lavenders available. It is also one of the best lavenders for humid climates and can tolerate hotter temperatures than many other lavenders.
Plant Provence 16-20″ apart in full sun. Provence grows 18-24″ tall and wide.
Provence Lavender is good for herb gardens, borders, rock gardens and mass plantings. It is very versatile and will put on a show where ever it is planted.
© 2022 Ball Horticultural Company.
Lavender Silver Anouk
Silver Anouk Lavender is a variety of Spanish lavender with fragrant blue-silver foliage and dark purple blooms that have a reddish-lavender florets on top. It blooms heavily in the spring then keep reblooms. Deadheading old blooms will help promote reblooming.
Silver Anouk has a compact habit. It is a tough plant that can handle heat and drought and is disease resistant. Its blooms and fragrant foliage attract beneficial insects like butterflies but repels pests like gnats and flies.
Plant in full sun 12-16″ apart. Silve Anouk grows 14-18″ tall and 12-14″ wide.
It will grow well in beds or containers as long as the soil has good drainage.
More Lavender!
