What type of lavender should i plant

Its growth is not as compact as some other cultivars. Test Garden Tip: If you grow 'Buena Vista' or other lavenders in containers, be sure the containers have several drainage holes for excess water to escape. Use a high-quality potting mix and amend it with sand, perlite, or other materials to increase drainage.

A fast-growing cultivar, 'Croxton's Wild' is similar to the wild lavender that grows in the Mediterranean. It shows off light violet and purple flowers and has a loose, open form.

These plants make excellent cut flowers , but they are not recommended for drying. Prune plants in early spring, then as needed to keep their shape after flowering. The fragrant flowers of 'Melissa' English lavender emerge as pure white but take on a delicate pink blush as they age. Upright and compact with gray green leaves, this variety blooms longer than other pink-flowered lavenders.

It's perfect for borders, rock gardens , and containers. Test Garden Tip: Give this lavender plant a moderate pruning after it blooms to prevent it from becoming woody. Long-blooming 'Jean Davis' produces pale pink flowers from late spring into midsummer.

Its fruity, non-bitter taste makes it a top pick for culinary creations. This shorter variety grows well in containers , rock gardens, or in perennial beds. Plant it with other purple lavenders to create a muted contrast of color in your garden. A hybrids between English and spike lavenders, lavandin tends to be taller than its English cousins. It also typically has a lighter color, plus larger flowers on longer stems. Lavandin is commonly seen in fields across the Provence region of France where it's grown for perfumes.

It tolerates hot temperatures better than English lavender , but it prefers to be kept drier. Test Garden Tip: Lavandin needs plenty of sun and dry or well-drained soil. Consider mulching it with gravel to help the soil dry out a little faster. Commonly grown in the lavender fields of France, 'Grosso' lavandin plants are the most fragrant of all lavenders.

Its strongly scented purple flowers are often used in making perfumes and sachets. As a semi-woody plant, it typically grows in a shrubby mound with large flower spikes that stand well above the foliage mound.

This is the perfect plant to attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden. One of the tallest of the lavandins, 'Provence' gets its name from the area in France where it is commercially grown for the perfume industry. This extremely aromatic selection offers light lavender-blue flowers on narrow spikes that grow up to four inches long. Loved for its rich purple flowers, 'Gros Bleu' is a popular selection with long flower spikes and silvery foliage.

It presents some of the darkest blooms of any of the lavandin-type lavenders and it flowers profusely in summer. With a sweeter scent than 'Grosso', this hybrid makes a wonderful fresh and dried flower.

One of the largest lavandin plants, 'Impress Purple' produces spikes of purple flowers on long stems that are good for cutting. It forms a large mound of grey-green foliage that looks great even when it isn't in bloom.

This strongly scented selection provides a stunning effect when planted in a large groupings in herb gardens , borders, and rock gardens.

A fast grower, 'Edelweiss' features soft white flowers that dry well, making it a favorite of gardeners who like fragrant, white-flowering lavender in craft projects such as wreath making. The flower buds first emerge as light pink before opening to reveal a pure white flower. Plant these nectar-rich flowers to keep hummingbirds, bees, and other pollinators coming to your yard.

An especially floriferous variety, 'Hidcote Giant' is known for its long spikes of medium blue-violet flowers in midsummer and gray-green foliage. Its flower stems are extra long, making this selection good for cut flowers and for use in projects such as lavender wands. This applies to all lavenders as pots and raised beds often provide favourable drainage conditions and they have the benefit of being able to control the soil profile much easier then to amend soil in garden boarders.

Therefore pots, containers and raised beds can provide an easy alternative to planting lavender into garden soil if your garden soil is less appropriate for lavender growing and would require significant amending which tends to be labour intensive.

For example if your soil is slow draining or particularly acidic lavenders require soil to be between pH 6. Pots and raised beds can also increase the airflow amongst the lavenders foliage compared to garden boarders which helps reduce the risk of fungal disease. English lavenders can grow outdoors all year round in pots and raised beds whereas the more tender French and Spanish lavender will need to be brought indoors to protect them from the frost which is inconvenient in terms of finding enough space.

Read my guide for choosing the right pot for growing lavenders. The most common problems that tends to be the fungal disease phytophthora root rot which is usually preventable by following the right watering guidelines and ensuring that you plant your lavender in a well draining soil mix.

Lavenders also require full sun to produce the strongest fragrance and the most blooms. Lavenders in partial shade either grow leggy or do not live very long. All lavenders do not tolerate humid climates very well as they are adapted to breezy coastal conditions in dry climates. Planting lavenders in raised beds or pots can help increase the airflow compared to lavender planted in garden boarders.

Typically an English lavender will live and produce abundant flowers for 15 years with anecdotal reports of lavender living much longer. This is dependant on providing the lavender with the right growing conditions and crucially pruning the lavender every year. As long as the lavender is in full sun, with well draining sandy soil and the lavender is not over watered then you can neglect lavenders and they will still display flowers and thrive.

This is in significant contrast to most garden plants such as roses which can require significant time, care and money to look their best.

French and Spanish lavenders may not live as long as the English varieties, even with good care which is why English lavenders are often favoured for planting as hedges. The reason orchid flowers and flower buds fall off is because of a sudden change in temperature or humidity.

A little bit goes a long way. Unlike most English lavender varieties, this plant has soft pink flowers, so it will stand out in the herb garden. Create an outdoor treat for your senses with our Lavender Retreat Plant Collection. One of the tallest and most fragrant varieties, Silvery foliage is topped by large, dense purple flo SuperBlue' is a compact and fragrant Lavender plant that tops out at 12", making it a perfect choice for edging walkways and setting into patio containers.

This English Lavender You can tuck this lavender into your herb garden, but we lov Excellent for both fresh and dried bouquets, this lavender The Long Blooming Lavender Collection includes 5 lavender plants that bring a graceful bouquet of aroma to sunny areas. Includes fragrant 'Munstead,' compact 'SuperBlue,' humidity-t Phenomenal Lavender has it all: exceptionally tolerant of both high heat and harsh winter, this easy-to-grow lavender even shows resistance to the effects of humidity.

Highly fragran Unsupported Browser. This website will offer limited functionality in this browser. To place an order or shop, please use one of the following browsers: Chrome , Firefox , Safari , and Edge. How To Choose The Best Lavender Charming lavender plants, with their aromatherapeutic fragrance and delicate, swaying blooms, have captured the attention of gardeners across the globe.

Best Lavenders For Lavenders are divided into four main groups: English Lavender Zones 5 — 8 : Lavandula angustifolia small, tight flower clusters, that bloom in the early part of the season, set against blue-green leaves. These lavenders are typically fragrant and are the first choice for culinary gardeners. French Lavender. Spanish Lavender. English Lavender. Best Lavender for the Perennial Garden You can tuck any type of lavender into the full sun perennial garden, as long as the soil is fast to drain, and surrounding plants have similar low water requirements.

Best Cold-Hardy Lavender Lavender plants are semi-woody perennials.