Native to European Mediterranean regions, lavender is an easy-to-grow favorite for Sonoma County gardeners.
Lavender Attributes
- It is impressively deer resistant and requires little water.
- Snails shun it. Bees and butterflies love it.
- Flower wands give a lovely fresh scent to any room.
- Dried flower heads yield a seed product that has been used for centuries and continues to freshen fabrics and repel insects.
- Lavender can even be used as a flavoring in delicate foods and beverages.
Types of Lavenders
There are three main types of lavenders with over 40 named varieties among nearly 30 species. By planting several different types, lavenders decorate gardens for months.
- The Spanish lavenders, Lavandula stoechas and cultivars, are first to blossom in spring.
- These are the showiest if not the most floriferous with small, pineapple-shaped tufts at blossom tops with upright, decorative bracts of purple, periwinkle, or even creamy white.
- When spent blossoms are regularly deadheaded, Spanish lavenders usually have a second or even third bloom period later in the summer.
- They are the most drought-tolerant of all lavenders.
- ‘Otto Quast’ is popular and commonly planted for its blooms as well as its manageable 2 ft. height and somewhat larger width.
- English lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, is native not to England but to mountainous areas of southern Europe. It is the hardiest although a fairly short-lived species that must be replaced after 3-5 years.
- Blossoms appear on slender flower spikes in early summer and are much daintier and sweeter smelling than any of the Spanish lavenders.
- Named cultivars offer flowers in shades of blue and purple, white, or pink on shrublets from 1½ -2 ft. tall and wide. Shearing off faded blossoms and stems helps maintain a compact shape and encourages some cultivars to repeat bloom.
- ‘Hidcote’ is a popular variety with intense blue-purple flowers; ‘Munstead’ is lavender-blue; ‘Jean Davis’ is pinkish white.
- Lavandula x intermedia, the lavandins, or English lavender hybrids, bloom last from mid- to late summer. These become quite shrub-like after several years in the ground, 2-4 ft. high and wide, depending on the cultivar.
- The most well known in this group are ‘Provence’ and ‘Grosso’, both valued for their intense fragrance and suitability for gathering, drying, and tying flower wands into bunches.
- Oil from ‘Grosso’ is used by the cosmetic industry; oil from ‘Provence’ is used in many lavender products.
- Both plants grow very quickly from a 1-gallon nursery plant, but a 4-in. pot will reach the same size in about one year.
- These hybrids must be pruned regularly to prevent lower stems from becoming unattractively woody.
- Other speciesOf the many Lavandula species and cultivars, those listed above are most often seen in nurseries, but others, especially hybrids, are sometimes offered.
- Lavandula dentata, known as French lavender, is frequently available. It has narrow grayish leaves with notched edges. Flowering extends from spring to summer, often longer and intermittently. Purple flowers are topped with flag-like bracts similar to Spanish lavender.
- Lavandula lanata, wooly lavender, has the palest foliage with a wooly surface. Late summer, violet-purple blossoms appear on long stems. Give this species excellent drainage. Several hybrid crosses with English lavender ( angustifolia) are named cultivars and are superior to the species.
- ‘Goodwin Creek Grey’ with silvery leaves has a long bloom period from spring through fall, sometimes longer in very mild microclimates. Flowers are dark lavender blue. It is a hybrid cross of L. lanata and dentata.
Growing and Care Requirements
The most important requirements in planting lavender is to select a site with at least 6 hours of
direct sunlight a day and to provide good drainage. It does not like soggy soil. When sited correctly and pruned judiciously, lavenders should live for 5-7 yrs.
- Use compost and gritty material such as lava rock or perlite mixed well with the soil to improve aeration and allow roots to absorb nutrients without drowning.
- Avoid applying excessive fertilizer, especially nitrogen, or bloom will be lessened and stems may flop with heavy foliage.
- Where soil is heavy or compacted, it is wise to plant each individual lavender on a small berm or mound to avoid rain from puddling.
- Although lavender is fairly drought tolerant, adequate moisture is required throughout the growing season. Most critical are the weeks after planting to ensure that soil around the root ball does not dry out.
- In late fall, lavenders may be pruned severely but never into bare wood.
- Look for small green buds on lower stems and make cuts just above them.
- By pruning annually or more often in this way, plants retain dense, leafy branching.
- Some can even be pruned close to the ground as long as buds are present.
- Failure to prune regularly results in a build-up of woody stems lacking growth buds as well as awkward appearance.
August 2023
