A Florist Guide to Lavender Varieties

Lavender is one of the most beloved garden plants, prized for its fragrant flowers, silvery foliage, and ability to attract pollinators. With dozens of varieties available, each offers unique characteristics in terms of size, color, fragrance, and hardiness. Here’s a flower shop guide to help you choose the right lavender for your garden.

English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

English lavender is the most cold-hardy type and produces the finest fragrance, making it ideal for culinary use and essential oils.

‘Munstead’ is a compact variety reaching 12-18 inches tall, with deep purple-blue flowers blooming in early summer. It’s exceptionally hardy and reliable, making it perfect for edging paths or small gardens.

‘Hidcote’ produces intensely colored violet-purple flowers on compact plants about 18 inches tall. The foliage is silvery-green, and the blooms are highly fragrant, excellent for drying.

‘Royal Velvet’ offers deep purple flowers with a rich fragrance. Growing 18-24 inches tall, it’s a vigorous grower with excellent cold tolerance.

French Lavender (Lavandula dentata)

French lavender features distinctive toothed leaves and a softer, less pungent fragrance. It’s less cold-hardy than English varieties but blooms almost year-round in mild climates.

‘Goodwin Creek Grey’ has gray-green serrated foliage and produces purple flowers topped with showy bracts. It grows 24-30 inches tall and thrives in warmer regions.

Spanish Lavender (Lavandula stoechas)

Spanish lavender is instantly recognizable by its pineapple-shaped flower heads topped with colorful “rabbit ear” bracts. It prefers warmer climates and blooms prolifically.

‘Anouk’ features deep purple flowers with magenta bracts, blooming from spring through fall. It reaches about 18-24 inches and is more cold-tolerant than other Spanish varieties.

‘Ballerina’ produces white flowers with delicate pink-purple bracts. Its compact size of 12-15 inches makes it ideal for containers.

Lavandin (Lavandula × intermedia)

Lavandins are hybrids between English and Portuguese lavender, creating large, vigorous plants with long flower stems perfect for cutting.

‘Grosso’ is the most widely grown commercial variety, producing abundant deep purple flowers on stems up to 30 inches tall. It’s heat-tolerant and highly productive for dried arrangements.

‘Provence’ offers lighter purple-blue flowers with exceptional fragrance. Growing 24-30 inches tall, it’s a classic choice for hedges and large plantings.

‘Phenomenal’ is a breakthrough variety with superior cold and heat tolerance, plus resistance to common lavender diseases. It produces violet-blue flowers on plants reaching 24-32 inches.

Choosing Your Lavender

When selecting lavender varieties, consider your climate zone, intended use, and garden design. English lavenders excel in colder regions and for culinary purposes. Spanish and French varieties thrive in warmer, Mediterranean-like climates and add architectural interest. Lavandins offer the best of both worlds with vigor and abundant blooms.

All lavenders prefer full sun, excellent drainage, and lean soil. They’re drought-tolerant once established and benefit from annual pruning after flowering to maintain compact shape and encourage reblooming.

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