LUSCIOUS LAVENDAR
By Trey Pitsenberger, co-owner Golden Gecko

Lavender has been a favorite of gardeners for centuries. Native to the Mediterranean region, the plant is intimately intertwined in western mans history. In earlier days it was grown mostly for its herbal qualities. Now we grow it for its beauty as well as its lovely fragrance. The flowers are used for perfume and sachets. With the resurgence of interest in herbs everyone has a reason to grow this plant.

Lavender has great deer resistance. This makes it a valuable plant for those who need plants the deer will not touch. I have never had deer even nibble on my lavender. Grow lavender in full sun even in the hottest of spots. Lavender needs loose fast draining soil. Be sure to mix Clay soil conditioner into the soil if you have heavy clay with poor drainage. Mix a high phosphorus fertilizer, such as Sure Start, into the hole when planting. Don’t feed lavender too much. An application in the spring is generally all it needs. Water lavender well after planting and then only when the top layer of soil dries out. These plants are low water use plants once they are established, which usually takes about a year.

Over the centuries lavender has been interbreed to create many different varieties and hybrids. I would like to cover the most generally available varieties. English Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) is the most widely planted. This is the classic lavender used for perfume and sachets. Growing to about 3-4 feet high and wide it is being overtaken in popularity by the dwarf forms. ‘Munstead’ is the most popular. It grows to 1 ½ feet tall, with deep lavender blue flowers. ‘ Jean Davis’ grows 1 – 2 feet tall and has pale pink flowers. ‘Twickle Purple’ grows 2-3 ft. high and has purple flowers in fan like clusters on extra long spikes.

One of the most interesting and visually stunning flowers occurs on the Spanish Lavender (Lavendula stoechas). The variety ‘Otto Quast’ has proven to be very popular. Spanish Lavender grows to 1 ½ - 3 feet tall, with narrow gray leaves. Very dark purple flowers, about 1/8 in. long are topped with a tuft of large, purple petal-like bracts.

Both the Spanish and English lavender are winter hardy to Sunset Zone 7, which includes the foothills below 4000’.. Lavendula intermedia is a hybrid that includes such varieties as ‘Grosso’ with thick spikes of purple flowers, and ‘Provence’ which has especially aromatic leaves and flowers.

Mix lavender with other plants that take the same conditions. It looks great with rosemary, santolina, rockrose, and verbena. Try it in containers. The flowers stand up above other foliage and it takes to container culture well.