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Lavender ~
Selecting, Growing and Using.
Lavender! My favorite cultivars and other general information.
by Cynthia Johnson, Fox Farm Lavender, Vashon Island
Contents
Main types available in nursery trade:
- Lavandula angustifolia (sometimes called ‘English’)
- Lavandula x intermedia (also called the Lavandins)
- Lavandula stoechas (sometimes called Spanish)*tender
- Lavandula dentata (sometimes called French’)*tender
The Augustifolias
Lavandula angustifolia…sometimes called English Lavender. This group has the highest quality oil and is used in the high end perfume industry. Flowers are often very deep purple and held on somewhat shorter stems. Plants tend to be compact and about 2-3 feet in diameter.
1. L. Angustifolia ‘Royal Velvet’ is absolutely gorgeous bicolored lavender with incredible scent. It was very popular at the farmer’s markets in seattle last year and we sold out! In terms of intense color and intense scent…this is it! Plant is approximately 3’x3’. The plant itself is somewhat lax.
2. L. Angustifolia ‘hidcote’: this is another short-stemmed intensely deep purple lavender that is sweetly scented and beautiful for cut flower, dried flower, sachets, or culinary uses. The plant itself, won the Royal Horticultual Society ‘Award of Merit’ honor. The blossoms on this one dry intensely deep purple and it makes this lavender very desirable for dried arrangements. It is an absolute gem of a garden plant, very compact and well behaved at 2.5’x2.5’.
3. Lavandula angustifolia ‘Maillette’. This is medium stemmed full flowered, vanilla scented lavender that originated in France. It is a lovely fresh flower bundle and is frequently used in cooking or sachets. It’s light lavender color and incredibly sweet scent and relatively smaller size in the garden make it a favorite of those with refined tastes.
The lavandins
Lavandula x intermedia, also known as the lavandins are the often larger, longer stemmed, sterile lavenders that are grown in provence, france. They have high oil content with a more camphor like, slightly less sweet fragrance. Their long stems make them perfect for dried flower arrangements or wands/wreaths.
1. Lavandula x intermedia ‘grosso’ this is the usual lovely very long stemmed lavender with highy spicy scent that is widely available and loved! Great for making wands or sachets! Large drifts of this plant are stunning…looks like a ‘haze of purple’.
2. L x intermedia ‘Hidcote Giant’ this is a very long stemmed, late, deeply purple fat full bloom that makes a lovely fresh floral arrangement that then dries to a beautiful deep dark lavenderwhen dry. Also very good for wand making or wreath making.
Lavandula stoechas
Commonly called ‘Spanish Lavender’, this is the lavender type with the ‘bunny ears’ (sterile brachts) at the ends of the flowering parts. It can be slightly more tender and you could lose it in a very cold winter. Different than the lavenders listed above, this lavender has minimal scent and does not dry well. It does, however, bloom prolifically all summer and is lovely in the garden or in a container. There are many different cultivars that have varying colors and bracht lengths.
Lavandula dentata
Other lavenders
L. canariensis. This is an n uncommon species lavender, originally from the Canary Islands, with grey feathery leaves that blooms non stop all summer, sporting slightly excentric blooms that I love! It is tender here, so must be brought into a basement or garage for the winter. A great container plant!
L ‘fox farm’. The actual identity of this plant is unknown, so we call it ‘Fox Farm’. We liked it so much that we are propagating it from the original plants. The combination of the very spicy scent and long stems make it just about perfect for me. It is useful for making wreaths and wands, dried flower arrangements, sachets and cooking. Very silver foliage looks quite handsome in the winter!
Richard Gray, Anna Luisa, Lisa Marie, Goodwin Creek Grey all have lovely silvery foliage.
Cultivation
Lavender loves well drained soil in full sun (minimum 4 hours full sun/day, 6-8 hrs better) in a slightly alkaline ph. Planting in a slightly raised mound can promote drainage and prevent rot of the stem, one of the few diseases that lavenders are sensitive to. Since our soils tend to be acid, adding a small amount of lime is useful. An easy way to do this is to place a layer of limestone chips at the base/drip line of each plant. Small amounts of lime will be released over several years and the chips are great mulch.)
Harvesting
The timing of harvest depends on what you plan to do with the lavender.
If you want the blossoms to stay attached to the stems when dry, you must pick the lavender when it has just 2-4 tiny flowers open. If you harvest later, the dried flowers will fall off the stem more easily (called shattering).
Sachets: wait till at least half of the flowers have opened and whithered. This allows maximal oil production and aids in stripping the buds from the stems.
Drying
Secure bunches of lavender with a rubber band and hang upside down in a dark room that has good air circulation. The darker the room, the more likely true color will be retained in the dried flowers.
Uses
Use fresh lavender as a cut flower. It will dry slowly while you enjoy it. Place the bunch in 1-2” of water, change the water daily. Use dry or fresh lavender in cooking or make your own soothing lavender tea (be sure to remove the brown calyx material from the purple flowers…the brown stuff is bitter). Dried lavender can be used in small cloth bags to scent your home, car, and clothing etc. Place it in reusable tea bags and use in the clothes dryer to scent laundry (can use same lavender a handful of times).
Other sources of information:
Lavender, the Grower’s Guide by Virginia Mcnaughton
The Lavender Garden by Robert Kourik
‘The Allure of Lavender’ by Andy Van Hevelingen, Fine Gardening, May/June 2000
www.taunton.com/finegardening
www.vashonislandlavender.com
www.foxfarm.org
Or e-mail me at cynthiabjohnson@comcast.net
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