English Lavender

Plant type: Perennial
Hardiness: USDA Zones 5 to 8(9)

Blooms range in color from white and pink to lavender blue. Foliage is needlelike and gray to gray-green in color. May be semi-evergreen in warmer areas. Drought tolerant. Plant size ranges two to four feet tall and as wide.

How to use it: Plant in mass or as a specimen. Use in a mixed perennial border, containers, xeriscaping or in a herb garden. Excellent fresh and dried cutflower. Also used in making potpourri or sachets. Combine with other herbal plants, like rosemary or agastache, or plants for xeriscaping, including poppy mallow (Callirhoe).

Culture: Requires full sun and a well-drained soil. This plant doesn't tolerate wet sites and will rot in such conditions. Avoid overhead watering. Doesn't require heavy fertilization. Cut back in mid-spring about every other year to encourage branching and flowering. Deadhead spent flowers. Primarily propagated through cuttings or seed. No serious problems with pests or diseases.

Special notes: Popular fragrant herb native to the Mediterranean, not England. Drought tolerant. Attracts bees and butterflies.

Selected cultivars

• 'Hidcote' series. Named after Hidcote Manor in England. 'Hidcote Blue' has purple blooms and reaches 15 to 24 inches tall. 'Hidcote Pink' offers light pink flowers.

   

• 'Alba'. Has white flowers. Reaches 15 to 24 inches tall and wide.