The National Garden Bureau (NGB) has proclaimed 2020 to be the Year of the Lavender. To find out more, go to their website at ngb.org, where there’s plenty of information in the form of pictures and presentations.
There are many types of Lavender including English, French, Portuguese and Spanish. And, of course, there are a variety of crosses available.
English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is the most suited to our New England climate. It’s the hardiest and several varieties have been trialed to overwinter reliably through Zone 5.
The following description is from NGB … “English lavender blooms sit on spikes rising tall above a gray-green base of leaves. Both the florets and foliage are heavily scented. The plants flower mostly in pink-purple colors, but some silver-white varieties exist as well. It can grow as high as 3 to 6 feet depending on your region, but most of the top-selling varieties today are dwarf styles, which grow in a more manageable height of 6-24 inches.”
French and Spanish lavender are less hardy (Zones 6-9) but may still be a nice addition to your indoor, patio, deck or outdoor gardens.
New varieties are a regular occurence and we highlight three of them here.
Sweet Romance® (Lavandula angustifolia) from Proven Winners is hardy in Zones 5-9 and grows to 12-18 inches high and wide. It prefers a poor soil.
Proven Winners – provenwinners.com – provides this description … “The grey-green foliage forms a compact mound topped with plump, rich violet purple flower wands that are perfect for cutting for fresh and dried bouquets. Clusters of tiny flowers appear at the nodes up the stem in addition to the terminal inflorescence, adding color down into the plant.”
Lavender Phenomenal® (Lavandula x intermedia) from Lloyd and Candy Traven at Peace Tree Farm in Pennsylvania is also hardy in Zones 5-9.
Peace Tree Farm – peacetreefarm.com – provides this description … “It is a hedging lavender that creates a low bushy shrub of uniform, aromatic silver-green foliage, topped with tall wands of rich lavender-purple flowers. From this shape comes the famous French-style lavender hedges. A mature plant gets about 24 to 36 inches high. It takes about two years for the plant to reach its full height; three in the coldest regions. We like to plant them about 36 inches apart.”
The newest offering from the Traven is Lavender Sensational! “It’s not positioned as better than Phenomenal, but a big step up for cut flower growers. The stem is so thick that you can shake the bunch and it doesn’t bend,” says Lloyd Traven.
Most lavenders are blue, violet or purple but there are also pink, white and yellow varieties. As with all lavenders, plenty of sun and good drainage are key. Allow plants to dry between waterings.
Photos / Peace Tree Farms
