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Lavandula angustifolias The
English Lavenders include English, Munstead, Hidcote, Hidcote Pink, Jean
Davis, Sarah, and Vera and flower in mid to late spring. These second-round
bloomers are finished by late spring or early summer. These look great when
they flower, and, after pruning, remain a compact ball or hedge with
exotically fragrant leaves the rest of the year. These Lavenders are hardy
to Zone 5 but, like all Lavenders, will not tolerate poor drainage or high
humidity.
Lavendula angustifolia ‘Betty’s Blue A
compact, erect plant with straight short spikes. Blooms are dark violet and
make excellent potpourri or craft bouquets.
Lavendula angustifolia ‘Blue
Cushion’ This stands alone as the most
free-flowering variety of Lavender, offering almost continuous summer color
on a very well mannered dwarf form. The profuse and constant bloom makes it
popular as a cut flower, spicing up your home with exotic aromas. And its
dried blooms make wonderful sachet.
Lavender angustifolia ‘Lavance Purple’ A
new dwarf cultivar, bred to be a little shorter (10-14") with a compact
growth habit. It flowers the first year with deep purple sepals and petals.
Plants are great to use as a border with their fragrant foliage and flowers.
Prefers full sun and excellent drainage, especially in the winter.
Lavandula angustifolia 'Melissa' Pink
Lavender A variety valued for its pink
fading-to-white flowers. In lower altitude areas that have more overcast
days than Colorado, the flowers can be quite pink. ‘Melissa’ is a compact
grower with attractive gray-green foliage.
Lavandula
angustifolia ‘Sachet' A
wonderfully fragrant lavender perfect for potpourris with dark violet blooms
in June and again in Aug.-Sept. Has a nice symmetrical growth habit.
Lavandula angustifolia ‘Royal Velvet’
This is very showy when blooming plants are
covered with long stemmed, dark navy-blue and lavender flower spikes. The 3
to 4 inch long flower spikes, which are much longer than “Hidcote” hold
their dark color superbly as a dried flower. Home gardeners will enjoy it
for its rapid growth, its long bloom period in late spring/early summer, and
tolerance of wet winters
Lavandula angustifolia ‘Twickel Purple’
This cultivar of English lavender has very long flower stems that fan out
around the plant. It has a unique appearance when in bloom. Stem length and
dark color make it nice for fresh cut and dried flowers. The calyx color is
purple; the corolla is violet.
Lavandula x intermedia
The English Lavender Hybrids, sometimes referred to as Lavandins; come in
third in the bloom cycle, starting just as the the English Lavenders are
finishing, and continuing to mid summer. These are the workhorses of
Lavender. They do it all: bloom lots, grow just the right size, and smell
like a million bucks. Provence and Grosso are the best known of these, but
there are many others, including Abriali, Fred Boutin, Dutch Mill,
Grappenhall, Seal, Hidcote Giant and White Grosso. These are the ones to
line the drive or border the garden with.
The botanical name for the Lavandins is
Lavandula x intermedia. The x means it is a cross with two plants and we
know which two. In this case, it is L. angustifolia and L. latifolia. The
intermedia means that these crossed plants have qualities of both parents,
or it is intermediate between them. Lavandins have long gray leaves, twice
or more the size of L. angustifolias. They also grow much larger and
faster.
Lavandula x intermedia 'Alba' White flowered
French Lavender A vigorous, but hard-to-find
cultivar, with fragrant pure white flowers and very gray-white foliage.
Plant ‘Alba’ behind Lavender ‘Hidcote’ or surround with
Delosperma cooperi.
Lavandula x
intermedia ‘Fred Boutin’ The
most silvery foliage of any "lavandin" type, along with alluring violet-blue
flowers. Their strong scent leads to medicinal use, as well as fragrant
potpourri or soothing, blues-chasin' baths.
Lavendula x intermedia 'Gros Bleu' The
long spikes of flowers are an outstanding shade of purple, one of the
darkest of the lavandin flowers, borne on exceptionally long stems. First
choice for fresh or dried flowers, L. 'Gros Bleu' is a handsome shrub in the
landscape and is adapted to our Mediterranean climate.
Lavandula x
intermedia 'Grosso' (True Grosso)
Until a few years ago, we were not aware of a difference
between ‘Fat Spike’ and Grosso. The growth habit of this hardy plant has a
“hedgehog-like appearance to 180 degrees. It has darker blooms than ‘Fat
Spike’ and dries better for crafts
Lavandula x
intermedia 'Grosso' (Fat Spike) The “work horse” of lavender
varieties. The bush has a low, compact habit with very long, extremely
fragrant flower heads. Used for oil production in France . This is the
preferred lavender for lavender wands and for buds. A lighter purplish gray
bud, this cultivar is not recommended for cooking as it contains camphor, a
somewhat bitter flavor.
Lavandula intermedia 'Hidcote Giant' A
medium-sized shrub after a few growing seasons becoming an impressive plant
when the large branched stems are covered with light lavender-blue flowers.
The individual flower spikes are much more substantial than either
‘Provence’ or ’Grosso’. ‘Hidcote Giant’ is also wonderfully fragrant and
dries well for everlasting bouquets.
Lavandula x intermedia 'Impress Purple'
This, along with 'Gros Bleu', is one of the truest purple flowered lavandins.
Nice long stems. Excellent for fresh or dried flowers.
Lavandula x
intermedia 'Provence'
When you travel to the French countryside, where lavender is grown
commercially for oil and flowers, this is one of the cultivars you will
find. The light purple flowers are very fragrant, and dry beautifully for
potpourri. “Provence” is more moisture tolerant than other varieties, and is
recommended to gardeners who have difficulty over wintering lavenders.
Recommended as one of the best culinary varieties.
Lavandula x
intermedia ‘Super’ Light blue flowers
on a comparatively tall shrub. The flowers are used in commercial lavender
oil production because the oil quality is close to that of English lavender.
Use it fresh or dried.
Lavandula stoechas
'Wings of Night' Spanish Lavender
The color of the night sky just before dawn' Plump, deep purple flowers
topped by vibrant mauve bracts. A cultivar from Europe which is very showy
distinguished by exceptionally bushy growth, heavy flowering and large, dark
floral bracts. Narrow green-gray foliage. Another excellent container
selection. Nice tight, compact growth. Lavender is a mainstay of the herb
garden. Excellent shrub for the perennial border, kitchen garden and even a
great hedge. Spanish Lavenders are not usually hardy in Colorado. |