
Lavender is a very popular, fragrant perennial. Summer flowering, these iconic blooms are excellent for attracting bees and butterflies to your garden.
Learn about lavender varities and essential care tips below.
Varieties
English (Lavandula augustifolia) has the strongest & more traditional scent, darker purple flowers and more cold hardy.
French (Lavandula intermedia) has lighter purple flowers and is less cold hardy & blooms longer than English lavender. The most fragrant of lavenders; often used in potpourri & perfume.
Spanish (Lavandula stoechas) has the ‘rabbit ear’ bracts on the flower, is the most heat tolerant, but is the least cold hardy.
How to Grow Lavender
All varieties require full sun (at least 6 hours), thrive in poor, gritty soil & are drought tolerant once established.
Remove spent flowers to prolong blooming period.
Cut off old flowers in the fall back to the leaves, then lightly prunethe entire plant in spring once the new growth emerges.
Please note: this information is applicable to the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island regions of British Columbia.