Lavender About Lavenders in general

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Look in here to help you choose which Lavender is best for your situation. Some are better in pots, others belong in the perennial garden but they all have one thing in common - great fragrance! In terms of hardiness, not all Lavenders are equal. The hardier ones are the Lavender angustifolia and Lavender x intermedia types. These include 'Lady', 'Munstead', 'Hidcote', 'Provence' and 'Grosso'. These are all hardy to zone 6 at least. The others are also perennial, however they are much more tender and cannot survive outdoors in areas colder than zone 7 or 8.

In terms of fragrance, 'Munstead', 'Lady', 'Hidcote' and Gray French Lavender have the strongest scent. 'Provence' and 'Grosso' don't seem as strong yet these are the choice of those who seek to extract oil of Lavender. Fernleaf Lavender has a sharp, less sweet scent than the others.
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Yes, You CAN Grow Lavender

One of the most frequent comments we hear from our customers at the Overland Park Farmer's Market is, "Oh, I just can't grow lavender (sigh)."

Well, I am here to tell you, yes you can!

It's also true, friends tell me, I could learn to cook, if only I would follow a recipe and pay attention (i.e., not wander out to the garden while something is bubbling on the stove).

The same thing goes for growing lavender, but the recipe is amazingly simple: (1) choose the proper varieties, and (2) plant in well-drained soil in full sun.

The point is, it's not at all difficult, if you pay attention.

Now I cannot stress this point too much: Lavender must be grown in well-drained soil. We never had any success at all until we began putting lavender plants in raised beds or in containers. Obviously, the ultimate raised bed is a container (with adequate drainage holes, of course).

To make your choice, you must first decide whether it is important to you that your plants be hardy (that they come back year after year). If it's hardiness you're after, we recommend varieties called 'Grosso', 'Munstead', 'Lady' and 'Provence'.

'Grosso' is the big, hardy variety with dense, gray leaves, long spikes of violet flowers, and a strong scent. I think of it as the classic lavender.

An English lavender, 'Munstead' is even hardier than 'Grosso', with narrow gray-green leaves and lavender-blue flowers that bloom earlier than most other varieties.

'Lady' lavender is closely related to 'Munstead', but it is much more compact--about half the height of 'Munstead'. It flowers early and often, but needs to be cut back rather severely from time to time to prevent it from sprawling.

The romantically-named 'Provence' will remind you of your trip to the south of France, real or imagined. Both 'Provence' and 'Grosso' are widely grown by the perfume industry in France.

My big, thick herb book says that fresh flowers from these hardy lavenders can be crystallized, or added to salads, jams and jellies, ice cream, and vinegar. It says the leaves are used in salads, marinades and for flavoring soups and stews. Moreover, flowers and leaves can be used to make herb tea. Doesn't it all sound delightfully British?

If you are willing to take a whirl on a tender lavender--one that will need to come inside for the winter, or else perish--your choices become even more interesting. Our four favorite tender lavenders are a Spanish Lavender called 'Otto Quast', Fernleaf Lavender, Lavender Dentata and 'Goodwin Creek' Lavender.

Spanish lavender is the one whose flowers look like little pineapples with purple rabbit-ears on top. In bloom, it looks like a swarm of bright purple butterflies. Spanish lavender is unique in that it likes a slightly acid soil (give it a bit of an acid fertilizer such as Miracid) and uses lots of water. The rain in Spain, I guess.

Fernleaf lavender has soft, lacy, deeply-cut blue-green foliage and blue-violet flowers that bloom incessantly. It grows rapidly and is quite dramatic in a large pot. The scent is less of lavender and more citrus-like. It is my favorite.

The variety called Lavender dentata has interesting, toothed gray-green leaves, cylindrical flowers of pale lavender, and a neat appearance.

'Goodwin Creek' is very compact, silver-gray, and excellent grown in a pot. If you have a cool, bright window, you can bring it inside for winter.

Don't over-fertilize or over-water your lavender. A light mulch will make it easier to provide that elusive "moist, well-drained soil" that is so necessary while your lavender is becoming established.

Unlike me, you already know how to cook. Now it's time for you to tackle lavender!

Judy Moser is a wholesale grower of herbs and native plants in Paola, Kansas.

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