THERE IS something magicalabout lavender (Lavandula spp.).Perhaps it’s the fragrance that has

permeated somany parts of our lives overthe centuries. Perhaps it’s the year-roundappeal of the tidy gray-green foliage. Per-haps it’s the bees, butterflies, and otherbeneficial insects the flowers attract tothe garden. Perhaps it’s the herb’s longhistory of association with humankind(see sidebar on page 21). Or maybe it’sthe combination of all these factors. All Iknow is that I can’t get enough of laven-der in my garden and in my home.

GENUS OVERVIEWDepending on which taxonomist youconsult, there are between 20 and 40species of lavender in the genus Lavandu-la.The plants hybridize readily with eachother, however, and the nomenclature, asyou will read a little later, is a bit of a mine-field. Native to the Mediterranean regionthrough to some Atlantic islands, north-ern Africa, western Asia, and India, thegenus consists of small evergreen (orevergray, to be more precise) shrubs orshrublike perennials bearing foliage andflowers that are singularly fragrant.

As members of the mint family ( Lami-aceae), lavender has paired leaves that areequal and opposite, as well as the squarestems characteristic of the family. Laven-der leaves may be simple and entire ordentate (toothed) to dissected or pinnate.The two-lipped flowers appear in summeron whorled spikes that rise above the fo-liage on terminal growth. Flowers come inshades of blue, lavender, purple, pink, orwhite. Lavender oil, often used in com-mercial products, is produced in the great-

a love affair withLavender

BY BARBARA PERRY LAWTON

Revered by ancient herbalists

and cooks, lavender is a

delightful addition to modern

gardens and kitchens.

the American Gardener16

Lavender grows in multi-colored waves atCedarbrook Lavender and Herb Farm inSequim, Washington.

a love affair withLavender

est quantities beginning when the flowersare about half open and continuing intothe late stages of bloom.

SPECIES AND SELECTIONSA number of lavenders are quite hardy,growing in USDAHardiness Zones 5 to9; other tender species are cultivated pri-marily as annuals in cold-winter re-gions. As a genus, lavender is quite heatand drought tolerant; many speciesthrive in hot, dry regions such as Texasand central California.

English lavender (Lavandula angusti-folia) is far and away the most commonlygrown species in American gardens. Thereare many cultivars of English lavender,generally distinguished by height (any-where from eight inches to two feet tall)and flower colors, which range from whiteto pink, dark violet, and blue. Most culti-vars are hardy in USDA Zones 6 to 9.

Robert Kourik of Occidental, Califor-nia, likes the English lavender ‘SilverFrost’. “The glorious powder-white foliageadds a lovely accent to the garden all year,”he says. “Another one that I like on ac-count of its deep-cobalt flower is ‘Betty’sBlue’, which does best in Zones 8 andhigher.” Kourik, author of The LavenderGarden (see “Resources,” page 20), notesthat the latter selection is “a bit fussy aboutwell-draining soil and so needs more at-tention than other English lavenders.”

‘Hidcote’, another well-known Englishlavender, is a favorite of June Hutson, hor-ticulturist at the Kemper Home Demon-stration Gardens of the MissouriBotanical Garden in St. Louis, Missouri.“It seems to thrive in our midwestern cli-mate when others go on to greener pas-tures,” she says, “and combines well withother plants that want minimum irriga-tion in the summer.”

“I’m fond of ‘Sharon Roberts’,” saysRose Marie Nichols-McGee of NicholsGarden Nursery in Albany, Oregon. ThisEnglish lavender cultivar is hardy toUSDA Zone 5 and has dark violet flowers.“Give this selection a light shearing inmidsummer and it will soon send up newflower spikes followed by a stunning fallflower display,” says Nichols-McGee.

Botanical confusion reigns over theidentity of another popular lavender, usu-ally sold as L. �heterophylla (commonlycalled sweet lavender). This hybrid of

French lavender (L. dentata) and Englishlavender originated in southern France.However, plants sold with this name aremore likely to be fringed lavender (L. �al-lardii), which is a hybrid of French laven-der and spike lavender (L. latifolia).Regardless of the name, the plant is hardyto USDA Zone 8 and very tolerant of heatand humidity, so it makes a good choice

for gardeners in the American Southeastand South. The fragrance leans more to-ward camphor and eucalyptus, so it is notas useful for herbal and culinary purposes.

The lavandins (L. �intermedia), alsoknown as hedge lavender, are sterile hy-brids of English lavender and spike laven-der that are noted for their pleasantfragrance and vigorous, shrubby growth

17May / June 2010

‘Hidcote’ is a popular low-growing English lavender cultivar with dark violet flowers.

Heat- and humidity-tolerant fringed lavender is a good choice in warmer regions.

Originally published in The American Gardener, May/June 2010

18 the American Gardener

habit. Larger (growing two to four feet tall)andmore heat tolerant thanEnglish laven-der, the lavandins produce more essentialoil per plant than other lavenders and arethus the source ofmost commercial laven-der oil.Most selections, with the exceptionof ‘Edelweiss’, have pale purple flowers.

Personally, I am especially fond of‘Grosso’ (sometimes listed as ‘Fat Spike’),a lavandin selection hardy inZones 5 to 10.It has good gray year-round foliage andlong-stemmed flower spikes that are ex-cellent for craft projects. Even in the de-manding climate of St. Louis, Missouri,where I live, the frigid weather, droughts,

and other vagaries don’t faze it a bit.An individual selection worth men-

tioning is ‘Goodwin Creek Grey’, a hybridof woolly lavender (L. lanata) and Frenchlavender introduced by Goodwin CreekGardens in Oregon. It grows to aboutthree feet tall and broad, with dense, sil-very foliage and deep bluish purple flow-ers. It is tolerant of heat and humidity, buthardy only to about USDA Zone 8.

Spanish lavender (L. stoechas), some-times referred to as French or Italian laven-der because it grows wild in thosecountries, can be grown year-round inTexas, California, and parts of the Pacific

Northwest. Since it’s reliably hardy only toUSDA Zone 8, gardeners in the East andMidwest are better served by treating it asa summer annual. The flowers are com-posed of conelike spikes of dark purpleflowers, topped by a jaunty plume of con-trastingly colored petallike bracts. Theseodd-looking sterile bracts have given riseto common names such as rabbit ear or pa-pillon (butterfly) lavender.

Popular varieties include ‘Otto Quast’with deep purple flowers surmounted bypaler bracts; ‘Papillon’ (sometimes listed asL. stoechas ssp. pedunculata) with green toreddish-purple bracts topping deeper pur-

ple flowers; and ‘Kew Red’, which has pinkbracts atop maroon flowers.

LAVENDERS IN THE LANDSCAPELavender doesn’t need to be confined to akitchen or herb garden—it is wonderful inthe ornamental garden, where savvy gar-deners are using it to edge formal beds, inmixed gardens, along drives and walkways,and in containers that can bring handsomedefinition to patios and terraces. And it isa must-have plant for the butterfly orwildlife garden, attracting bees, butterflies,and other pollinators. An additional virtueis that lavender is deer resistant.

Lavender makes terrific low hedges,but a drawback is that if individual plantsare damaged by dogs or stray soccer balls,it creates a gap for a year or two until newplants can fill in. “If you are installing ahedge of lavender, buy two or three extraplants and place them in the back of thegarden somewhere,” suggests Ellen Spec-tor Platt, who runs Meadowlark Flower &Herb Farm in Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania.“They’ll grow at about the same rate asyour hedge plants, so you can use them tofill holes in the hedge.”

Lavender and roses are traditionallyconsidered companions, and they serve

each other well when combined in beds orborders. The soft gray-greens and tidinessof lavender foliage can serve as transitionsbetween ornamentals that would other-wise clash in colors or textures. In gardenand landscape settings, the aromatic char-acter of lavender’s foliage is an additionalasset, releasing its heady fragrance as visi-tors brush past it.

Lavender is easy to shape by pruninginto formal or informal shapes. In cold-winter regions, containerized plantsshould be protected from damagingfreeze-thaw cycles either by storing themin an unheated porch or garage or by

19May / June 2010

Opposite: ‘Grosso’ is a hardy, resilient lavandin selection with pale violet flowers. Above: Spanish lavender, shown in a container, left, andgrowing with Jerusalem sage (Phlomis sp.) in a garden bed, right, is not reliably hardy north of USDA Zone 8.

wrapping them with insulating materialssuch as straw and burlap.

CULINARY AND HERBAL USESLavender is a marvelous culinary herbbut is so strongly flavored that only tinyamounts should be used or you will endup with a dish that smells and tastes likeperfume. “If it’s flavor you want, selectone of the cultivars of English lavender,which has the sweetest taste without thebitter hints of camphor present in othervarieties,” says Ellen Spector Platt.

Try lavender as a substitute for rose-mary in any dish. It’s also a good additionto sauces, soups, and stews. Add lavender

leaves or flowers to sugar in a jar and sealit up for a week or so, then use the flavoredsugar in recipes for cakes and cookies. Youcan also use candied lavender as a garnishon baked goods.

In my opinion, lavender is the best ofall the edible flowers. The combination ofthe aroma and color adds zest and a high-ly decorative effect to light summer faresuch as garden salads and potato salads.

Medicinally, lavender has traditionallybeen used in creams and lotions to sootheand reduce tension and stress. Pillowsfilled with lavender flowers encouragesleep and relaxation. Infusions of lavendercalm the itch of insect bites and soothe ir-

ritated skin. Used in perfumes and soapssince ancient times, lavender is still a com-mon component of these products and inmany others, including air fresheners andafter-shave lotions.

For centuries, lavender has been usedin potpourris and sachets placed aroundhomes to repel insects. For this reason, youwill also often find lavender listed as acomponent of natural-product-based in-sect repellents. If you rub lavender foliagebetween your hands and then wipe theresidue on exposed body parts, it will repelmosquitoes and gnats. Test it on a smallarea of skin first to ensure this doesn’tcause an allergic reaction.

20 the American Gardener

ResourcesThe Encyclopedia of Herbs by Arthur OTucker and Thomas DeBaggio. Tim-ber Press, Portland, Oregon, 2009.The Genus Lavandula by Tim Upsonand Susyn Andrews. Timber Press,Portland, Oregon, 2004.Lavender by Ellen Spector Platt.Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg,Pennsylvania, 1999.The Lavender Garden by RobertKourik. Chronicle Books, San Francis-co, California, 1998.Lavender: The Grower’s Guideby Virginia McNaughton andJoan L. Headley. Timber Press,Portland, Oregon, 2000.

For links to 2010 lavender festivals,click on the web special linked tothis article on the AHS website.

SourcesMountain Valley Growers, Dunlap,CA. (559) 338-2775. www.mountainvalleygrowers.com.Nichols Garden Nursery, Albany, OR.(541) 928-9280. www.nicholsgardennursery.com.Ornamental Edibles, San Jose, CA.(408) 528-7333. www.ornamentaledibles.com. Park Seed Company, Greenwood, SC.(800) 213-9976.www.parkseed.com.Shepherd’s Garden Seeds, Felton, CA.(888) 880-7228. www.reneesgarden.com.

Roses and lavender pair well because of their complementary colors, textures, and fragrance.

GROWING LAVENDERThe keys to growing lavender successfullyare good drainage and full sun. A sandy orgravelly loam soil is the best choice forlavender; avoid planting it in heavy clay,which tends to retain too much water. Theideal soil pH is neutral (7) to slightly alka-line. Lavender’s essential oils, which are thesource of the plant’s significant fragranceand flavor, are produced in far less quanti-ty when the soil is overly rich, so fertilizelavender sparingly or not at all. Althoughlavender is drought tolerant once estab-lished, if rain is sparse over a long period,it will look better if given supplementalwater from time to time.

In humid regions, grow lavender inraised beds and leave plenty of room be-tween plants for air circulation. “A mulchof white sand, granite dust or chicken gritmake a great reflective mulch to help keepaway fungal diseases,” says Susan Belsinger,an herb expert, author, and blogger wholives in Brookeville, Maryland.

Grow the more tender lavenders, suchas Spanish lavender (L. stoechas), in con-tainers so they can be moved indoors dur-ing cold spells. In order to thrive over along period indoors, lavender should beplaced in a relatively cool room under growlights, or in a sunny south-facing window.

If grown in full sun and a free-drain-

ing soil, lavender will have few pest anddisease problems. Rare infestations bypests such as mealybugs, whiteflies, scale,or spider mites are likely an indication theplants are under stress because of unsuit-able growing conditions.

Lavender will self-sow and can begrown from seeds, but to ensure you aregetting true-to-type plants, experts rec-ommend propagation by softwood orsemi-hardwood cuttings made in the latespring to early summer.

HARVESTING LAVENDERLeaves, stems, flowers, and buds are allvaluable for different purposes. Harvestflower spikes for culinary, household, orcraft use when the buds are just starting toopen. Harvest when the morning dew onthe foliage has dried. Tie small bunches to-gether and hang them upside down in awarm, dry, dark place. The flower spikeswill usually dry within a week.

If you want to use lavender as a cutflower, cut the spikes early in the morningeven if they are dewy. Strip off some of thebottom leaves and put the stems intowater that includes a commercial flowerpreservative. If cut just as the buds beginto open, a lavender arrangement will lastas long or longer than other cut flowers.

Growing lavender is easy no matterwhere you live. And once you have tried it,you’ll find innumerable ways to enjoy theflowers, foliage, and fragrance that havecaptivated humans for millennia. �

Barbara Perry Lawton is an award-win-ning author of more than 10 gardeningbooks. She lives in Valley Park, Missouri.

21May / June 2010

HISTORY AND LORE OF LAVENDERThe history and lore of the genus Lavandula have been entwined with humankind for thousands of years. The ancient Egyp-tians used essential oils of lavender to help mummify their honored dead. The Phoenicians and other ancient people of Mid-dle Eastern regions used lavender for bathing and making their homes smell fresher, as well as for cooking.Both the English and Latin names for lavender are believed to derive from the Latin word lavare, meaning “to wash,” al-

though in their book The Encyclopedia of Herbs, authors Arthur O. Tucker and Thomas DeBaggio argue that the name relatesto the Latin livare, “to be livid or bluish.” Roman soldiers—who knew of the herb because it grew wild in the Mediterraneanregion—mixed lavender into their bath water. Not only did lavender give a fresh yet pungent fragrance to the water, it also hada repellent effect on vermin such as lice, bedbugs, and fleas that often accompanied armies.Many historians believe that Romans brought lavender to the British Isles during the Roman occupation. Once there,

lavender soon became associated with soaps, laundry washing, baths, perfumes, sachets, and potpourris—all the ways ofmaking day-to-day life cleaner and more fragrant. To this day, lavender is used for these purposes and, in addition, is a won-derful culinary and garden herb. —B.P.L.

‘White Dwarf’, a compact English lavender cultivar, shows to good effect in this raised bed.