Tender
Lavender
Tom
Wajda
Adams County Master Gardener
Most
gardeners enjoy the lush beauty of lavender, but do
not know that the genus lavendula comes in many
different shapes, sizes, and degrees of hardiness.
This article will describe some of the tender
lavenders.
Like their hardy
brethren, tender lavenders thrive in full sun and
well-drained soils with a pH of 7.0-7.3. Unlike the
hardy varieties (L. angustifolia and L. intermedia)
tender lavenders will not survive our winters
outdoors. Nonetheless, they are interesting plants and
worthy of space in your garden as annuals. They also
are wonderful in pots either on the patio or in a
sunny window in winter,
(L. stoechas)
There are many
vanities of this species including ‘Snowman’ (white
blossoms), ‘Kew Red’ (red), and ‘Tickled Pink’ (pink
blossoms, of course). The species is very popular in
California where mild winters allow it to be grown
outdoors year-round. Often called Spanish lavender,
the plants are easily identified by the "butterfly"
wings appearance of the blossoms. The leaves are
similar to the hardy varieties and care needs to be
taken when purchasing the plants to ensure that you
are getting what you want.
To a certain degree,
Stoechas lavenders (and other tender varieties) can be
forced to bloom on your schedule rather than theirs. I
have had good luck in pruning these plants by about
half; the plants will then push out new growth and
bloom about three months after pruning.
L.. dentata,
L. dentata is easily
identified by its toothed leaves. Also called Fringed
or French lavender, Dentata comes in many varieties
including ‘Grey Fringe’, Green Fringe’ and ‘Linda
Ligon’. ‘Linda Ligon’ is a very interesting cultivar
as it is one of only two variegated lavenders. Its
leaves are green with a reliable cream colored
variegation. As their names indicate, ‘Grey Fringe’
and ‘Green Fringe’ have, respectively, grey and green
hints in the leaves.
L. Canariensis
Lavender grows wild
in the Canary Islands, so it is not surprising that
there is a variety called ‘Canary Islands’. The plants
are quite different from other lavenders both in leaf
structure and in flowers. Sometimes referred to as
‘Fernleaf’ lavender, this variety is more of a woody
shrub than most lavenders. It is aromatic with
violet-purple blossoms.
L. Chaytorae
This species covers a
broad variety of newly developed hardy lavenders
including ‘Joan Head’ and ‘Anna Luisa’, as well as the
tender ‘Goodwin Creek Grey’. ‘Goodwin Creek Grey’
should be planted in a large pot that can be moved
from the patio to a sunny indoor window when frost
threatens. This variety can be reliably counted on to
produce flowers all year long.
Read other articles on growing herbs or vegetables
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