Download Lavender - Sky Nursery

Lavender
Lavender (Lavandula) is a hardy, aromatic small shrub native to the mountainous regions of the Western
Mediterranean. Lavender is extensively grown for perfume, for herbal use, and as a garden ornamental. It is
easy to grow. Plant in lean, fast-draining soil with an abundance of sun (a minimum of 6 hours per day).
Start pruning lavender plants when they are transplanted and continue to prune at least once a year for the
life of the plant so your lavender doesn’t get too leggy. Prune lavender after flowering is complete, in late
summer or early fall, well before any frosty weather. Any time after the flower spikes have completely
bloomed out, they can be cut off at the base where the flower stalk meets the body of the plant. This will
promote vigorous, healthy growth and keep your plants in good shape.
Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula intermedia types can be pruned back to a third of their blooming size.
Additional spring pruning can be beneficial in if the plant has grown abundantly the summer before.
Lavandula stoechas (Spanish lavender) can be pruned back to half its size. Spring pruning may delay
flowering until late summer.
To dry lavender, cut the flowers just as they are coming into bloom and tie them into small bundles. Hang
the bundles in a warm dry location to dry.
Sky Nursery • 18528 Aurora Avenue North, Shoreline, WA 98133 skynursery.com (206)-546-4851 • Rev. 6/6/16
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lavender varieties
Lavandula angustifolia - (English Lavender)
Plants average 2 ft. tall with shorter flower stems and flower heads than other species. Good choice for
dried flowers; blooms are high in essential oil. New growth returns quickly in the spring. Very hardy in the
Northwest. Varieties may include:
'Bowles' – 18” tall, compact; foliage silver-green; dark violet-blue, very fragrant flowers.
'Buena Vista’ – 18-24” tall. Long-stemmed dark violet flowers—long bloom season.
'Hidcote’ (a.k.a. ‘Hidcote Blue') - 15" tall with dark purple flowers.
'Hidcote Pink' - 18" tall with powder pink flowers.
'Lavance Purple’ – 18-20” tall. Dark purple flower dries well. An Oregon favorite.
‘Martha Roderick' - 16" tall with fragrant purple flowers. Gray-green foliage.
'Munstead'— classic variety to 18" tall, with lavender-colored, strongly fragrant flowers from midsummer.
'Pastor’s Pride' – 24” tall, 24-30” wide. Deep purple flowers with good fragrance—repeat bloomer.
'Platinum Blonde’ – 16-24” tall. Unusual foliage is green and gold. Light purple fragrant flowers.
'Premier’ – 18-24” tall. Twice-blooming. Pretty flowers.
'Purple Bouquet’—18” tall with dark purple flowers.
'Royal Purple' – open-branching habit to 20” tall; foliage silver-green; bright violet flowers; discovered in
Oregon.
'Royal Velvet'—developed for cut flowers; 18” tall with the deepest violet blossoms.
'Sachet’ – 18-20” tall. Dark purple flower dries well. An Oregon favorite.
'Thumbelina Leigh’ – very compact, 12-15” tall. Bright lavender-purple fragrant flowers.
'Violet Intrigue' – 12-18" tall. Violet spikes with high oil content. Reblooms after deadheading.
Lavandula dentata - (French Lavender)
Plants average up to 3 feet tall with a profusion of fragrant lavender blooms. Excellent for cut or dried
flowers. Dense silvery green foliage. Tender in the Northwest—best planted against a south or west-facing
wall. Rarely needs pruning.
Lavandula x intermedia – (French Lavender)
A hybrid between L. angustifolia and L. latifolia with longer stems, spikier flower heads, larger foliage and a
stronger fragrance than plain English lavender. It is hardy in the Northwest. Varieties may include:
'Dilly Dilly' –to 30” tall—similar to ‘Grosso’ with slightly darker flower & calyx color.
'Edelweiss’ (a.k.a Cathy Blanc)—Dense green foliage, clear white flowers. Neat, compact growth to 2’.
'Fred Boutin' – great gray winter foliage and masses of violet flowers. 30” high and wide. Repeat blooms
midsummer to fall. Dense grower.
'Grosso' - fragrant, long blooming violet flower spikes. 2’ high; neat & compact. Also called ‘Fat Spike’.
'Gros Blu' –like Grosso but with deeper blue flowers.
‘Hidcote Superior’ – 16” tall, compact, with deep violet-blue, strongly fragrant flowers.
‘Phenomenal’—Traditional lavender flowers, very fragrant, on 24” very hardy plants.
'Provence' (a.k.a ‘du Provence’) – 2’ tall. Light purple flowers—repeat bloomer. Great for lavender wands.
Especially aromatic. Classic perfume variety.
'Super' –to 3’ tall and wide. Lavender/violet flowers—high quality essential oil.
Sky Nursery • 18528 Aurora Avenue North, Shoreline, WA 98133 skynursery.com (206)-546-4851 • Rev. 6/6/16
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lavender varieties
Lavandula X lanata (Woolly Lavender), Lavandula X chaytoriae (Velvet Lavender)
This species has soft silver white foliage with bright purple flowers. Flower spikes are 1 – 4” long. Use this
species in sheltered sites. Crosses with L. angustifolia have resulted in various cultivars with greater coldhardiness and longevity than the straight lanata species. Superb drainage and air circulation are required
for these varieties to be hardy. Varieties may include:
'Ana Luisa' –downy, almost white leaves; blue-lavender flowers, silver calyces. To 24”.
'Goodwin Creek' – deeply toothed woolly leaves, lavender blue blooms all summer. To 2’
'Sawyers' – 24” tall; gray foliage with fine white down. Bright blue-lavender flowers.
'Silver Frost' – 12-15" tall with shimmering deep lavender-blue/ silver flowers.
‘Silver Sands’—20” x 20” plant with silvery foliage, dark purple flowers.
Lavandula stoechas (Spanish Lavender)
This species grows up to 3 ft. tall. Large squarish flower heads look like tiny pineapples topped with rabbit
ears (the “bracts”). Fragrance is somewhat between a true lavender and a pungent rosemary fragrance. This
variety is considered hardy in Zones 7-9. Prune the old flowerstalks back after flowering for repeat bloom.
Varieties may include:
'Blueberry Ruffles' – Deep violet flowers with pale purple ruffled bracts. Grows to 24”.
‘Boysenberry Ruffles’—Deep pink flowers with ruffled soft pink bracts. Grows to 24”.
‘'Helmsdale’ – Violet-plum flowers on well-shaped mound. 24” high.
'James Compton' - Long-lasting violet blossoms with smoky purple bracts. Upright plant to 24” with narrow
gray-green foliage.
'Madrid Blue’ – Deep purple-blue flowers with white bracts
‘Mulberry Ruffles’—Pink-purple flowers with ruffled pale pink bracts. Grows to 24”.
'Otto Quast' –Large, rosy purple flowers topped by smoky purple bracts. A dependable long bloomer. Grows
to 2-3’ tall.
'Silver Anouk’ – Deep purple-violet flowers, nice silvery foliage. Hardy to Zone 6.
'Willowvale' – Plump purple flowers with smoky mauve bracts. Gray-green foliage.
'Wings of Night' - Deep purple flowers topped with purple bracts. Dwarf variety to 12”.
‘Winter Bee’—dark purple flowers. Plant is early-blooming and produces an abundance of flowers on both
main stems and side branches. Grows to 24” tall and 36” wide.
Sky Nursery • 18528 Aurora Avenue North, Shoreline, WA 98133 skynursery.com (206)-546-4851 • Rev. 6/6/16
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