French Lavender

Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Feed with a general purpose fertilizer before new growth begins in spring. For a formal appearance, shear annually after flowering. Pruning time: early spring.

This is the woody, blue-purple flowering perennial that makes the French countryside so charming. Grow Lavender as an informal perennial to fill borders or as a dense edging plant. Also works well as a short hedge in knot gardens, where shearing releases its fragrance even when out of bloom. Because it is resistant to heat and some drought, Lavender works well in rock gardens with Western natives or in drought-resistant plantings.

For a soft knot-garden effect, combine with Lavender Cotton (Santolina chamaecyparissus) and the contrasting Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii 'Crimson Pygmy'). In dry borders, group with Lavender Deb Yarrow (Achillea millefolium 'Lavender Deb'), the blue Winifred Gillman Sage (Salvia clevelandii 'Winifred Gillman') and pink Siskiyou Evening Primrose (Oenothera speciosa 'Siskiyou'). Also looks great around the base of the small Pecos Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei 'Pecos').

The lavenders have been grown in Europe for centuries dating back to the Romans. It is from the Latin verb lavo that the genus was named, for this plant was commonly used in the famous Roman baths. It has remained in soaps and cosmetics ever since. This French lavender is not native to France but to drier Spain, Greece and North Africa. But due to its widespread cultivation in the region of Provance, it has become decidedly French.

The powerfully fragrant oils in the foliage and flowers of lavender have made it a favorite herb in every part of Europe, with varieties developed for colder northern climes.