Lavender
Lavender
Choosing the Best Lavender for Your Garden
Lavender is a versatile and aromatic herb that adds beauty, fragrance, and color to any garden. Its lush, silver-green foliage and stunning purple spikes make it a favorite in herb gardens, patios, and flower beds. Lavender is not only prized for its visual appeal but also for its ability to attract pollinators like bees and butterflies, making it a wonderful addition to any landscape.
Lavender thrives in well-draining soil, full sun, and is relatively drought-tolerant once established, making it an excellent choice for waterwise gardens. It is a hardy perennial, but in regions like Colorado, selecting the right variety is key, as some lavenders are more resistant to extreme conditions and can thrive year-round.
Lavender is an excellent choice for small-space gardens. Even with limited room, these varieties can be grown in containers, raised beds, or compact garden spaces, providing a beautiful and fragrant harvest. Whether you’re seeking an aromatic hedge, a soothing addition to your patio, or a pollinator-friendly option for your garden, lavender offers something for every gardener to enjoy.
Lavender Varieties to Explore
Munstead Lavender - This English Lavender variety grows to about 16 inches tall and wide. Munstead Lavender features fragrant lavender-blue spikes and gray-green, mounded foliage. It’s an excellent choice for herb gardens, borders, or pots on the patio, where you can enjoy its pleasant scent. It also makes a lovely addition to fresh or dried bouquets.
Grosso Lavender- Known for its long blooming period, Grosso Lavender is a stunning French hybrid that grows to 30 inches tall and wide. With dark purple blooms on purple bracts and silver foliage, it’s a showstopper in the garden. It’s highly fragrant and often used in perfume making, making it a must-have for any lavender enthusiast.
Phenomenal Lavender- As its name suggests, Phenomenal Lavender is a highly resilient variety, growing 24 inches tall and wide. It’s exceptionally tolerant of high heat, harsh winters, and humidity. This variety attracts butterflies and bees with its fragrant, purple-blue flowers and is also edible and deer-resistant. It’s an excellent choice for low-maintenance gardens.
Provence Lavender- Known for its tall stature and impressive fragrance, Provence Lavender reaches up to 36 inches tall and wide. It’s tolerant of poor soils and heavy summer humidity. This variety is often used to create aromatic hedges and features long, mauve-purple flower spikes complemented by silver-green foliage.
Hidcote Lavender- An 18x18 inch compact English lavender. This compact plant is grown for fresh or dried bouquets, It is perfect for hot, dry areas attracting bees and other pollinators, but repels deer and rabbits.
Super Blue- This compact 12x12 inch English lavender is a new drought tolerant plant that works well in the ground or even in a pot. It is a zone 5 hardy that is perfect for a small area or along pathways or walkways.
Thumbelina Leigh Lavender- The smallest lavender variety, Thumbelina Leigh grows to just 14 inches tall. Despite its compact size, it offers the same lovely fragrance as larger varieties and blooms with deep lavender-blue spikes. It’s perfect for small spaces or containers and is drought-resistant, making it a great addition to xeric gardens.
Wee One Lavender- This dwarf English lavender variety reaches just 12–14 inches tall, making it perfect for smaller spaces or as a border plant. With its crisp floral scent and compact lavender-blue flower spikes, it’s ideal for cut bouquets and scented sachets. It adds a calming and aromatic touch to any garden.
Spanish Lavender (Ballerina) - While Spanish lavenders like Ballerina can be grown in Colorado, they are not cold-hardy and are better suited for annual planting in containers or outdoor beds. With its large, bee-friendly flowers and unique appearance, it adds a fun pop of color to your garden for the season.