A very attractive form of French Lavender, Lavandula pedunculata subsp. pedunculata enjoys a tall upright habit with ravishing rounded dark plum flower heads topped with long, paler purple flowers and rising elegantly on long stems. Also called Butterfly Lavender or Papillon Lavender, this type of Lavender is a wonderful addition to the garden given the very distinctive look of its flowers and its highly aromatic gray-green foliage.
- Won the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society (2002) for its noteworthy qualities.
- This French Lavender blooms almost continuously from mid-late spring to late summer. Flowering typically occurs as early as May (in areas with mild summers and winters) with another flush of blooms in June followed by another flush of color in late summer or fall. In mild climates, this selection can bear flowers nearly all year around.
- Evergreen in warm winter areas, this Lavender typically grows in a 24 in. (60 cm) bushy mound.
- Thriving in full sun, it performs best in dry to medium, poor, light, sandy, alkaline, well-drained soils. Excellent drainage and air circulation are essential, specifically in hot, humid climates.
- Drought, deer, rabbit and dry soil tolerant and a real magnet for bees and butterflies!
- Spectacular in mass planting and superb in containers. Creates stunning hedges in summer thanks to its free flowering habit.
- Best if sheared back by about one-third in spring to force compact, bushy growth
Lavandula Stoechas also called French Lavender, Spanish Lavender or Butterfly Lavender is recognizable by the conspicuous sterile bracts, on top of the short dense inflorescence, resembling extravagant ears. Grown for its silvery aromatic leaves, its very distinctive flowers, however, steal the show with their "ears" sprouting from each flower head. This Lavender loves hot weather, but is more tender (Hardiness 8-9) than other Lavenders.
