You bought a lavender plant from Lavender Hill Hippie ~ now what?

There are hundreds of named varieties of lavender with more being discovered and cultivated every year. However not all varieties or cultivars are hardy for all growing zones.

Lavender Hill is in zone 5b. When I bought the land it had at one time operated as a small lavender producer and as such there were many established lavender plants sprinkled about the property in streams and mixed into an area that I call ‘the secret garden’. To date I have been able to identify the following varieties:

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Munstead’

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote Pink’

Lavandula x Intermedia ‘Grosso’

Lavandula x Intermedia ‘Provence’

Lavender Hill first trialled Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’ in 2016.

In 2018 Lavender Hill trialled a new variety of Lavandin ~ Lavandula x Intermedia “Phenomenal” to replace the “Grosso” that was hit hard in past winters during frequent freeze-thaw and ice-storm conditions. Phenomenal did ‘phenomenally’ well surviving throughout the winter both dormant inside my tiny greenhouse and planted out about Lavender Hill.

In 2019 Lavender Hill trialled ‘Seal’ also a Lavandula x Intermedia. Seal will, like Grosso and Phenomenal mature into a large bush on long spikes allowing in years to come, for me to add back to the long stem bouquets lost in prior years.

I recommend planting lavender in full-sun with well-drained soil. One thing to remember is lavender doesn’t like wet feet.

During the first two years of growth you will need to prevent the lavender from flowering. This may be difficult for some to prematurely cut off flowering shoots, however, in the longer-term your lavender plant will be stronger as preventing flowering will force the plant to keep its energy in the plant rather than using it to produce flowers. And zone 5b winters can be brutal. You’ll want to give the young lavender a fighting chance to survive and to be winter hardy or at the very least a bit more tolerable to the seasonal changes.

Additionally watering lavender during these early years is equally important. Although once established lavender is very easy to care for and only needs watering during extreme drought; this is not true of young lavender developing. Lavender is mature in its 3rd year when you can sit back and allow the stems (spikes) to shoot up at will, buds to develop, flowers to bloom and bees to buzz.

Annually, although carefully during the first 3 years of growth and especially true if you are a novice to the likes and dislikes of lavender, trim lavender plants. Cut off the flowers each season and give the plant a little hair-cut. I recommend only as far back to the first or second set of green leaves at the base of each flower shoot. While sometimes it is necessary to trim the lavender back further, I do not recommend you trim back to the woody parts of the stems as in my experience lavender seldom to never grows back from old wood. It may however begin new growth in the crown.

Here is a link to another post I did about trimming lavender

Lavender Hill first trialled Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’ in 2016. Lavandula angustifolia “Hidcote” is one variety of a true English Lavender. Hidcote gets its name from Hidcote Manor in France ca. 1920s and is prized for being one of the varieties to produce the richest purple buds and flowers. Hardiness Zones 5-9.

Lavender Hill first trialled Lavandula x Intermedia ‘Phenomenal’ in 2018. Lavandula x Intermedia “Phenomenal” is one variety of a Lavadin ~ a cross between L angustifolia and L. latifolia (spiked lavender). Phenomenal was discovered by Lloyd and Candy Traven of Peace Tree Farm in Pennsylvania. It grows well in sunny locations and is known for its tolerance to extreme heat and humidity. Hardiness Zones 5-8.

Lavender Hill first trialled Lavandula x Intermedia ‘Seal’ in 2019. Seal was developed ca. 1935 at Seal Herb Farm (England), where it was considered to be the best variety for commercial production, both for drying and for oil. Hardiness Zones 5-9. Bushy growth habit with dark purple-violet flowers that appear on long spikes.

Lavender prefers full sun and planted in well-drained soil.

~ Lavender Love