Mmmmm… What’s That Smell Again? Wait, don’t tell me – it’s lavender, of course!
Posted by John Friel on Jul 15th 2022
Yes, it’s Lavandula, all right. Nothing else can match the fresh, clean fragrance of this legendary herb. We know that fragrance well, since we grow 12 varieties in several species. Let’s look at more of them, shall we?
Earlier, we examined some varieties of L. angustifolia. This time, let’s look at …
Lavandula stoechas, a.k.a. Spanish lavender. This lovely, aromatic, useful species is less winter-hardy (Zones 7 – 9) than “English” lavender, but very heat-tolerant. All varieties feature striking flowers atop sturdy upright stems.
L. s. ‘Otto Quast’ Fat bicolor flowers with lavender top petals over deep-purple bracts. Named for the man who discovered it in Point Reyes, California, it’s one of the earliest to bloom.
L. s. Primavera PP33269 Small purple blooms topped with burgundy petals. Extremely tolerant of wilting Southern heat.
L. s. ‘Silver Anouk’ PP20068 Stacked bracts of dark purple are topped with paler wing like petals. Shrubby masses of upright, silver-blue aromatic foliage.
Fun Factoids
● L. stoechas has several colloquial names including “butterfly lavender” and “rabbit-ears” because of the top flower petals that spread out -- like wings, or ears.
● Point Reyes, California, famous for a picturesque lighthouse, was named “Punto de Los Reyes” by 17th Century Spanish explorer Sebastian Vizcaino in honor of the Magi.
Get the smell that sells. Fragrant, gorgeous Spanish lavender comes to you in easy-planting, fast-growing 72-cell liners from Emerald Coast Growers – your easy choice!