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By any name, these full-figured beauties are gorgeous in annual pots or the southern perennial garden. The fat, eye-catching flowers display prominently on sturdy, upright stems and are among the earliest of lavenders to bloom. This fragrant, useful species is a striking annual in cooler areas. Hardy in warm climates. pictured above:  Lavandula stoechas Butterfly Garden™ Poppin' Pink PPAF A 2027 Fresh Pick Long blooming. Bright pink flowers on sturdy, compact foliage. Hardy for Zones

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

When the color experts at Pantone announced their Color of the Year for 2021, they gave us a rare double-header. Illuminating is a cheerful yellow. Ultimate Gray is exactly what it sounds like. They complement one another beautifully: Yellow for sunny optimism, gray for rock-solid reliability. We looked at yellow last time, so let’s go gray again!Obviously, gray – even Ultimate Gray -- is not sexy. Let’s call it silver. Either way, there’s a place for it in nearly every border. Colors