Dried buds. Others might not look as spectacular but exude a rich perfume. Following is a list of suggested lavender varieties to consider: The following books are good references to add to your library for more information on lavender varieties. A great pick! The flower stalks are 3-5 inches long, blooming in spring to summer. Another fragrant white lavender variety, it flowers from late spring to early fall, requiring little care besides full sunlight conditions. Tolerant to hot and humid conditions, the perennial variety has low maintenance needs. Compact, extremely fragrant with rosy purple flowers, Lavender 'Munstead' is very attractive throughout the year. Utility: Fresh cut or dried flowers (retains its scent for about 2 years); potpourri; hedges and borders. Blooms twice starting in late spring or early summer. A frost-tolerant variety originally from New Zealand, the evergreen shrub grows upright with aromatic silvery-green foliage, producing unique purple-pink flowers that develop as white bracts, changing color as they mature. You may want to research what species and varieties are in demand before planting for essential oil production. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Blooms once around the middle of summer. Blooming twice in a year, during later spring to mid- to late summer, the sweetly fragrant flowers are of a cool bluish lavender shade, which contrast nicely with the plant’s gray-green foliage. Utility: Hedges and borders in medium gardens. Depending on the craft, do you want long stemmed, short stemmed, pale or dark flowers? Wreaths can be made from fresh or dried stems. Utility: Ground cover, hedges; fragrant fresh and dried flower arrangements and crafts. The blooming time is from late spring, extending to late summer or early fall. Has a rather long blooming season from late spring continuing through summer. © United States Lavender Growers Association. If you ask a dozen different people what their favorite culinary lavender is, you will get a dozen different answers. Utility: Borders around walkways and garden walls, flowerbeds, and mass planting. Super (L. x intermedia) - higher oil producing lavandin with an oil fragrance similar to angustifolias. Utility: Borders, and hedges (creates a nice free-flowing look in the summer breeze). The popularity of cooking with lavender has produced many delicious recipes using lavender. Cultivars of this species tend to be compact in habit and have grayish green narrow leaves and relatively short compact flower spikes. Up to 3-4 in. The showy evergreen plants bloom in mid to late summer. Utility: Ideal for short informal walkway borders or hedges as well as for containers. Being draught tolerant, lavender can thrive in areas where other plants won’t even grow. The deep purple flower stalks are considered to be the darkest variety by many gardeners, while the flags are of a soothing purple-violet shade; the dark green foliage is highly aromatic. The plants are pretty hardy, needing full sun, also able to tolerate cold, coming back every year once winter is over. Only plants will be removed from the collection. Pretty easy to grow and take care of, all varieties and cultivars are quite hardy, drought- and heat tolerant. Highly popular, English Lavender 'Hidcote' is a free flowering variety that is prized by most gardeners for its long lasting and delightful scent as well as the fashion in which its dark purple flower spikes beautifully contrast with its blue-green evergreen foliage. More lavender species/varieties have yet to be classified. Most of the varieties come from either the English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) or the French/Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas). Drought-tolerant and hardy to hot climates, these plants are great for attracting butterflies and bees, while they are also deer and rabbit resistance. If you have a lavender plant and are not sure exactly which one it is, send us a picture so we can help. True to the name, the flower stalks grow around a foot long. Sarah Berringer Bader, Lavender, The grower’s guide. Ideas with Lavandula - Lavenders, Lavandula angustifolia (English Lavender), A Mediterranean Garden Idea with Eryngium, Helenium and Lavandula, A Low Care Border Idea for Your Rock Garden, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, Dried Arrangements, Cut Flowers, Fragrant, Showy, Deer, Drought, Rabbit, Dry Soil, Rocky Soil, Strongest Scented English Lavender Varieties. Suitable to be grown only in large gardens as it tends to take over. long (7-10 cm), its flower spikes rise elegantly on long stems and retain their lovely and intense color, making this lavender an excellent choice for cut flowers, whether fresh or dried. A good rule of thumb to follow is to taste the bud. To create additional collections, you must be a paid member of our site. It is often regarded as one of the best quality oil producer, though the amount of oil extracted is less than other varieties. Extended, looming season starts in spring, continuing through summer to fall. Does well with a pruning around the end of spring, and blooms in summer. Deleting this collection CANNOT be undone. The fragrant lilac fluffy flower spikes create a stunning view when contrasted with the silver-/gray-green leaves. There are over 450 Lavender varieties and finding the most fragrant Lavender plant is not always an easy task. Counted among the largest lavender plants, it produces highly fragrant light blue flowers, blooming from mid-summer to early fall. Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device. Blooming once or twice in middle to late spring, the purple flower heads rise above the evergreen foliage. The plants are extremely tolerant to heat and humidity, blooming in summer. Most Fragrant Lavandula Angustifolia - English Lavender. Utility: Mass planting, herb gardens, hedge in smaller gardens; excellent for essential oil. For commercial production, planting several different varieties in several different locations on your property as test plots will help determine which varieties grow best for you. Sometimes considered less hardy than some other varieties, the fathead lavender grows dense, plump deep violet flower spikes from late spring to late summer. Light blue to purple beautifully fragrant flowers are spaced away from each other, with individual flowers being rather large. One of the darkest pink varieties, the evergreen plant is quite hardy to hot dry conditions. Utility: Tall aromatic hedges; fresh cut flowers and dry flower arrangements. Utility: Mass planting, flowerbeds and container planting. Another variety with a delicate sweet smell, these plants are also rather hardy. Named after the Twickel Castle (Netherlands) where the plants were first cultivated, this is a large robust variety growing bright bluish violet flowers on 7-8 inch long stems. Lavenders blooming twice are known to have a full second flush of blooms after the flowers of the first bloom have been harvested. Utility: Low hedges, and walkways, where it’s sweet fragrant can be enjoyed. The rich, velvety dark navy blue flowers of English Lavender 'Royal Velvet' are truly eye-catching. Royal Velvet - medium plant with dark purple flowers, Provence - large plant with pale purple flowers, Provence (L. x intermedia) - pale buds, some camphor scent, easy to take off stem, Grosso (L. x intermedia) - medium purple buds, strong camphor scent, Royal Velvet (L. angustifolia) - dark purple bud with sweet scent, Buena Vista (L. angustifolia)  - purple buds with nice lavender scent, Provence (L. x intermedia) - use for meats and savories, Royal Velvet (L. angustifolia) - great flavor and nice dark purple bud, very nice in desserts, Betty’s Blue (L. angustifolia) - nice gentle lavender flavor and dark bud, Melissa (L. angustifolia) - wonderful flavor in desserts and teas, Grosso - nice long stems for lavender wands, Folgate (L. angustifolia)  - early blooming, dries dark blue/purple, great for wreaths, Royal Velvet (L. angustifolia) - dries dark purple, great for wreaths, Buena Vista (L. angustifolia) - dries dark purple, great for wreaths, Most angustifolias bloom earlier than lavandins, Buena Vista – blooms several times during the season, Grosso (L. x intermedia) - considered the highest oil producing lavender, high camphor content, Royal Velvet (L. angustifolia) - sweeter, floral fragrance, Super (L. x intermedia) - higher oil producing lavandin with an oil fragrance similar to angustifolias, Maillette (L. angustifolia)  - considered the oil standard in France, one of the best angustifolia, The Lavender Lover’s Handbook. Sharon Shipley introduced “The Lavender Cookbook” in 2004 and favored Provence, a lavandin, as the best culinary lavender. The evergreen plants flower between mid-late spring and late summer. The size and foliage somewhat resembles the ‘grosso’ variety, but the flowers are a dark purple, growing on flatter spikes. The strongly fragrant stunning dark purple flower spikes are spaced out a little, giving it a fluid flowing appearance, especially in wind. Keep in mind that in the aromatherapy field many practitioners will only consider angustifolia as an essential oil and not lavandins. Join now and start creating your dream garden! Another dwarf variety, with stunning purple-lilac flowers, and lush silvery green foliage. May have a second and third flush of flowers during the season if the flowers are cut soon enough. One of the first lavenders to bloom, it blooms once in mid to late spring (early to mid May). It has an extended blooming season between spring and summer, lasting around 4 weeks. Landscaping. Thick gray-green (summer) to silver-green (winter) foliage. One of the dwarf varieties of English lavender, it grows dark purple-blue flowers with strong fragrance. Culinary buds. The description of these plants Hidcote is a perfect choice for low hedges, for edging or for creating borders. They can grow in acidic to alkaline soil including sandy and chalky soils, but do not do well in fertile soils. Many times, the more people you ask, the more confused you have become. Blooms once in late spring or early summer. Native to the western parts of the Mediterranean, this species grows long, pale lilac flower spikes with a distinctive scent that is stronger and more pungent than the English lavender. Trimming the plants in summer encourages lush bushier foliage. The gray-green narrow leaves have a rich lavender-rosemary aroma. Being from the Mediterranean regions, they all need poor to medium soil with excellent drainage along with full sunlight. Essential Oil: Grosso (L. x intermedia) - considered the highest oil producing lavender, high camphor content.