Sweet lavender

Lavandula x heterophylla

Description

Sweet lavender is a hybrid lavender selection that grows into mound-shaped shrubs, 3-4 ft. high and 4-5 ft. wide. It has narrow pale green leaves to 1 in. long; flowers are dark blue-purple, grow in whorl-type clusters on 3-4 in. long spikes above the foliage. Flowering is heaviest in spring, but also occurs intermittently throughout the year.

Sweet lavender is commonly grown for commercial as well as in garden plantings plantings due to its fragrant foliage and leaves. It is a reliable choice for perennial and mixed borders where it adds a uniform habit and flowering value over a long season. Like other lavenders, this cultivar is well-suited to Mediterranean style gardens. L. x heterophylla ‘Alba’ is similar in size and produces white flowers

Plant Type: Shrub
Foliage Character: Evergreen
Habit: Uniform, Mounding, Compact
Growth Rate: Fast
Foliage Color: Pale green
Flower Color: Purple, Blue
Flower Season: Spring
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil
Exposure Adaptations: Heat, All day sun
Function: Flowering accent plant, Culinary use, Commercial spaces, Borders, Banks, Attracts bees, Fragrant foliage, Fragrant flowers, Residential spaces, Raised planters, Hummingbird plant, Grouped
Height: 4 ft. – 5 ft.
Width: 3 ft. – 4 ft.

Watering Schedule: Low 2

For most situations, we recommend watering deeply every 2 weeks after establishment.

Learn how to apply this watering schedule to your landscape on our How to water waterwise and California native plants page.

Important Notes

These are general guidelines. Always observe and adjust as necessary for your landscape.
If it rains over 1” you will likely not need to water for at least another two weeks. Before watering again, check the soil. It should be significantly dry at least 4” below the soil surface before watering.
To save water, in many cases you can go longer in between waterings during the winter, often up to 3-4 weeks between watering for well-established plants. Two weeks after watering, check the soil approximately 4” below the surface. If it is still significantly moist, you can wait longer before watering again.
In most cases, if you have a “smart timer” or weather sensitive irrigation controller, you may use these features to save some water in in the fall and winter. If you are using automatic weather adjusting functions, continue to allow the timer to run every two weeks. It will adjust the number of minutes it runs to account for the cooler weather.
It is important to group plants with the same water needs together in the landscape to avoid needing to over or under water plants when running your irrigation system.

For best results, trim back lavender two times per year. Cut back by about 1/3 of the leafy part of the stems once spring blooms start to fade. This will encourage more growth and potentially a rebloom in late summer / fall. Trim back in the same way again once the rebloom fades. Lavenders that are not maintained become woody and may not last more than a few years in the garden. Lavender will not grow back from cuts made in woody growth below the lowest set of leaves, so the regular pruning, at least once a year, is essential to maintain a clean and compact form. Lavender needs well draining soil to stay healthy. If your soil is heavy clay or drains poorly, you may be better off growing lavender as a potted plant. Sweet lavender is one of the easier large lavenders to grow in Southern California. This plant wants to get big, a minimum of 4′ wide. It will take constant pruning to keep it smaller, so if you have a small space, it is best to plant a smaller selection of lavender, such as Spanish Lavender (S). References

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Sweet lavender

Description

Watering Schedule: Low 2

Important Notes

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