Lavandula angustifolia
English lavender, fine lavender, true lavender: whatever name you give it, this shrub remains inseparable from the image of Provence. Its purple fields striping the plateaus of Haute-Provence have made the Grasse perfume industry world-famous for centuries.
Characteristics:
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Fragrant shrub: bushy, upright branches and evergreen, gray-green foliage.
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Long flowering period: white, pink, blue, or mauve spikes with a smooth, penetrating fragrance, from April to September depending on the region.
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Long lifespan: when properly cared for, a lavender plant can live for around ten years in the garden.
Sowing advice:
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Exposure: full sun is essential, ideally in a warm, well-ventilated location.
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Soil: light, poor, stony, chalky, and above all very well drained — this is the critical point. It dies in heavy, clayey, or wet winter soil. Never fertilize: poor soil produces a more intense fragrance and a more compact plant. In heavy soil, plant on a mound or incorporate gravel.
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Method: the seeds require cold stratification to germinate properly — see our guide to cold stratification. Then sow them in pots under shelter at the end of winter, on the surface, as they need light to germinate.
Planting advice:
- Transplant in spring after the last frosts (or in autumn in southern regions), spacing plants 40 to 50 cm apart.
- Rock gardens, slopes, borders, or large pots suit it perfectly. It is generally hardy down to between -12 °C and -15 °C.
Care advice:
- Prune lightly each year after flowering, never cutting into the old wood: this is what determines its longevity and rounded shape.
- Almost no watering is needed once established — it is the ultimate drought-resistant garden plant.
Harvesting advice:
- Cut the flower spikes at the beginning of flowering, in the morning after the dew has evaporated, when the fragrance is at its strongest. Dry them in bundles hung upside down, in the shade and in a dry place.
Beneficial companions:
- It has the same requirements as other Mediterranean plants such as the thornless perennial caper bush, with which it creates a cohesive dry rock garden.
- Planted near roses or the vegetable garden, its scent disrupts certain unwanted insects — see the repellent plants.
Benefits for biodiversity:
- An iconic nectar plant, it is one of the most frequently visited by honeybees and wild bees, as well as butterflies, throughout its long summer flowering period.
Uses:
- Dried flowers scent laundry, are used in herbes de Provence, and have traditionally been used as an infusion.
Symbolism:
Lavender is inseparable from Provençal identity, to the point of becoming the floral emblem of an entire region and a historic pillar of the French perfume industry.
Harvesting your own seeds:
Leave a few flower spikes to turn brown and dry completely on the plant after flowering, then rub them over a container to release the seeds. Note that lavenders cross easily with one another: harvested seeds may produce plants that differ slightly from the parent plant. See saving your seeds.
Commitment to Quality: at SemiSauvage - Permaculture, we grow and select our seeds with respect for all living things as our guiding principle. Based near the Volcanoes of Auvergne, we choose open-pollinated, non-hybrid varieties, tested for their germination rate, carefully sorted and packaged, with no chemical treatment. Our belief: to give gardeners back the ability to resow, year after year, seeds that truly belong to them.
Add these lavender seeds to your garden to enjoy their iconic beauty and fragrance.
