The French lavender is a particularly floriferous type of lavender and is therefore particularly popular with aesthetes among hobby gardeners. But even with such a characteristic scent, it is anything but stingy, which makes it ideal for creative aroma DIY projects.
The French lavender is not only very popular with bees
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- sorts
- natural range in the Mediterranean to North African region
- is therefore not frost hardy
- prefers lime-poor, dry, light habitats
- Panicles of dark mauve color with light purple bracts
- Very aromatic, spicy fragrance
- bee pasture
- French lavender likes it warm and dry
- needs a lot of sunlight
- The drier, warmer and lighter, the higher concentration of essential oils
- Dry, well-drained, lime-poor (!) soil
- A mixture of cactus or herbal soil and sand is best
- Pot culture compulsory throughout the winter
- In the summer after the last risk of frost, French lavender can also be planted out
- It is best to use terracotta planters
- Work a good drainage layer into the substrate
- Repot in spring when wintering out
- Keep cool and bright (5-10°C)
- Ideal place: cold house, unheated stairwell by the window
- Water very little
- regular pruning keeps the shrub nice and compact and prevents lignification and bare growth
- a rejuvenating, sprouting-promoting pruning after wintering out
- pruning after the first flowering to induce a second
origin
The French lavender, botanically Lavandula stoechas, comes from Mediterranean regions like the more well-known real lavender. However, its distribution area also extends further south, namely to northern Africa on the Canary Islands and Madeira. Its original habitat is therefore somewhat warmer than that of real lavender. For cultivation in Central Europe, this means that it cannot be planted outdoors permanently. In contrast to real lavender, it is not frost hardy.
Its originally preferred landscape zones are dry, low-calcareous shrub heaths and light pine groves.
What you need to know about the origin of French lavender:
growth
The French lavender grows as an evergreen semi-shrub with particularly strongly branched shoots, which gives it a very bushy habit. In its natural environment, it can reach a height of up to one meter. In this country in the pot culture he is only 30-50 cm high. The shoots are densely covered with foliage and give the French lavender a very compact appearance.
leaves
Similar to real lavender, the leaves of the French lavender have a needle-like, lanceolate shape and reach a length of up to 4 centimeters. They are still silvery-green in color when they sprout, later they darken to a fir green. Aside from the flowers, the leaves also give off a spicy-aromatic scent reminiscent of pine needles.
blossom
The flower gives its name to the French lavender. Their special feature is the light violet bracts, which stand like a tuft over the grape-like panicles. They give the shrub as a whole a cheerfully relaxed accent, not least because of the color contrast between the dark, mauve-colored flower spikes, the light-colored bracts and the brownish, felt-like bracts.
The scent of the flowers is particularly attractive, which is particularly strong and camphor-like. It not only attracts numerous, useful garden insects, but also invites you to experiment with aromatic, homemade cosmetics or delicacies.
The characteristics of the French lavender flower:
heyday
The flowering time is slightly dependent on the variety. The earliest varieties open their flowers in late May, the latest in September.
location
The requirements of French lavender for its location are not significantly different from those of real lavender. He wants it to be warm and dry, with as much sunlight as possible. The more sun, warmth and dryness he experiences, the more intensely he will focus on the production of the fragrant essential oils. So pay particular attention to the fulfillment of its original location requirements if you want to attract a lot of bees and possibly make something fine out of the flowers.
To remember:
Earth
The main difference between French lavender and real lavender is its preferred pH value. In contrast to its conspecifics, it needs a low-calcareous planting ground. So the soil should be quite acidic. Still, it thrives best in well-drained, lean, heather-like soil that has a good proportion of sand. It is advisable to take special cactus or herb soil and loosen it up with sand or clay granules.
To remember:
pour
Like true lavender, French lavender does not need a lot of water. It is naturally adapted to long periods of drought and great heat. So only water it moderately so that the soil never stays dripping wet. You should use soft, stagnant water, ideally rainwater, as irrigation water.
Fertilize
When it comes to nutrients, the French lavender is frugal. He loves a lean substrate and basically does not need to be fertilized at all. You may be able to give it a little low-dose, potassium-rich fertilizer after it has wintered or use fertilizer sticks (€4.48) to promote vigorous budding.
In the pot
As a species that is not hardy, the French lavender must be cultivated in pots - at least over the winter. In principle, you can also transplant it outside in the summer after the ice saints are over - as long as you can offer it a suitable place and planting ground. At the latest when the first frost is announced, you have to move it back into the pot.
A terracotta pot is best suited as a planter for the French lavender, as it is absorbent and promotes a dry ball of soil. The material also underscores the Mediterranean character of the plant.
In the pot you have to pay particular attention to a good permeability of the substrate: If possible, work a coarse drainage layer of expanded clay (19.73€) into the lower part of the sandy soil mixture.
You should repot the French lavender in early spring when you bring it out of its winter quarters. You can thin out the roots a little if necessary to promote growth.
The rules for pot culture at a glance:
hibernate
Like all cultivated plants that are not frost-hardy, the French lavender needs a separate overwintering phase. In view of its northern hemispheric origin, it must be protected from sub-zero temperatures, but still needs a temperature drop compared to the summer phase. Because the winter season is of course not unknown to him. The ideal hibernation temperature for him is around 5 to 10°C. He should still have light. A suitable place to hibernate is a cold house, a window seat in an unheated stairwell or in an attic under a skylight.
The French lavender is only poured very sparingly in the winter quarters. Even in summer it needs little water, in winter the amount of water should be reduced so that the root ball does not dry out completely.
Overwintering at a glance:
hardy
Within the Lavandula stoechas species, there are also conditionally hardy varieties that can also be planted outdoors permanently. However, this is only recommended in rather mild regions where winter temperatures rarely drop far below freezing. However, should there be isolated phases with critical sub-zero temperatures, such a variety of French lavender can also be protected by covering it with fir branches or jute.
To cut
You should cut back the French lavender once after the first flowering. For two reasons: firstly, pruning induces a second bloom, which you and garden insects can look forward to. On the other hand, the shrub is kept compact and dense by regular pruning, which corresponds to its typical habit and ensures a well-groomed impression. In addition, the pruning also serves to avoid excessive woodiness and unsightly balding.
In order to support the compactness even more intensively and also for rejuvenation, you can cut back the French lavender a bit after the winter has ended. In February or March, when you start acclimating him to warmer temperatures, a precise trimming will do him good. This also encourages vigorous new growth.
Cutting rules at a glance:
multiply
cuttings
The easiest way to propagate the lavender is by cuttings. To do this, cut young shoots about 10 cm long, remove the green leaves underneath and put them in planters with potting soil. You can cover them with foil to ensure an even, protected growth climate. The planters must be bright and warm.
seed cultivation
Seed cultivation also promises a very high success rate for French lavender. You can also harvest the seeds yourself and store them over the winter. From the end of February, when the mother plant hibernates, place the seeds in seed trays with potting soil and, if so, cover them only slightly, as these germinate in the light. Place the trays in a bright, warm place and carefully keep the substrate moist. The seeds usually germinate after a week or two.
Diseases
Due to its high content of essential oils, French lavender is pleasantly resistant to diseases and pests. What can do him most harm is too much moisture. It can rot the roots and lead to mold growth. If necessary, a fungus nests, which is rarely the case. In this case, remove all diseased parts of the plant as early as possible and use a fungicide.
Edible
Basically, lavender is naturally edible. It does not contain any toxins and is also particularly valuable due to its high content of essential oils.
How it becomes palatable, however, is another question. Because its rather tough, scratchy plant structure and the very intense, almost strong scent of leaves and flowers do not make it a delicacy that can be eaten raw. But: It is ideal for flavoring fine foods. The parts of the plant tend not to be eaten, but it is possible.
Flavoring - sweet and savory!
Thanks to its dry, ethereal flavor, French lavender is suitable for flavoring both sweet dishes and savory dishes. Lavender sugar, for example, is great for a flowery note in cakes and co., while lavender salt provides a very interesting note in stew dishes. It is also recommended to add a lavender flower to each jar when preserving homemade jams, such as apricots or peaches.
Oil for gourmets
Last but not least, oil can also be wonderfully refined with blossoms and fresh shoots of French lavender. It gives wild herb salads in particular a fragrant note.
Tasty medicinal tea
Dried flowers can also be infused into an aromatic, floral and healing tea that promotes digestion and has a relaxing effect.
tip
If you want to plant your French lavender in summer, it is best to choose a south-facing slope. Due to the slightly vertical position, the southern plant can soak up even more sunlight. Stones in the immediate vicinity of the bed also provide the shrub with pleasant radiant heat even after sunset.
sorts
Butterfly Garden
This variety is characterized by flower panicles in clear, reddish purple and particularly long bracts in light violet. The bracts are so long that they tend to overhang and thus form a sweeping tuft. The flowers of the Lavandula stoechas Butterfly Garden appear in July and can be reproduced until October if the faded stands are carefully cut back. They give off a pleasant scent and are a valuable source of nutrients for bees and other insects.
With a height of 40 to 80 centimeters and a width of only 20 to 30 centimeters, the variety shows a very tight, slender growth.
Especially with the Lavandula stoechas Butterfly Garden is its appreciable frost hardiness. In generally rather mild regions of the country, it can also be cultivated outdoors permanently.
Madrid
The variety series Lavandula stoechas Madrid is available with different flower colors, which is quite special within the French lavender species. Because here the color spectrum goes beyond the typically dark, dull purple. With sub-varieties such as Madrid Pink, Madrid White or Madrid Sky Blue, more cool freshness enters the appearance of French lavender: Madrid Pink shows panicles in a somewhat clearer purple and bracts in light rosé, Madrid White has completely white flowers. With its night sky blue panicles and the contrasting, fresh white bracts, the Madrid Sky Blue is particularly decorative and appealing.
The Lavandula stoechas Madrid begin to open their flowers around June. Continuously cleaning out the faded panicles will encourage new growth.
All Spanish French lavender varieties have typically silver-green foliage and are about 40-60 cm high with a bushy, about 90 cm wide habit.
Kew Red
The Lavandula stoechas Kew Red is also very attractive and intensively colored. The panicle shows itself in a rich, velvety magenta, against which the bracts stand out in a delicate white-pink. In addition, the pretty structure also exudes a strong, very seductive scent. The refreshing splendor of flowers is presented from July and unfortunately ebbs away again in August. In terms of growth height, the Kew Red is somewhat smaller at around 40 to 50 centimeters and with a narrow width of 30-40 centimeters it is also significantly slimmer than many of its conspecifics.