Which Lavender is Best For You?

Our lavenders are so popular with you!
Lavenders need a light, free-draining soil to do well, not too much humidity, and a dry winter.

All lavender types are excellent plants for hot dry Australian climates - except in the tropical top end where it's a bit too humid for their soft foliage.

It's why they're only available from us for part of the year, when the climate here on the Sunshine Coast is perfect for propagation.

 

Free flowering, and fantastic in tough situations, lavenders are also very happy planted in tubs and containers.

Clip over the plants with shears or secateurs after the first flush of flowers and they will often flower again.
A twice-yearly clip is better than a severe prune every few years, to maintain shape and plant health.

Lavenders are an excellent addition to wildlife gardens, and to fruit and veg gardens, as they attract beneficial pollinators like native bees and butterflies - which in turn attract birds and insectivore mammals.

 

We have a range of lavender tubestock, usually available June to January; and seeds all year if you prefer to grow your own:

 

English lavender Lavandula angustifolia

Small slender flowers loved by bees and butterflies - plant amongst your fruit trees to help pollination.

Hardier than the French and Italian kinds, this one is ideal for cooler regions as it will come through quite hard frost.

Flowers are usually dark purple-blue, but can also be found in pink and white; and the foliage is slender like rosemary, and soft grey-green.

Excellent for drying - and for eating when picked fresh.

Italian lavender Lavandula stoechas

Fat oval flowers with distinctive long 'tassel' petals on the top, in rich purple, deep pink, or white; and slender grey-green leaves.
We usually have the purple and pink kinds, occasionally white.

Although it looks glamorous and super-showy, it will survive a frost in a well-drained soil. It might need clipping again in the spring but the roots will be fine.

A variation of this variety, Lavender Grosso, is very rich in the essential oil and prized by perfumiers and fragrance companies.

French lavender Lavandula pedunculata, Lavandula dentata

Fat flowers with small 'tassel' petals erupting from the top in shades of purple, pink, and white; and slender grey-green leaves indented along the edges.

The flowers are almost halfway between English and Italian types in their appearance.

It's a little less cold-hardy than the others but should survive a light overnight frost.

You'll sometimes see L. stoechas sold as French lavender or even Spanish lavender, but as we have both species, we like to keep them separate!

Hidcote Blue lavender - seed – Hidcote Blue is a popular variety of English lavender beloved for its deep purple-blue flowers; the upright bushy habit suited to informal edging and low hedges, and wildlife gardens.
Deer and rabbit resistant, bee and butterfly friendly, frost hardy and drought tolerant, it's a great all-rounder.

 

Create a relaxing retreat in a sunny spot of the garden with these much-loved fragrant shrubs.
Add your favourite chair, your favourite drink, lie back... and immerse yourself in the calming scent of lavender.