Lavandula x intermedia 'Provence'
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HEDGE LAVENDER, LAVENDIN
Family: Lamiaceae
Pronounced: lah-VAN-dew-lah in-ter-MED-ee-ah
GROWING GUIDE
Geographic Origin:
Garden.
Plant Group:
Herbs.
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Mature size: Height: 3 feet (90 cm). Width: 6 feet (190 cm).
Flowering period: Summer.
Flowering attributes: Dark purple flowers on dense, fat spikes.
Leaf attributes: Lance to spoon-shaped, aromatic, evergreen, gray-green leaves.
Light: Full sun.
Soil: Well-drained, loose soil.
Feeding: None to very light feeding.
Propagation Methods: Softwood cuttings in summer.
Pruning Methods: Prune in early spring to keep plants from getting leggy and later perform a light trimming after flowers fade, taking off the flower stem, to extend the blooming season. In spite of advice never to hard prune lavender, you can hard prune young plants; however, old, woody plants will not take well to radical pruning.
Rainy Side Notes
This large lavender grows three feet wide by six feet tall and has exceptionally long flowering stems. It may not be the best choice for all areas of the maritime Pacific Northwest. Andy Van Hevelingen, a professional herb grower from Newburg, Oregon, believes the plant easily gives in to fungal attack and winter dieback in our region. However, the plants I found growing in Sequim, Washington were healthy and beautiful. Sequim receives on average only 17 inches of rain a year, because the town lies within a rain shadow from the Olympic Mountains. That explains why this cultivar is so healthy and vigorous growing there. I highly recommend this plant for the drier areas in the maritime section of our region. In areas with more rainfall, try planting them under the eaves on the south side of a building.
Although Lavandula 'Provence' does not produce commercially viable oil, it is a choice lavender for cutting fresh or dried flowers, wands and potpourri.
Debra Teachout-Teashon
Photographed at Cedarbrook Farm in Sequim, Washington.
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