Lavandula angustifolia 'Tucker's Early Purple'
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ENGLISH LAVENDER
Family: Lamiaceae
Pronounced: lah-VAN-dew-lah an-gus-tih-FOE-lee-ah
GROWING GUIDE
Geographic Origin:
Garden.
Plant Group:
Herbs.
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Mature size: Height: 24 inches (60 cm).
Width: 36 inches (85 cm).
Flowering period: June to July and again in the fall if trimmed.
Flowering attributes: Violet blue flowers on dense spikes.
Leaf attributes: Linear, 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 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
Named after lavender expert Professor A.O. Tucker of Delaware State University, the English lavender, Lavandula angustifolia 'Tucker's Early Purple' is a compact, erect plant. Although its flowers are similar, this cultivar, in my opinion, dances circles around L. 'Twickel Purple', which tends to have an untidy sprawling habit. Thomas DeBaggio developed and introduced 'Tucker's Early Purple' in 1993. Its parents may be 'Mitchum Grey' and 'Irene Doyle'.
It is one of the earliest of the English lavenders to flower, with exceptionally fragrant blossoms in mid June and again in the fall. The dark flower buds and dark purple-blue flowers makes this herb outstanding as a cut flower for the vase or as a dried flower.
Debra Teachout-Teashon
Photographed at Cedarbrook Farm in Sequim, Washington.
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