Lavender Varieties

Lavendula Angustifolia - "English Lavenders"
Angustifolias are the traditional English garden lavender. They have narrow leaves, shorter stems with flower heads that are barrel shaped as opposed to spiky. Their fragrance is sweeter than their hybrid cousins the Lavandins, and because of this, their oil is coveted for aromatherapy and perfume. They bloom earlier in the year than the lavandins. In the winter months, the Angustifolias can often look dead because of the smallness of the leaves. Their dried blossoms are used in cooking, crafting and cosmetics. The Angustifolias produce seeds that are viable, and young plants will often appear below the parent plant.

Click on the images below to view a larger photo and to read a description of each lavender variety.

Lodden Blue

Melissa

Royal Velvet

Sachet

Sharon Roberts

Mitchem Gray

Lavendula Intermediate - Lavandins
The Intermediates are a hybrid of Angustifolia and Spike lavender. The hybrid vigor of these plants makes them hardy but sterile. Called Lavandins, this group typically has larger leaves, longer stems and larger flower heads that are pointed at the top instead of barrel shaped. They have a more camphorous quality to their fragrance, and because of this are typically used in soaps and detergents. The oil yield of the lavandins is much greater than the Angustifolias, so it has become a “work horse” in the fields of France. Not only are these plants hardy and disease resistant, they have a more attractive look in the winter months. Because of their sterility, the seeds in these plants are infertile, and the preferred method of reproduction is with cuttings. Typically the Lavandin sachet is strong smelling, making it excellent for riding clothes of moth or in massage oil for sore muscles, but not used for cooking. The strong color of many of the cultivars makes their sachet and dried flowers excellent for crafting.

Click on the images below to view a larger picture, and to learn more about each variety.

Dutch Mill

Fred Boutin

Grosso

Hidcote Giant

Provence

Seal

White Spike

Lavendula Stoechas - Spanish & Other Lavenders
Here we have grouped other varieties grown at Purple Haze. Click on the images below to view larger pictures, and to learn more about each variety.

Dark Eyes

Silver Frost

Otto Quast