Lavender Identification

English Lavender

• English lavender, which is also known as true lavender, is commonly planted in English gardens for its attractive, soft purple color and sweet, flower-like scent. English lavender is often the plant that lavender oil is made from; the oil is used to soothe the skin and promote calm and relaxation. Varieties of English lavender include Hidcote, which is a deep purple and grows well in cool climates, and Munstead, which is the most heat tolerant of English lavenders. The Mountain Valley Growers website asserts that Vera lavender, a small-petaled plant with near-white purple blooms, is actually the truest of English lavenders; plants that grow in central Europe at altitudes between 2,500 and 4,500 feet produce the highest-quality lavender oil.

Non-English Lavender

• Non-English lavenders grow particularly well in USDA hardiness zones 8, 9 and 10. Many varieties blooms early, such as Spanish, Wooly and Sweet. Spanish lavender has dark green leaves and eggplant-purple flowers; it blooms in the spring. After it is pruned, the plant is an attractive grayish green. Wooly lavender prefers arid conditions and well-drained soil to produce purple flowers with a grayish tint. Sweet lavender has the fastest growth rate of all non-English lavenders and can often sprout to more than 2 feet. However, this lavender variation is not ideal for cooking or preparing oils, as it has a high menthol content.

Lavandins

• Lavandins are English lavender hybrids and bloom well into the middle of summer, after English lavenders have died down. Grosso and Provence lavandins have the most intense floral scent; Grosso have purple calyxs instead of the green ones most lavender plants possess and are a beautiful addition to bouquets. Provence lavandins grow on a slim stem and the flowers easily fall from the plant to make potpourri. White Grosso make attractive additions to centerpieces and bouquets -- the flowers will even stay white once they are dried. Fred Boutin flowers are known for their crisp, tranquil scent as well. The flower was discovered in 1980 and has medium purple blooms.

Yellow Lavender

• Even though yellow lavender is technically a non-English lavender, its striking color is a definite departure from the standard purple and pink blooms that usually characterize the plant. The soft yellow flowers are pineapple-shaped and the plant can grow up to 3 feet high. Yellow lavender grows best in USDA hardiness zones 8 to 11; the stalks are a Kelly green shade and some blooms grow in a cream or off-white. Yellow lavender grows well with other English plants, like Allardi or Goodwin Creek Gray, as the bright green foliage and yellow flowers will complement the gray and purple of traditional lavender plants well.