What Is the Tallest Lavender?

Attributes

• Hidcote Giant is a hybrid known as lavandin. Lavandins are crosses between English lavenders, (Lavendula augustifolia spp.) and the spiky lavenders (Lavendula latifolia spp.) of Italy, France and Spain. Lavandins have a lot going for them. They are highly scented and the flowers on the tall spikes are more densely packed than on the non-hybrids. They also grow taller, wider and faster than other lavenders, and adjust well to hot summer temperatures. When planted en masse this lavender pulls out all the stops.

Cultivation

• The tall Hidcote Giant lavender grows best in United States Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 to 8 and in full sun. Like all lavenders, it is a drought-tolerant shrubby perennial, thriving in well-drained soil . Growing lavender in alkaline soil will help enhance the herb's pungent scent. When they are first planted, mix a little compost into the soil and keep the soil damp, but not sopping wet during the first growing season. Hidcote Giant and other taller varieties of lavender can be cut back by one-third in early spring.

Uses

• In the garden, Hidcote Giant puts on a show. It's a traditional herb found in cottage gardens, useful for bordering a driveway or, considering the plant's ultimate height, when planted en masse at the back of a flower border. With its strong lavandin fragrance, it has found many uses inside the home. When dried, it's added to potpourri and flower arrangements. A little sachet of lavender will keep moths from nibbling woolly winter coats and cotton linens. Sachets tucked under your pillow will aid sleep. The flower heads are edible, often used by cook and baker.

Other Considerations

• There are other tallish lavenders to suit other USDA plant hardiness zones. Spanish lavender (Lavendula stoechas spp.) will grow to 36 inches. It has gray-green leaves and the flowers range from purple to pink. Cultivars are hardy from USDA plant hardiness zones 8 through 11. The French lavender Allardi (Lavendula x allardii "Allardi") has few flowers, but it is quite fragrant. It will grow to 3 feet. French lavenders are also hardy from zones 8 through 11. The English lavender Graves (Lavendula augustifolia "Graves") will grow to 30 inches tall and is hardy from USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 11. It performs best when planted in spring rather than fall.