Types of Lavender

English Lavender

• English lavender (Lavendula Augustifolia) is the species most people associate with the name "lavender." Generations of gardeners have grown English lavender for both its scent and as a medicinal and culinary herb. The shrub is a perennial plant, grows 2 to 3 feet high and typically has purple flowers, although certain cultivated varieties have white or pink flowers.

French Lavender

• French lavender (Lavendula dentata) is less fragrant than the English variety. Grown primarily for ornamental or decorative purposes, the plant has toothed gray leaves that are about 1-inch long and grow up to 3 feet high. The purple flowers are approximately 3/8-inch long. Despite its name, the plant is common throughout Spain. It flourishes in warm, temperate climates.

Spanish Lavender

• Spanish lavender (Lavendula stoechas) produces distinctive pinecone-shaped flowers and has lance-shaped leaves. Spanish lavender does not make a good culinary herb and is grown primarily as an ornamental. It thrives in humid climates and can tolerate a more acidic soil than most other types of lavender. The flowers are used in the dried flower industry.

Lavandin

• Lavandin (Lavendula hybridia) is a hybrid variety propagated from two different lavender species, English and spike lavender. It has larger leaves and reaches a greater height than its English lavender parent. Lavandin also has a greater concentration of oil than English lavender and is grown commercially for this reason. Lavandin is sterile and requires vegetative propagation to reproduce. In this technique, horticulturalists create a clone of the original plant by nurturing a root, stem or branch of the plant under optimal conditions.