Lavender Hidcote seeds - True Lavender

Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote', also known as English lavender or common lavender, is a robust Mediterranean shrub. It forms a dense and compact ball covered with aromatic grey-green foliage, that is deciduous or semi-evergreen. In June, its short and stocky spikes bloom into a multitude of bristly stems that transform the plant into a  round, deep violet-blue display. Decorative even in winter, it has a strong nature, tolerant against drought and salty wind.  Give it a dry slope with poor soil, sun and plenty of heat.

Lavandula angustifolia is a plant of the Lamiaceae family, related to salvias, thymes and rosemarys. The 'Hidcote' variety forms a small-sized bush of  50cm (19.7 in) in all directions, with an upright, very compact, dense and vigorous habit, in a bushy and rounded clump. Its decorative deciduous or semi-evergreen foliage is composed of narrow aromatic leaves which are a beautiful silver-green colour. In summer, this lavender is covered with a multitude of dark violet-blue, highly fragrant flowers that attract bees, carried by short cylindrical spikes at the end of woody stems. In reality, it is the coloured calyxes, which surround the flowers, that influence the perception of the colour of the inflorescence when seen from a distance.

This Lavender Hidcote, like most other lavenders, needs to be planted in full sun in very well-drained soil (even dry and rocky soil). In a sunny and warm location, its silver-green foliage will be bright and its violet flowers will exude an intense fragrance. An ornamental and Mediterranean plant par excellence, lavender can be used in flower beds, as a specimen plant, in borders, rock gardens, pots, coastal areas, and even as a low-flowering hedge.

With its graphic and wild appearance, the colour of its foliage, and its violet flowers,  the gardener has endless possibilities. You can associate Lavender Hidcote with grasses like Stipa pennata or Stipa tenuifolia, which, with their tousled habit, will contrast with its rounded shape and create a harmonious association often found in nature. It will also work wonders when combined with perennial flaxes, astragals, euphorbias, or shrubs such as rockroses, landscape roses, coronillas, and shrubby salvias. It pairs well with Iris germanica, daylilies, and the corollas of Poppies. You can also create beautiful containers to be placed on the patio or balcony. It is also possible to mix several lavender varieties together, creating an elegant display with a variety of flower and foliage colours, as well as different plant sizes and volumes.

Properties: English lavender, being a highly honey-producing plant, contributes to the conservation of bees: the nectar of its flowers attracts bees, making it one of the most renowned honey plants. The plant is distilled to obtain a highly sought-after essential oil used in perfumery and aromatherapy. Its numerous therapeutic virtues are still widely used: its essential oil has antiseptic, antispasmodic, healing, purifying, diuretic properties, etc.