'Hidcote' Lavandula angustifolia (English Lavender)

Cultivar Notes -

Hidcote

Dark purple flowers above a dense mound of fine-leaved, silvery, aromatic foliage.

Species Notes -

Lavandula angustifolia

Lavandula angustifolia or English Lavender is not a native of England at all but probably was brought over from the shores of the Mediterranean by the Romans. However, it is absent from literature until Elizabethan times, when laundresses were called "lavendres" because of their practice of using Lavender-scented water to impart the herb's clean, fresh scent.

Genus Notes -

Lavandula

The name of this genus was derived by the Romans from the Latin lavare, "to wash", in recognition of its common use in soap and various toiletries

Throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the English sought to remedy a host of bodily and psychic ills with Lavender. And today, this plant continues to delight gardeners due to its drought-tolerance, ease of care, and sheer beauty, whether in the ground or in dried arrangements.

People think of Lavender as an herb used in potpourri and sachets, but it’s also an outstanding garden plant with spikes of fragrant flowers in midsummer. Lavender loves dry heat and hates extreme humidity and wet soil. It is excellent for fresh cut or dried flowers.

Lavender MUST have good drainage in order to avoid root rot problems. Consider growing in a raised bed or rock garden.

English Lavender ‘Hidcote’Lavandula angustifolia

English Lavender ‘Hidcote’
Lavandula angustifolia