Those who do not have an amazing flower - lavender - on their plot or dacha should think about purchasing it. This is not only a beautiful, fragrant flower, but also a storehouse of useful properties. It is used for brewing tea, in cosmetology, aromatherapy, traditional and folk medicine. Garden lavender varieties can be selected for your region. A wide range of colors will not leave you indifferent.
Features of the plant
Among perennial flowers, gardeners and landscape designers prefer lavender.The height, depending on the variety, ranges from 10 to 100 centimeters. The shoots are branching and erect. In some specimens the trunk is lignified from below. The stem ends in spike-shaped inflorescences of various tones: from blue to dark purple. Lavender is found with a white and yellow color. The flowers are two-lipped and emit a bright aroma.
Flowering lasts 30-40 days. The fruits fall off after ripening. Flowers are used in folk and traditional medicine due to the presence of essential oil.
In the northern regions, many varieties cannot withstand harsh winters, so they are grown as annuals. Plants are propagated by seeds and cuttings. Some varieties bloom in the first year after sowing. Lavender loves sunny places, earth with a neutral reaction.
Varieties of Lavender
More than 30 species of lavender grow in nature. And only some of them are cultivated.
Narrow-leaved
Narrow-leaved lavender bushes (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) are distinguished by their large dimensions - 100 x 100 centimeters. The numbers determine the width and length of the shoots.
The root is a taproot. The stem is branched, woody below. Leaves - 2-6 centimeters, narrow in shape, drooping, green. Flowering begins in June, with a purple-pink color. If the inflorescences are not cut off, lavender reproduces by self-sowing.
Serrated
In the wild, jagged lavender grows in the Atlantic Islands. A chic subshrub spreads 1.5 meters wide. Shoots grow up to one meter. At the end of the stem sit large flowers in the form of a spike, purple in color, with a blue tint.
Flowering period is the second ten days of July. A heat-loving plant in northern latitudes is grown at home. The leaves are 4 centimeters long, serrated.
The Royal Gardeners of Great Britain awarded the variety the Garden Merit award for its excellent external characteristics and bright aroma.
broadleaf
Broad-leaved lavender is a derivative of many varieties. Life expectancy is 10 years. To extend their service life, gardeners prune shoots after flowering, then in the fall. The woody and green part is left on the stem. This measure prevents the death of the plant.
Inflorescences of different colors: blue, lavender, purple. Pleases with flowering and aroma in the last month of spring.
English
Narrow-leaved, also known as the English variety. A plant lives on the same soil for 20 years. Winter-hardy variety, prefers sunny areas, raised beds. The stems of the English variety have a white edge, so from the outside the bushes appear bluish-gray. Found in the wild in the Kuban, it takes root well in flowerpots.
Munstead
A derivative of the Manstead variety is narrow-leaved lavender. The variety is very popular in the southern regions of Russia and Ukraine.
Compact bush 40x40 centimeters, with bright green leaves. The inflorescences rise above the stem like blue candles. The flower cannot be ignored due to the contrast of shades. The delicate aroma of flowers and leaves gives charm to the plant and reveals its location.
The plant is drought resistant, but not for a long time. In dry summers, moderate watering is required. Does not tolerate acidic soil. Flowering occurs in July-August.
Hidcote
The bush of the Hidcote blue variety is not tall - 60 centimeters, but its spreading is almost twice as large. Therefore, they are often used in landscape design.
Life expectancy and constant flowering is 25 years. Shoots are highly branched, lignified below. The flowers are large, blue-violet.Hidcot Blue pleases with its flowering and pleasant aroma all summer long. This is the second reason for using subshrubs to decorate paths and flower beds.
Multi-notch
The heat-loving multi-cut variety does not tolerate frost and is grown as an annual plant in the Middle Zone. During the growing process it is unpretentious. It blooms in the first year after sowing the seeds, throughout the summer. Right up to late autumn. The inflorescences are collected in a spikelet and have a blue-violet color. The bush looks compact at a height of 60 centimeters.
Southerner
The Yuzhanka variety was created by domestic breeders. The bush is compact - 60 centimeters in length and width. The leaves are narrow, rich green. Violet inflorescences stand out against their background. The variety develops well in open ground. To grow a flower at home, you need to carry out stratification.
Stekhadskaya
An amazingly beautiful variety - Stekhadskaya. Large inflorescences of different shades sit on long bracts: white, green, cherry, lilac, purple. The decorative nature of the plant allows you to diversify the design of the room, garden, and flower beds. Flowers appear in May and continue to delight until July. They rest for a month and again enter the flowering phase.
French
Broadleaf, also known as French, variety. Does not tolerate cold winters below -15 degrees. In cold regions it has established itself as a potted crop.
Munstead
The Munstead flower is a plant with a compact bush. Blooms in lavender and lilac colors. In open ground it is not afraid of winds. The variety is popular in Europe.
Delight
The Uslada variety was created by domestic breeders. Loves sunny areas. It is frost-resistant and drought-resistant. Cut flowers are used for home decoration.In winter, the aroma of dried flowers repels moths.
Butterfly
The Butterfly variety grows as a compact bush. Height – 60 centimeters. Inflorescences of different colors: blue, lilac, dark purple.
Purple Haze
Miniature Lilac Fog variety. The height varies from 18 to 20 centimeters, the crown girth is 30. During flowering, the bush spreads, the height of the bush doubles. The plant is frost-resistant, tolerates frosts without shelter, and is not attacked by pests.
This variety loves sunny areas and soil with neutral acidity. Lilac inflorescences with a pleasant aroma. Excellent honey plants. Used for making tea and aromatherapy.
Elegance
The subshrub Elegance differs among its fellows in its resistance to frost. In the northern regions, if there are snowy winters, shelter is not required. In snowless areas they are covered with spruce branches. Plants 35-40 centimeters in height look great in flower beds, for the foreground with dwarf trees and tall flowers.
The stem is woody at the bottom. Life expectancy is 10 years. The buds are large, with a delicate, specific aroma. Color purple. They bloom in the year of sowing.
Which variety is better to choose?
In regions with a hot climate, heat-loving varieties take root well: Zubchataya, Shirokolistnaya, Mnonodreznaya, Manstead.
Winter-hardy varieties are planted in the central zone: Narrow-leaved, Lilac Fog, Elegance. Suitable domestic species include: Yuzhanka, Uslada.
Application in landscape design
Compact lavender bushes decorate garden plots and flower beds. Landscape designers use all types of lavender.
- Hidhot, Yuzhanka is suitable for hedges.
- The paths are framed with multi-cut lavender; it blooms until late autumn.
- Miniature varieties: Manstead, Elegance - used for the foreground.
An original solution by designers when they use lavender of different varieties, but with the same tone, and vice versa.
Lavender looks great in rock gardens, alpine slides, on terraces and balconies.
