This plant appreciates an open sunny location where it can grow well in well drained poor alkaline soil. It quite drought tolerant and needs only be irrigated occasionally to infrequently once established – over watered plants are floppy and weaker, and it dislikes overly wet conditions. It is cold hardy to below 15 degrees F and can be long lived if pruned hard after flowering in late summer – cut back deep into the leafy stems above the hard wood but do not prune in late fall or winter. Some recommend replacing plants every 5 years or so but we have old lavender in our garden that are much older than this. Lavenders are attractive to bees and butterflies but not particularly to browsing animals – deer tend to leave alone but rabbits sometimes nibble it. This variety is the one most commonly used to extract lavender oil and is great in the garden and useful for fresh sachets, dried for potpourri and the edible flowers for salads or cooking.

Lavandula 'Grosso' is a cultivar of Lavandin, Lavandula x intermedia. Lavandin is considered to be a naturally occurring hybrid between English Lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, and Spike Lavender, Lavandula latifolia. This variety is the one most commonly used to extract lavender oil and is great in the garden and useful for fresh sachets, dried for potpourri and the edible flowers for salads or cooking. It was discovered in a deserted lavender field in Vaucluse District of France in 1972 by longtime lavender grower Pierre Grosso (1905-1989). Grosso took cuttings of the plant and resulting crops were more vigorous with higher yields than all other field varieties. By 1980 80% of the field grown lavandin was of this this variety. It has also been known by such names as 'Dilly Dilly', 'Wilson's Giant' and 'Wilson Grant'. Though its aroma is more camphorous than other varieties, this and its high yield made it useful by the detergent industry. Its long stems also make it very good for dried bouquets.

We have grown this plant since 1993 in our nursery and also grow the other Lavandin cultivars Lavandula x intermedia 'Alba', Lavandula x intermedia 'Provence', Lavandula x intermedia Phenomenal [Niko'] >, Lavandula intermedia 'Riverina Thomas', Lavandula intermedia 'Super', and in the past grew a variegated variety called Lavandula intermedia Silver Edge. 

This information about Lavandula x intermedia 'Grosso' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.