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Lavandula x intermedia 'Provence' (Blue Lavandin) - A vigorous selection of Lavandin that makes a medium small sized upright growing shrub to 3 to 4 feet tall by 3 to 5 feet wide (but easily kept smaller) with new growth green aging to gray and sweetly fragrant lavender-blue flowers on 18-to-24-inch spikes from summer into fall.
This plant appreciates an open sunny location where it can grow well in well drained poor and alkaline soils. It quite drought tolerant and should only be irrigated occasionally – over watered plants are floppy and weaker. It is hardy to below 15 degrees F. Can be long lived if pruned hard after flowering in late summer – cut back deep into the leafy stems above the hard wood – do not prune in late fall or winter. Some recommend replacing plants every 5 years or so but we have old lavender plants in our garden that are much older than this. Lavenders are attractive to bees but not particularly to browsing animals – deer tend to leave alone but rabbits sometimes nibble it. This lavender is great in the garden and useful for fresh sachets, dried for potpourri and the edible flowers for salads or cooking. We consider one the best lavenders that we grow for the garden but is not considered to be a great variety for Lavandin oil production.
This plant 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. Though named for the famous lavender growing region of France, this variety is thought to have originated in Canada in the 1950s with the first plant shipped into the US in 1965 coming from Alpenglow Gardens in British Columbia.
We have grown this great plant since 1992 in our nursery in our nursery and also grow the other Lavandin cultivars Lavandula x intermedia 'Alba', Lavandula x intermedia 'Grosso', 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 'Provence' 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.
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