Growing Different Lavenders
Although growing white lavenders was not new to me, seeing one growing up against a fence that looked almost as though it was there by accident; was a pleasant surprise.
It had the appearance of a white lavandula stoechas, with its tender white “rabbit ears” which defines that particular lavender species. Could it be?
Lavenders blooming
With the warmer weather here in the southern hemisphere, my walks are getting longer and more frequent.
As I go on these daily walks all the gardens are in full bloom.
With this plant so easy to grow in our soil here; there are lavender flowers in abundance in many of the gardens I pass. and the perfume wafting through the air, makes my walks even more pleasurable at this time of the year.
Rewards for Growing Lavenders
As easy-care plants, once they are established, lavenders will almost take care of themselves. Other than minimal watering, the only other task will be pruning. How easy is that for the rewards they give you?
Yet More Rewards for Growing Lavenders
Beautiful perfume as you sit outside on a cool spring evening, flowers in abundance to make you appear to be a seasoned gardener even if you are not!
Last but not least, a plant that has so many uses that you can now instantly access. Reward enough I would say, wouldn’t you?
An “aha moment”
Life is full of surprises and when it comes to the lovely lavender they are usually pleasant. One of those “aha moments” moments for me was seeing that white lavender. It was so unexpected.
Discovering that White Lavender
When I spied that white lavender out in the street it stopped me in my tracks, No I didn’t dig it up or even contemplate doing so. I must admit I duly noted which fence it was up against so I could get my niece to come back with me and photograph this lovely plant for my readers to also enjoy.
Lavandula Stoechas
It looked like a lavandula stoechas and yet I have only ever seen the deep purple ones around these parts before. After further research, I can confirm that this white lavender is definitely from that lavender species.
Are You a Purist
What do you think? Are you a purist who thinks lavenders should be just that? Lavender in name, lavender in colour!
Or are you like me and love the variety of not only the 39 species of lavender on offer, but also the many and varied hues you may discover; even on a daily walk like I did.
Is growing white lavenders of any species just not in your lavender garden plans?
True Lavenders Only
My Mother loves lavenders too, but will only ever have lavenders in her garden beds that are “true lavenders”, so my exitement at finding a white lavender was definitely not something she shared in.
History of Lavender
I have explained to her the history of lavender and how it has nothing to do with the colour but she is adamant she only wants traditional lavenders and why would I even want these other ones in my garden?
Lavenders in Companion Gardening
Whether they be blue, pink or white lavenders; if you are trying for an organic garden bed; lavenders are definitely worth planting.
Why? Because they are effective at keeping away the snails and other garden pests; so you definitely won’t have to spray with harmful pesticides! This is what companion gardening is about.
White lavenders
Whether you decide on the more traditional English, French or Spanich lavenders in their varying colourful lavender hues, or choose those of pink and white to go in your garden; I’m sure you will be delighted with the overall result.
I did note on close inspection these white lavenders look quite delicate and although the perfume is not as strong as the English lavender; could still be a welcome addition to any garden. And in some places, they are best grown in containers.
Hope this has given you enough inspiration to also add the lovely lavender to your garden plans. Maybe after reading this; you may even contemplate growing white lavenders too.
Whatever plants you decide on … enjoy your garden.
Related Articles:
Spanish Lavender – lavandula stoechas
Tips on Growing Lavenders
Growing Lavenders in Containers
Return to Home Page from Growing White Lavenders
Enjoyed the post?
Use these sharing buttons to share the post on your favorite social networks. To make sure you stay up to date with all the great lavender information, you can subscribe via RSS to receive free updates.
{ 49 comments… read them below or add one }
You know, until I started reading your blog, I did not know lavender plants came in anything but lavender. I guess if the are genetically lavender than the color doesn’t really matter. Do the white and blue ones have the same medicinal properties, or do they differ? For that matter, so the different varieties of lavender differ in their medicinal and culinary properties?
Hi Stephanie
I always enjoy your visit as you add to the content of the post with your questions and your invaluable knowledge of organic gardening.
Yes they do differ in their medicinal and culinary properties. I am working my way through the different species and their uses.
The lovely English lavender is the best one for essential oil and also for lavender recipes.
I will be doing another post on a lavender I have only just learnt about and managed to source locally. Will be ordering as soon as I move house.
More on that later.
Patricia Perth Australia
Great post, as always, Patricia. Friendly, clear, and informative. Does lavender need a long warm season to flourish? We have long winters here in eastern Canada. It’s cold from early November right into May. We’d love to give it a try, though.
Hi Patricia:
I came to read the most exciting new blog post about Lavender. Wow this Lavender is creating an excitement in your writing style. Your style is much perkier than before. I liked the white Lavender pot you have up on your blog post. I have not seen a Lavender that is white. I have seen it in lilac and purple only.I like the smell of Lavender. It is so calming and still all from nature. I do not like with people add vanilla to Lavender to make it better.
You have created a great excitement to come and read your blog post every day.
Talk again
Fran Aslam
Hi Patricia,
I enjoy the many varities of lavender several on our property. One of my happiest moments was discovering wild lavender in our woods.
Hi Charles
I grew lavenders in the UK and we got snow in winter. I don’t know how cold it gets in your part of Canada but I can say there are lavenders that thrive where it isn’t a Mediterranean climate. If you have a gardening centre near you it would be best if you could ask them if they have any that will survive your winters. If they say yes, I would suggest you plant in spring after your long winter so they can get established and enjoy the sunshine in which they thrive. I would be interested to hear if you manage to grow them in your area. Glad you are enjoying my blog. I enjoy writing and the lovely lavender has plenty of aspects to write about.
Patricia Perth Australia
Hi Fran
Thanks for taking the time to comment on my most recent post. I do enjoy writing about the lovely lavender and was quite surprised by my latest find
Lots more to come and I’m glad you are are liking what you read.
Patricia Perth Australia
Hi Opal
How lovely to find wild lavender in the woods. What varieties do you have on your property? I am looking forward to having a small lavender garden in the home I am moving into but it is a very small garden plot so will need to plan well so that I can have them on display in hopefully a few different varieties.
Patricia Perth Australia
I didn’t know it came in various colors. I would be for mixing it up with the different ones assuming you can plant them together. It would be pretty with mixed colors. You are going to inspire me to attempt some gardening in the Spring.
Hey Patricia,
Very nice post as always. I have never seen a white lavender and you are right it is pretty hard to grow lavenders here in US. Thats what I heard anyway…can’t say for sure till I do a little bit of my own gardening…
You take care Patricia…
Sounds good Melinda. If I can inspire you to garden…mission accomplished eh
although from your last post I’d be staying in side lol
Patricia Perth Australia
Beautiful post as always Patricia, You have taught me a lot through those wonderful posts, I only wish I can afford to have my own Garden one day so that I can grow these beautiful plants.
HI Adam
Depending on where you live in the US, there are challenges growing the lovely lavender. I’m hoping these posts will inspire a few people to take up the challenge though.
Patricia Perth Australia
Hi sayed
Nice to see you back. Are plants expensive where you live? Here we can grow from cuttings that our friends and family give us and lavenders are so easy to grow in our Mediterranean climate that they are everywhere.
Patricia Perth Australia
Hi Patricia
I had no idea lavender came in any other colour than, well, lavender!It’s truly an amazing plant. I must keep an eagle eye on the variations as I reckon they would be a great addition to my new lavender patch. Ha, you’re mother sounds just like mine: she won’t budge when it comes to tea. “There’s only one kind of tea and that’s black!”
Thanks for sharing.
Michael
Hi Michael
Always good to see you here. Meant to ask; how did the gardening go over the weekend? I was surprised when you said you were putting in lavender seeds…..that will be a challenge. Usually I would suggest cuttings or potted plants to start with. Will be looking to hear the progress.
There are so many variations of the traditional “lavender” colour and for me; I love the variety. Will be doing another post you should find interesting about yet another colour that you won’t usually see. Watch this space.
Patricia Perth Australia
I live in Texas and, if I’ve ever seen lavender growing around here, I didn’t recognize it. I hope you’ll be sharing lots of pictures of your new garden!
Hi Deb
There are some lavender farms in Texas but in some areas it is a challenge. If you are near the Gulf coast, you have the humid weather and in the east the Texas gumbo soil. so if you are living in those areas, you may not see them growing. Lavenders can be grown in containers and if you are keen to grow them and are in the north of Texas, because of the drier hot climate they should thrive. Hope that helps. Thanks for visiting and taking time to comment.
Patricia Perth Australia
Deb,
I live in Texas and it really matters what part of Texas you live in. The combination of really hot, dry summers and then cold winters is more than most varieties can bare. Add in the challenging soil, and it is hard to grow here. That said, there is a lavender farm in Gainsville, although I have not been there, and some farms in the Hill Country. Raised beds and pampering seem to be required.
Hi Stephanie
Thanks for your input. I have read that there are a few lavender farms growing the lovely lavender successfully. Sounds like what I suggested to Deb about different areas have different challenges you have confirmed. I would be disappointed if I couldn’t have some lavender in my garden. You are right Stephanie, containers are an option.
Patricia Perth Australia
Here in Philadelphia, I have some lavender in my back yard. It grows well with little attention and survives the winters. Unfortunately, it attracts a lot of bees which is only a problem because my dog likes to eat bees.
Hi Patricia,
I enjoyed reading this post. I am a lover of gardening and will attempt to grow lavender. I didn’t realize there were so many varieties.
It is getting cold in my area of the US, but when I plant in the spring, I will add some lavender to my garden. My plan is to start them inside, since I already have some seeds. I tried growing them this spring, but things didn’t work out so well. I direct seeded them, I’ll do things differently next time.
Thanks for sharing and your inspiration.
Love the photo!
Take care,
Evelyn
Hi Evelyn
Great to see you. grwoing by seed is the hardest way to start growing lavenders. It is easier to begin with potted plants. Hope you have success with your venture. Keep me posted and hope to see you here again soon.
Patricia Perth Australia
Hi Thomas
Great news that you have some lavender in your garden and no problems with growing it. Yes the bees do love it so I can appreciate the dilemma with your dog. Thanks for visiting; hope to see you again.
Patricia Perth Australia
What an intresting post! Am not sure if lavender can grow well in my country (Nigeria)
i guess i need to find out. Your post is making me fall in love with lavender lol. Keep the good work up. Nice to hear that you are moving to your new home! Won’t you take me along? Lol have fun.
Hi Patricia:
I came to your site to see the beautiful pot you have here. since I do not know about white Lavender, is it a bit different in smell than the purple one?
Fragrance makes a big difference.
Well enjoy your week end.
Fran Aslam
Hi Samuel
You have a good weekend too. Talk soon.
As always, great to catch up with you. I will have to research that. See if there are any species you can grow
Patricia Perth Australia
Hi Fran
Glad to see you back on my blog. The white lavender has a milder perfume but I thought it was very delicate and worth writing about. It was certainly a sursprise find on my walk and I hope I can grow it in my new garden.
Patricia Perth Australia
I like so many others who commented, did not know lavender came in anything but the lavender color. That’s must look really pretty to have a garden full of the different lavenders in different colors.
Hi Karen
What’s happened to your gravatar??!! A lot of people visiting here are surprised to find out there is more to the lovely lavender than they thought
I have a bigger surprise about another great find, in a future post but have to wait till I move house and plant some interesting varieties in my own garden so I can get some photos. Always good to have you visit.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia
looks as though the whole blogging community is talking about lavender. LOL
Thanks to your enthusiasm I shall think again about that lavender hedge that I always planned.
Any tips on taking cuttings?
Hi Keith
Isn’t it great. I’ve even got beginner gardeners saying they will be giving it a go
I want them to guest post their experiences as I think it would make great reading for my loyal visitors to this site. They are in different parts of the globe so entirely different conditions too.
If you are just starting I recommend buying potted plants but if you want to take cuttings then make sure it is from a healthy plant. Unlike a lot of plants, you shouldn’t divide lavender plants cos the roots don’t spread out so that’s why stem cuttings are advised. If you want details of how to do this please email me and I will give directions in full. Thanks for visiting Keith
Patricia Perth Australia
Hi Patricia – There has been much lovely conversation on this post since I first read it. You gave me an ‘aha’ moment also – ‘lavender repels snails’. This is just what my veggie garden needs! I pulled out a very old book on ”companion planting”….there it says:…..
1.lavender grows well alongside cabbages – it helps repel insects such as cabbage butterfly (I wish I’d known this last year)
2.lavender will repel moths that attack woollen clothing and carpets
3.lavender is difficult to grow in America
4.on mediterranean slopes it grows in association with Scotch broom
Now I will be thinking of planting close to the vegetable patch.
Thanks for all the information and good luck with your plans for moving. Just in time before the weather gets too hot.
Julia
Hi Julia
Great to see you over here again Julia. Yes the lovely lavender has so many uses and I have heaps more to share. A lot of organic gardeners grow them for their ability to repel snails and other insects that might want to feast on the vegie patch goodies! There are some lovely lavender farms in th USA but it depends where one lives. I have been getting queries from my readers from all different places around the globe and I love it. Creating a community and interacting…..bloggers are the best.
Patricia Perth Australia
Awesome post here Patricia. Your blog is nice as will. this is my first time on your blog and it will not be my last. I see you have some valuable info that your giving that I need. I will be back. Check out my blog and give me your feed back. http://www.clearcutformula.com
Hi Kareem
thanks for visiting and taking the time to comment. Glad you enjoyed your visit. I have been over and had a look at your blog. You sound like you are busy and very committed to your business. Hope it goes well for you.
Patricia Perth Australia
Your commenting on my blog brought me here. And….and I’m really impressed by your blog.
I want to plant a Lavender, but problem is I don’t have a garden! Although I will try planting it in my mini pots garden. Hope the plant supports Indian climate!
Great reason why I should really plant Lavender. The lavandins are widely cultivated for commercial use, since their flowers tend to be bigger than those of English lavender and the plants tend to be easier to harvest, but lavandin oil is regarded by some to be of a lower quality than that of English lavender, with a perfume less sweet.
Thanks so much for taking the time to visit and comment on my blog. I have a few Indian visitors to my site. I will have to research growing the lovely lavender in your country and post about it. Hope you visit my blog again.
Patricia Perth Australia
Thanks for visiting Chuck. I see you are getting your site ready for christmas. All the best. I am hoping to monetize my site with beautiful lavender products soon. You are right about lavandins. I will be doing a post on that soon. Hope you visit again soon.
Patricia Perth Australia
Hey thanks, I will surely visit your blog again@
Thanks for visiting Saksham. Glad you are enjoying mu posts.
Patricia Perth Australia
Yeah, I am enjoying really!
BTW, I’ve sent you an e-mail. Plz check!
Hi Saksham
thanks for your visit. Will check my emails.
Patricia Perth Australia
I had no idea there were so many species of lavender.
Hi Rose
Yes there are heaps and I shouldn’t run out of articles to post with all the uses for the lovely lavender too
As always good to see you visiting. Thanks
Patricia Perth Australia
The only thing I can is say I really love lavender but I’m just wondering that does the lavender can have different colors? But for by my side.. I think color does not really matter just the original color is the best..
Hi
Thanks for visiting and taking time to comment on my site. My Mother agrees with you
She can’t understand why I want other coloured lavender in my garden. Once she sees them I think she may change her mind. I will be taking photos once they are planted at my new home; so hope you will be back again to see them too.
Patricia Perth Australia
I will wait for your reply…
{ 2 trackbacks }