Lavender - an herb for pollinators

Late fall - lavender in a high water environment,
near a lawn. But it is planted on a slope,
so the water drains away.

• Annual or perennial varieties 
• Prefers sun 
• Blooms in summer 
• Blooms in shades of purple, gray-green fragrant foliage, even in winter
• Attracts many pollinators
• Ht 1’-3’ Lots of herbs are great plants for pollinator’s use. 

There are many herbs which thrive in the dry heat of the arid west, including those species that come from the Mediterranean area, like lavender, thyme, and rosemary. Herbs give us a bonus by being culinary or medicinally useful – think peppermint tea for digestion.

Lavender is a much loved herb. There are many varieties available to choose from since so many have been bred and developed. There are two major groups - French lavender (Lavandula dentata) and English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia).

French lavender should be treated as an annual in our cold winter area. So if you grow this one, put it in a pot and bring it inside before the first killing frost. English lavender grows into a small woody shrub and there are several varieties that can be successful as winter hardy perennials in the average garden.

Since cold hardiness is partly a function of genetics, don’t give up on lavender if your first attempts to grow it aren’t successful. Lavenders all prefer well drained soil. If they are in wet soils over winter, that decreases their survival. Even during the summer, water with care if your soil is not well draining. Soggy roots are very hard on lavender. They love full sun and can take your hot exposures if they are eased into the sun when you transplant them.

When you look for English Lavender, try the variety Hidcoat, or Munstead. These are the ones that many people find the most successful. New breeding has produced new varieties, so if they are available, give them a try, although I have found that lavenders can be mislabeled. Talk with your nursery people to help fine-tune your choices.

Some lavenders smell better than others to me, so take the time to run your hand lightly over the plant and take a sniff. If they are in the back if the garden, aroma is less important, but if you will plant lavender close to a path, take the sniff test.

They bloom in various shades of purple during the summer. They are well-used by all sorts of pollinators, including butterflies and a variety of bees. Here is a word of caution- if you have bee-sensitive folks in your life, lavenders might be better placed away from walkways in spite of its wonderful smell.