Lavandula angustifolia 'Per3225' ARDECHE BLUE

First time visitor to French Provance will be astonished seeing the endless fields glowing with deep purple colour. Lavenders are grown there like corn or potatoes here. The magnificent view is often linked with a question 'can we do something similar at home, too? ', and the answer is positive: YES! Lavenders are hardy and low maintenance plants that will thrive in any well-drained soil in full sun.

Ardeche Blue lavender was named after a region in southern France about 200 km from Mediterranean Sea. It was first introduced by Florensis, a Dutch horticultural company, in 2017 as one of the earliest flowering lavender varieties capable of flowering in the first year from growing from seed. From mid June until early September it makes about 30-40 cm tall stems with deep violet-blue flowers above silvery green, very aromatic leaves. Plants form dense and compact mounds, similar to Hidcote variety.

We recommend pruning the plant every spring leaving about a third or maximum half its size to maintain a dense and profusely flowering shrub. You can remove the stalks with spent flowers after flowering to make the clump look neat again, or even sooner if you wish to dry the flowers (hung upside down in an airy room). It will grow in most types of soil provided it is well-drained and not water-logged. The only thing it needs is a sunny location. Fully hardy to min. -27°C (USDA 5b).

Last update 27-08-2020