Lavandin 'Phenomenal'
Lavandula x intermedia 'Phenomenal' · Lamiaceae Popular
A large, uniform lavender bred to survive what kills most lavenders: humid summers and cold, wet winters. Long violet-blue spikes over a silvery dome.
- Size
- 2½ ft tall, 3 ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late June to early August
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around lavandin 'Phenomenal'
The planner designed this bed around lavandin 'Phenomenal' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why lavandin 'Phenomenal' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Lavandin 'Phenomenal' × 1, purple
- 2 Sedum 'Lidakense' × 16, pink
- 3 Sea thrift × 13, white
- 4 Foxglove beardtongue × 5, white
- 5 Stiff goldenrod × 3, yellow
- 6 Schubert's allium × 5, pink
- 7 Lady tulip × 12, red
Why this plant
- The only purple.
Why here
- At the back. It stands clear of the other plants: none is close in front of it, or close behind.
- A step in the back row. Next to stiff goldenrod (4 ft) and foxglove beardtongue (3½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A feature plant is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for six weeks. From late June to early August.
- Fills a gap. For five of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- One of two evergreens. They are what the bed has to show from November to March.
Planned as a cottage garden: 38 of the 38 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 54% of the visual weight and the right half 46%. The front edge is finished with sedum 'Lidakense' and sea thrift.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 5 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where lavandin 'Phenomenal' goes in a border
At 2½ ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium (24 in to 2½ ft).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
The lavender to try where others have failed. It still needs full sun and sharp drainage; a gravel mulch around the crown helps in wet climates.
- Lavender for humid or cold climates
- A low, informal hedge
- Cut and dried flowers
What to plant with lavandin 'Phenomenal'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Russian sage: in flower together for four weeks, from mid July; spires rising out of its mound; tall enough (4 ft) to stand behind it.
- Purple coneflower: in flower together for six weeks, from late June.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': takes over when it finishes, flowering from mid August; bold leaves against its fine ones; happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about lavandin 'Phenomenal'
Does lavandin 'Phenomenal' need sun or shade?
Lavandin 'Phenomenal' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled.
What zones does lavandin 'Phenomenal' grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does lavandin 'Phenomenal' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late June to early August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 5 | Late June to early August |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Late June to early August |
| Zone 7 | Late June to late July |
| Zone 8 | Late June to late July |
| Zone 9 | Mid June to mid July |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should lavandin 'Phenomenal' be planted?
2½ ft (75 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3 ft (90 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 2½ ft (75 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many lavandin 'Phenomenal' plants do I need?
At 2½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 2 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 5 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 6 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, with clear ground around it: a feature plant is seen as an object, and a group of them is a thicket.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is lavandin 'Phenomenal' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to dogs, cats and horses. Contains oils that can cause stomach upset in pets if eaten in quantity.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like lavandin 'Phenomenal'?
These come closest to doing what lavandin 'Phenomenal' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Arkansas bluestar: the same job in a bed; 6 in taller, flowers mid May to early June.
- Blue oat grass: the same job in a bed; 6 in narrower, flowers early June to early July.
- Oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose': the same job in a bed; 6 in taller, flowers late June to early October.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after lavandin 'Phenomenal'?
Lavandin 'Phenomenal' is over by early August. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': from mid August to mid October, 24 in tall (a recorded partner).
- Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Black-eyed Susan 'Goldsturm': from late July to late September, 2 ft tall.
What does lavandin 'Phenomenal' look like in winter?
Lavandin 'Phenomenal' keeps its grey-green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
More Lavandula
- English lavender 'Hidcote' Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote'
- English lavender 'Munstead' Lavandula angustifolia 'Munstead'
- Lavandin 'Grosso' Lavandula x intermedia 'Grosso'
- Lavandin 'Provence' Lavandula x intermedia 'Provence'
- Pink English lavender Lavandula angustifolia 'Rosea'
- Spanish lavender Lavandula stoechas
In these guides
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Evergreen perennials, ferns and grasses
- Plants with spires: vertical accents
- Silver and grey-leaved plants
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 2½ ft (75 cm) tall, 3 ft (90 cm) wide
- Plant
- 2½ ft (75 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium (24 in to 2½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Late June to early August; upright spires; purple
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; grey-green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Lamiaceae
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.