Lavandin 'Provence'
Lavandula x intermedia 'Provence' · Lamiaceae
A large lavender with long stems of pale lavender flowers and the sweetest scent of the lavandins, grown commercially for perfume.
- Size
- 2½ ft tall, 3 ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Early July to mid August
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around lavandin 'Provence'
The planner designed this bed around lavandin 'Provence' 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 'Provence' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Lavandin 'Provence' × 1, lavender
- 2 Winter heath × 7, pink
- 3 Sea thrift × 11, white
- 4 Switchgrass 'Shenandoah' × 3, green leaves
- 5 Wild quinine × 3, white
- 6 Gloriosa daisy × 5, yellow
- 7 Spring starflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only spires. The others are bells, globes, flat plates and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only lavender.
Why here
- At the back, and only just seen. At 2½ ft it is about the height of gloriosa daisy (2½ ft) in front of it.
- A step in the back row. Next to switchgrass 'Shenandoah' (4 ft) and wild quinine (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 7 weeks. From early July to mid August.
- Part of the bed's peak. With wild quinine and gloriosa daisy in early July: 3 kinds at once. No week has more.
- One of three evergreens. They are what the bed has to show from November to March.
Planned as a cottage garden: 30 of the 30 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. The scheme leans cool (lavender, pink and blue) and uses yellow for warmth, with white to calm things between them. The most in flower at one time is 3 kinds, from early July.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 Good. 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 'Provence' 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 tall (2½ to 3 ft).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
Tall, pale and loose, for a lavender hedge of the kind seen in the south of France. It takes humidity better than English lavender, but must have perfect drainage.
- Lavender hedges
- Scent and drying
- Hot, dry banks
What to plant with lavandin 'Provence'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Rosemary: flowers first, early March to early May, so the spot is never empty; spires rising out of its mound; happy in the same dry soil.
- Russian sage: in flower together for six weeks, from mid July; spires rising out of its mound; happy in the same dry soil.
- Blue oat grass: a low mound at the foot of its spires; happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about lavandin 'Provence'
Does lavandin 'Provence' need sun or shade?
Lavandin 'Provence' 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 'Provence' 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 'Provence' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early July to mid August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 5 | Early July to mid August |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Early July to mid August |
| Zone 7 | Late June to early August |
| Zone 8 | Late June to early August |
| Zone 9 | Late June to early August |
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 'Provence' 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 (80 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many lavandin 'Provence' 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 a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is lavandin 'Provence' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. Contains oils that can cause stomach upset in pets, and in people 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 'Provence'?
These come closest to doing what lavandin 'Provence' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Catmint 'Six Hills Giant': the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers late May to early September, not evergreen.
- Russian sage 'Little Spire': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 6 in narrower, flowers mid July to mid September.
- Aromatic aster 'Raydon's Favorite': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers mid September to early November, blue, not lavender.
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 'Provence'?
Lavandin 'Provence' is over by mid August. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Garden chrysanthemum: from mid September to late October, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': from mid August to mid October, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does lavandin 'Provence' look like in winter?
Lavandin 'Provence' 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 'Phenomenal' Lavandula x intermedia 'Phenomenal'
- 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 (80 cm) tall, 3 ft (90 cm) wide
- Plant
- 2½ ft (75 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium tall (2½ to 3 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Early July to mid August; upright spires; lavender
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; grey-green
- Shape
- Rounded, 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.