Sea lavender
Limonium latifolium · Plumbaginaceae
A cloud of tiny lavender-blue flowers on wiry, much-branched stems hovers over a flat rosette of leathery leaves in late summer. It tolerates salt and drought.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Mid July to late August
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Weaver
A bed built around sea lavender
The planner designed this bed around sea lavender when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border 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 sea lavender stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Sea lavender × 2, lavender
- 2 Cheddar pinks 'Tiny Rubies' × 24, pink
- 3 Sea thrift × 8, white
- 4 New England aster 'Alma Pötschke' × 4, pink
- 5 Little bluestem 'The Blues' × 3, tan
- 6 Sea kale × 1, white
- 7 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 4, purple
Why this plant
- The only airy sprays. The others are open bowls, globes, daisies and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- A classic partner for sea thrift. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
- The only lavender.
Why here
- In the middle. At 24 in it is the step between sea thrift (8 in) in front and little bluestem 'The Blues' (3 ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 2 plants in 2 places. An accent is a punctuation mark: the repeat along the bed gives it rhythm.
- Beside sea thrift. A recognised partner: the planner puts such plants together where it can.
Why now
- In flower for 7 weeks. From mid July to late August.
- Fills a gap. For four of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 4 of the 6 groups (67%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. There is more Cheddar pinks 'Tiny Rubies' than anything else, 24 plants in all. Among the neighbours here are two pairs of recognised partners, such as sea lavender and sea thrift.
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 sea lavender goes in a border
At 24 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in). It is airy enough to see through, so it can also come forward and veil what is behind it.
Its job: weaver. A light, airy plant threaded singly between sturdier ones to knit the planting together.
It gives the haze of baby's breath, in lavender, without any risk of spreading. The flowers dry on the plant and last for months. It has a deep taproot, so plant it once and leave it.
- Seaside gardens
- An airy filler like baby's breath
- Dried flowers
What to plant with sea lavender
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Sea holly: in flower together for six weeks, from mid July; happy in the same dry soil.
- Sea thrift: flowers first, early May to mid June, so the spot is never empty; low enough (8 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
- English lavender 'Hidcote': in flower together for three weeks, from mid July; spires rising out of its mound; happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about sea lavender
Does sea lavender need sun or shade?
Sea lavender grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does sea lavender grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 9. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does sea lavender flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid July to late August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 4 | Mid July to late August |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Mid July to late August |
| Zone 6 | Mid July to late August |
| Zone 7 | Early July to mid August |
| Zone 8 | Early July to mid 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 sea lavender be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 24 in (60 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many sea lavender plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one at a time, threaded between sturdier plants.
In the bed above, the planner used two in two groups.
Is sea lavender poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like sea lavender?
Sea lavender comes from South East Europe, southern Russia, NE Africa. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Whorled milkweed: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; white, not lavender, fine leaves, not medium.
- Flowering spurge: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 6 in taller, white, not lavender.
- Mexican hat: the same job in a bed; 4 in narrower, flowers late June to early September.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat sea lavender?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after sea lavender?
Sea lavender is over by late 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.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': from mid August to mid October, 24 in tall.
- Autumn moor grass: from mid August to early October, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does sea lavender look like in winter?
Sea lavender holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
Is sea lavender good for bees and butterflies?
Sea lavender is visited by bees and butterflies.
In these guides
- Deer-resistant perennials for full sun
- Drought-tolerant perennials for full sun
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 24 in (60 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle, or further forward: it is airy enough to see through
- Flowers
- Mid July to late August; airy sprays; lavender
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Plumbaginaceae
- Comes from
- South East Europe, southern Russia, NE Africa
- Attracts
- Bees, butterflies
- Stands up to
- Deer, drought
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.