Spanish lavender (French lavender)

Lavandula stoechas

Compact Mediterranean lavender with stubby flower heads topped by showy purple bracts like rabbit ears. Earlier flowering, more compact, and more architectural than English lavender, but less hardy.

Hardiness ratings

Spanish lavender (French lavender) hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 7–10 −17.8 °C to 4.4 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H4 −10 °C to −5 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 8–9 −7 °C and warmer Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 3–6 −5 °C to 15 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone

Growing notes

  • Plant in hot dry borders, gravel gardens, and Mediterranean plantings — flowers earlier than English lavender (April–May), then again in late summer if deadheaded
  • Edible flowers — used like English lavender in baking, syrups, and infusions, although the flavour is more strongly camphorous
  • Distinct from English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia, already in the database) and from lavandin (L. × intermedia, already in batch 5) — Spanish lavender has the characteristic rabbit-ear bracts
  • Less hardy than English lavender — best in zones 7 and warmer

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check Spanish lavender (French lavender) against your zones

Reference

Spanish lavender (French lavender) on Wikipedia