Lavandula Stoechas "French Lavender" Standard 5Liter

Botanical Name: Lavandula stoechas
Common Names: French Lavender, Spanish Lavender, Topped Lavender, Lavender

📌 Product Description

Lavandula stoechas is a compact, highly aromatic evergreen shrub treasured for its silvery-grey foliage and distinctive flower heads topped with showy petal-like bracts. Its blooms, usually in shades of purple to deep violet, bring long-lasting colour and fragrance to the garden, making it a favourite for borders, containers, and water-wise planting.

This beautiful lavender forms a neat, rounded shrub and is ideal for herb gardens, rockeries, cottage gardens, patio pots, and sunny mixed borders. Its fragrant foliage and flowers attract bees and other pollinators, while its drought tolerance makes it especially valuable in South African gardens.

Colourful, hardy, and easy to maintain, Lavandula stoechas is an excellent choice for gardeners wanting a fragrant, low-maintenance shrub with strong ornamental and practical appeal.

📏 Size When Fully Grown

Height: 45–90 cm
Spread: 45–90 cm
Growth Habit: Compact, rounded, evergreen aromatic shrub
Growth Rate: Moderate

🌱 Best Growing Conditions

Light: Full sun
Soil: Well-draining, sandy or loamy soil; performs best in poor to moderately fertile soil
Water:
• Water regularly during establishment
• Drought tolerant once established
• Allow soil to dry slightly between waterings
• Avoid heavy, waterlogged soil

Feeding: Feed lightly with compost or a low-nitrogen fertiliser in spring; avoid overfeeding, which reduces flowering and fragrance.

Maintenance:
• Trim lightly after flowering to maintain a compact shape
• Do not cut heavily into old woody stems
• Remove spent flower heads regularly to encourage further blooming
• Ensure excellent drainage at all times

🌦️ Planting & Growing Season (South Africa)

Best Planting Time: Autumn to spring
Active Growth: Spring and summer
Flowering Time: Mainly spring to summer, often longer in mild regions
Climate Suitability: Suitable for most South African regions with good sun and drainage
Frost Tolerance: Tolerates light frost once established
Wind Tolerance: Good, including exposed sunny positions

🌼 Additional Benefits

• Highly fragrant foliage and flowers
• Attracts bees and pollinators
• Drought tolerant once established
• Excellent for water-wise gardens
• Beautiful in containers and borders

🌿 Ideal Uses

✔ Herb and fragrance gardens
✔ Rockeries and borders
✔ Patio containers
✔ Water-wise gardens
✔ Cottage garden planting