Lavender Plants - Pre-Order
Regular price $17.50We are super excited to share the news that our former farm has new owners, Between the Vines. During 2024 they will be busy planting lots of lavender as well as other crops (we'll let them tell you their dreams when you visit).
We are partnering with Between the Vines to allow you to pre-order your lavender plants for pick up in late May! Order now - and pick up at 223 Weirs Lane when we send you the message! Please note -- plants cannot be shipped. You must pick up (Dundas, Ontario). Pick up of plants will be ready from May 17th onwards at 223 Weirs Lane. We'll send you details of location and hours closer to the date.
If you are wanting to purchase other products, we recommend your ordering those products as a separate order.
Choose from the following options. Note these are quart sized plants which permits them to establish quickly in your garden.
Sensational
A French lavender (L. Intermedia) wih striking silver foliage and lower in camphor than most French lavenders. Height is 24-30 inches and a spread of 30-36 inches. This is a recent variety with large, densely flowered spikes. Considered to be heat and humidity tolerant while also being able to deal with our winters. A darker lavender colour.
Phenomenal
A French lavender (L. Intermedia) developed in 2012 to be a hardy French lavender with tolerance to heat and humidity while surviving Ontario winters. Height is 24-32 inches with a spread of 24 to 32 inches. A darker lavender colour.
Exceptional
A French lavender (L. Intermedia) that is brand new with white flowers. This plant is akin to the Phenomenal (height and spread).
Hidcote
An English lavender (softer scent, smaller plant). Height 12-18 inches and spread 18 inches. A dark lavender. The deep purple flowers of hidcote makes it one of the most popular English lavenders.
Munstead
An English lavender (softer scent, smaller plant). Height 12 inches and spread 12-18 inches. When in bloom the flowers are light lavender. If you are looking for a watercolour look in your garden, we recommend planting both hidcote and munstead.
Some tips for growing lavender.
Find a spot in full sun, which is considered 6 or more hours of direct sunlight per day. Lavender does not do well in shady locations.
Dig a hole about twice the size of the root ball, then place the plant in at the same level it was in the container. Backfill the soil and tamp down. Make sure to leave plenty of space between lavender plants, too, because they don’t like to be crowded together. Consider adding a few stones at the bottom of the hole to encourage good drainage.
Water your plants well after planting and occasionally throughout the first season to help the roots get established. It’s better not to mulch, however. Lavender likes dry environments and mulching keeps the roots too wet.
Also, don’t bother to fertilize. Fertilizing can produce weak growth that is vulnerable to winter kill.
Prune the lavender once or twice a year. After flowering or at the beginning of the season (after the danger of frost has passed) - rule of thumb is 2 inches above the wood to shape it like a ball and to discourage it getting too leggy. Note in the spring time, it can take lavender a while to wake up -- be patient before you pull it out (in the spring it can look like it died but as the days get longer and warmer the plant will come back to life!) .. If you are not sure, gently scrape a wood part with a fingernail to see if there is green underneath.
Lavender is not simply a single scent. For most of us, we pick products based on both scent and use.
If using around the house (our linen spray, room spray, sachets, house cleaner ... see house collection ... then we tend to use the French Lavender (Lavandin). This is a sharp scent that is robust and so will linger longer. Sometimes we'll soften the French with a bit of English Lavender (e.g. our room spray) and if using dried flowers for decoration -- you'll find we carry both English and French lavender ... see dried flowers
When using as a cream, soap, etc. ... you can choose based on scent ... e.g. the lemony / fresh scent of French Lavender (Lavandin) or the softer / sweeter scent of English Lavender. If you are looking for a product that may have more therapeutic properties, then look for the English Lavender. Going for a hike or sitting in your garden and want to repel bugs? Then use one of our body mists with French lavender (or our outdoor mist). Wanting something for your purse with an antiseptic properties? Try one of our French lavender essences.
Explore our lavender for body and face.
Are you cooking? Answer is simple. Only use English lavender.
For culinary buds and delights click here.
What follows is a longer description of the differences between English and French Lavender.
Interested in knowing more about the oils we use in our products? Click here to go to the page on our oils. What we commonly refer to as 'lavender' is more than one species -- there are tons of them! There is much confusion over what is and is not lavender, including sorting through the many Latin names.
The two most popular varieties are Lavandula Angustifolia (what we call 'English Lavender') and Lavandula Intermedia (what we call 'French Lavender'). English Lavender is commonly referred to as English because historically it was developed for the English perfume industry. French lavender gets its name historically as it was developed for the the French perfume industry.
Do not let these terms fool you into thinking that only English grows in England and French grows in France! To the contrary -- both are grown everywhere. Each variety has a different scent and preference is a matter of choice. Both varieties:
- are believed to help you relax, sleep, relieve body aches, relieve anxiety, and may encourage blood flow.
- are considered to be an antiseptic and can clean the body and the home
- can help repel moths, spiders, and other bugs
English Lavender, Lavandula angustifolia
The most popular and hardiest garden lavender in North America. Lavender species (e.g. Munstead, Hidcote, Royal Velvet, Vera) are from the "true" variety and have the most medicinal properties. This is the better lavender for cooking purposes but not all varieties work well in cooking. It has sweeter scented flowers because it contains less camphor (than French).
English Lavenders are used more for therapeutic properties and are believed to help with digestion, tension headaches, bug bites, burns, and minor skin irritations. Some of these properties have been well studied -- others have just been observed and therefore the scientific evidence is lacking.
French Lavender, Lavandula intermedia
French Lavender (Lavandin) species (e.g. Grosso, Provence, Giant Hidcote, Phenomenal) are a cross between the English Lavender and spike lavender varieties. Abrialii was a mainstay of the French industry until 1970s when it was ravaged by a disease. Grosso was discovered in 1972 and is now the dominant cultivar. Quickly emerging however is Phenomenal. The French Lavender plants are bigger plants (producing more lavender per plant). Aroma is sweet with slightly camphorous scent. The French Lavender scent is used more for its aromatic properties and considered good in cleaning products and products designed to freshen your home. Because of their high camphor content, French Lavender may help with sinus and snoring issues. It is believed that essential oil from French Lavender should not be used by pregnant women in the first trimester nor by individuals with epilepsy.
What essential oils do we offer and/or use in our products, and from where do they come? First and foremost we are a small batch producer and we care about quality! We used to grow lavender and so we know a thing or two about what makes for a good essential oil.
We source all of our lavender essential oils directly from family run farms that properly test their oils and can provide us with a consistent volume year after year. We source our hydrosols from Ontario lavender farms.
Purchase oils by clicking here.
What to know more about the difference between English & French Oil? Click Here.
