Lavender Intermrdia 5 Litre Pot

Lavandula × intermedia – Lavandin

Lavandula × intermedia, commonly known as Lavandin, is a vigorous and highly fragrant hybrid lavender — a natural cross between Lavandula angustifolia (English Lavender) and Lavandula latifolia (Spike Lavender). The result is a bold, free-flowering shrub that surpasses both parents in size, flower production, and the sheer intensity of its aromatic oils. Widely grown across southern Europe for the perfume and essential oil industry, Lavandin is equally outstanding in the garden, offering long, elegant flower spikes, striking silver-grey foliage, and a commanding presence in borders, gravel schemes, and informal hedging. Hardy, drought tolerant, and exceptionally easy to grow, it is one of the finest lavenders available for UK gardens.

Habit & Appearance

Foliage:
Broader and more silvery than that of English Lavender, the narrow grey-green to silver leaves are richly aromatic, releasing a powerful, camphorous lavender fragrance when brushed or cut. The foliage forms large, rounded, bushy mounds that provide substantial year-round structure and remain largely evergreen in typical UK conditions.

Flowers:
Lavandin produces exceptionally long, branched flowering stems — a key distinguishing feature from its English Lavender parent — carrying dense, elongated spikes of tightly packed flowers in shades of deep purple, violet, and lavender-blue, depending on the variety. Flowering peaks in mid-summer, often slightly later than Lavandula angustifolia, and the display is prolific and long-lasting. The blooms are powerfully scented and irresistible to bees, butterflies, and a wide range of beneficial pollinating insects.

Form:
More vigorous and substantially larger than English Lavender, Lavandin develops into a bold, dome-shaped shrub with an open, airy crown of tall flowering stems above a dense foliage base. Its scale and presence make it particularly effective as a specimen plant, in bold drifts, or planted in rows to create fragrant informal hedges.

Growing Conditions

Position:
Full sun is essential. Lavandula × intermedia thrives in open, exposed sunny aspects with good air circulation and performs poorly in shade or sheltered positions where airflow is restricted. The more sun it receives, the more abundant and fragrant the flowering will be.

Soil:
Free-draining soil is absolutely critical. Lavandin is naturally adapted to the thin, stony, alkaline soils of the Mediterranean and will thrive in light, sandy, chalky, or gravelly conditions. It is highly tolerant of poor, low-fertility soils and actively dislikes rich, heavy, or moisture-retentive ground. Wet or waterlogged soils — particularly over winter — are the primary cause of failure. On heavier soils, incorporating generous amounts of coarse grit or sharp sand at planting will significantly improve drainage and long-term plant health.

Hardiness:
Hardy throughout most of the UK, tolerating temperatures down to approximately -10°C to -15°C when grown in well-drained conditions. Good drainage in winter is more important than temperature alone — plants in waterlogged soils are far more vulnerable to cold damage than those in free-draining ground.

Watering:
Once established, Lavandin is exceptionally drought tolerant and requires little or no supplementary watering. Overwatering and consistently moist roots are far more damaging than dry spells. Water young plants in during the first growing season to aid establishment, then allow them to fend largely for themselves.

Care & Pruning

Pruning:
Annual pruning is essential to keep Lavandin compact, productive, and well-shaped. After flowering, trim back the spent flower stems along with a portion of the current season's foliage growth. As with all lavenders, it is vital never to cut back hard into old, bare, woody stems, as Lavandin will not reliably regenerate from old wood. A light tidy in early spring, removing any winter-damaged tips, keeps plants looking fresh as growth resumes. Consistent annual trimming from an early age prevents the plant from becoming open, leggy, or excessively woody at the base.

Feeding:
Feeding is not required and is generally counterproductive. Lavandin performs at its best in lean, low-fertility conditions. Applying nitrogen-rich fertilisers encourages excessive leafy growth at the direct expense of flower production and fragrance intensity. Leave the soil largely unamended and allow the plant to thrive in the conditions it naturally prefers.

General Maintenance:
Lavandin is a naturally low-maintenance plant once established. Harvesting the flower stems at their peak — either for cutting or drying — doubles as a useful light trim that helps maintain the plant's shape. The long stems dry exceptionally well and are highly valued for use in arrangements, sachets, and potpourri. Removing spent flower spikes promptly after blooming tidies the plant's appearance and encourages a second flush of fresh foliage growth.

Perfect For

• Informal Hedging & Screening: Its vigorous, bushy habit makes Lavandin outstanding for creating fragrant, low-to-medium informal hedges along paths, driveways, and borders.

• Gravel & Mediterranean Gardens: Perfectly suited to the free-draining, sun-baked conditions of gravel garden and Mediterranean-style planting schemes.

• Pollinator & Wildlife Gardens: The abundant, richly scented flowers are a powerful magnet for bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects throughout summer.