Lavandula stoechas

RHS Plant Profile
French lavender

Save a plant

Where do you want to save Lavandula stoechas?

Plants I own
Wishlist
Go to My Plants
French lavender RHS
French lavender visionspictures.com
French lavender visionspictures.com

Other common names

cassidony, cast-me-down, Spanish lavender, sticadoue, stick-a-dove

Synonyms

Lavandula stoechas 'French'

Plants for pollinators
Shrubs
Buy this from Plant Nurseries
15 Suppliers

A bushy, upright evergreen shrub, to 60cm high and 40cm wide. Foliage is aromatic and grey-green. The freely-produced fragrant flowerheads are densely cylindrical, tapering to a blunt tip, crowned by 4 sterile bracts 2.5cm long, give the heads a distinctive appearance. Flowers are very dark purple, calyces rather paler and greyer. Flowers for a long season over spring and summer

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.5-1 metres

Max Spread

0.5-1 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.5-1 metres
Max Height
0.5-1 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand
Moisture
Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or East–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H4
Drought Resistance
Yes

Colour & Scent

Fragrance Flower Foliage
Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Lamiaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Evergreen
Habit
Bushy
Genus
Lavandula are small aromatic evergreen shrubs with usually narrow, simple, entire, toothed or lobed leaves and small tubular flowers in dense spikes in summer
Name Status
Correct
Plant Range
Mediterranean

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in any well-drained soil in full sun. See lavender cultivation for further advice

Propagation

Propagate by seed in spring or propagate by semi-ripe cuttings in summer. See our video How to take lavender cuttings for more advice

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Gravel garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Mediterranean climate plants
  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Coastal
  • Rock garden
  • Garden edging
  • Banks and slopes
  • Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Pruning group 10; deadhead after flowering. Trimming in late summer prevents plants from becoming straggly, but you can leave plants for a season to benefit wildlife with seeds or as shelter if you prefer. Avoid pruning in autumn in wet or cold regions as this may leave plants vulnerable to winter damage. Avoid cutting back into old wood

Pests

May be susceptible to rosemary beetle and cuckoo spit (froghoppers)

Diseases

High Risk Host for Xylella fastidiosa. May be susceptible to grey moulds (Botrytis) and honey fungus (rarely)