Which is the best lavender for bees?
With hundreds of types of lavender out there, it can be hard to choose between them. Here are three expert-recommended lavenders to plant to attract bees
10 award-winning lavenders
Lavenders offer more variety than you might think – with a range of hues and a long flowering season
As well as colour and scent, lavender adds an animated dimension – it teems with bees thronging around its nectaries. Below is a selection of RHS Recommended: Award of Garden Merit winning lavenders that you could inhale at home.
A popular choice
The small violet-purple flowers are deeply aromatic
L. ‘Hidcote’ is a bushy dwarf evergreen shrub with narrow, silvery-grey leaves and small deep violet-purple flowers in dense, aromatic spikes 3-4cm in length. 50cm (1.6ft) in height. Up to 100cm (3.3ft) in width. Hardiness rating: H5.
A compact evergreen
Evergreen and brings fragrance to your garden
L. ‘Imperial Gem’ is a compact evergreen shrub creating domes of narrow grey-green leaves and fragrant spikes of dark violet flowers in early summer. 40cm (1½ft) in height. 90cm (3ft) in width. Hardiness rating: H5.
A bushy evergreen
Light pink flowers make this lavender visually unique
L. ‘Miss Katherine’ is a bushy evergreen shrub creating erect domes of narrow, grey-green leaves and highly fragrant spikes of light pink flowers with silvery calyces. 40cm (1½ft) in height. 80cm (2.5ft) in width. Hardiness rating: H5.
Low-growing lavender
Features flowers with a striking shade of purple that look almost blue
L. ‘Beechwood Blue’ is low-growing making compact domes of narrow, grey-green leaves and an abundance of violet-blue flower-spikes in early summer. 30cm (1ft) in height. 60cm (2ft) in width. Hardiness rating: H5.
White instead of purple
This white lavender with silvery foliage is perfect for a wintery look
L. ‘Alba’ is a robust evergreen shrub creating an open dome with linear, grey-green leaves and long spikes of pure white flowers held well above the foliage in the latter half of summer. 50cm (1½ft) in height. 90cm (3ft) in width. Hardiness rating: H5.
Aromatic
Tall and wide-spreading to fill your garden
L. ‘Sussex’ is a bushy evergreen shrub with grey-green foliage and a haze of lilac and violet, pointed flower spikes in mid to late summer. The scent has a lovely soft edge to it. 1m (3ft) in height. 70cm (2ft) in width. Hardiness rating: H5.
A hybrid lavender
A purple lavender with dainty white bracts which flush pink
L. ‘Ballerina’ is a vigorous lavender with L. stoechas in its parentage. An evergreen, upright shrub, it has aromatic, grey-green foliage. Purple flowers in dense spikes are topped by conspicuous white bracts which flush pink-purple with age. Flowers over a long period from late spring and through summer. 60cm (2ft) in height. 60cm (2ft) in width. Hardiness rating: H4.
Upright flowers
Tall growing with whimsical purple bracts
L. ‘Willow Vale’ is a vigorous upright evergreen shrub, with narrow, yellow-green leaves and erect flower stems mingled with the foliage bearing dense spikes of deep violet flowers. These have conspicuous reddish-purple terminal bracts. 80cm (2½ft) in height. 50cm (1½ft) in width. Hardiness rating: H3.
Silvery-green leaves
An evergreen to keep your garden attracting pollinators all year round
L. ‘Sawyers’ is a bushy evergreen shrub with linear, silvery-grey leaves and a flattened dome-shaped habit. Light purple flowers are held in almost triangular flower spikes from mid summer through August. It is a hybrid of L. lanata x L. angustifolia. 40cm (1½ft) in height. 70cm (2ft) in width. Hardiness rating: H4.
Textured leaves
Interesting texture with silver-purple flowers
L. ‘Royal Crown’ has thick flower spikes topped by tufts of violet-blue bracts over summer. The grey-green leaves have an interesting crinkly-looking texture and are toothed, hence the epithet dentata. It will need a dry spot at the base of a wall or grow it in a pot to move into a light and airy place indoors in winter. 90cm (3ft) in height. 90cm (3ft) in width. Hardiness rating: H3.
RHS hardiness rating
The system of hardiness ratings enables gardeners to understand the hardiness of plants and gives a guide to the best growing conditions.
Find out more >
