A small, fragrant lavender with finely cut, gray-green leaves and slender spikes of violet-blue flowers. Unlike many lavenders, it handles desert heat, and it blooms over a long season in beds, borders and pots.
Living with it in the Phoenix Valley
Watering
Follow the shrub schedule in our Landscape Care guide. It likes to dry slightly between waterings, and soggy or poorly drained soil is the quickest way to lose it.
Pruning
Cut spent flower spikes back to the foliage to keep new blooms coming. A light trim after a flush of flowers keeps the plant compact rather than leggy.
Cold
It does not tolerate frost well. In a cold snap, cover plants overnight, or grow them in pots that can move to a sheltered spot. Trim out damage once the weather warms.
How our designers use it
Containers and patios
Its size, fragrance and long bloom suit pots and planters near seating, where it is easy to brush past and enjoy.
Mediterranean-style beds
It pairs naturally with rosemary, olive and other gray-leaved plants in a softer, garden-style design.
Edging walks
A row along a path gives a loose, fragrant border with color for much of the year.
Good to know
Around the pool
No thorns and little litter, but the flowers draw bees. It works well in pots near the pool if kept a step back from the water’s edge.
