The Top 25 Types Of Real Lavender (Overview)

Real lavender is one of the most well-known types of lavender and includes a large number of varieties to suit all tastes. We’ll introduce you to the best.

There are more than 25 known types of lavender, which not only differ in properties such as their scent and habit but are also differently hardy. Real lavender ( Lavandula angustifolia ) is particularly popular in our latitudes because of its tolerance to winter conditions.

Lavender varieties: the most beautiful of real lavender

The great variety of real lavender makes the hearts of gardeners beat faster. Whether compact growing dwarf varieties for pot cultivation on the balcony and terrace or the suitable varieties for sweeping fragrant hedges in the garden, whether classic lavender blue, bright white, or delicate shades of pink – everyone is sure to find something here.

The original home of lavender is in the coastal regions of the Mediterranean. There it grows on dry and rocky slopes also at higher altitudes. Therefore, it does not place particularly high demands on its location. A sunny, warm place with a rather nutrient-poor, permeable soil is ideal for the lavender. Waterlogging, however, should be avoided at all costs. If you do not have your own garden, you can also cultivate real lavender wonderfully in pots. Therefore, we are introducing you to the best varieties of pots and gardens below.

Real Lavender: Popular Varieties for Pot Growing

Real lavender can reach very different sizes. Smaller, compact varieties are particularly suitable for balcony planting. Larger potted plants can also be placed on the terrace or parking spaces in the garden. The following varieties are well suited for pot cultivation:

‘Blue Cushion’: Compact variety with squat ears and large, long-lasting, light purple flowers; well suited for pot culture or the rock garden; Dwarf form.
‘Little Lottie’: Filigree pale pink flowers are the trademark of this dwarf variety.
‘Peter Pan’: dwarf form with dark purple flowers; growing slowly and compactly.
‘Nana Alba’: Slow-growing dwarf form with a bushy structure and white flowers.

Real lavender: the most beautiful varieties for the garden

Robust and mostly hardy varieties of real lavender are particularly suitable for outdoor cultivation. Depending on the growth habit and flowering time, there are various possible uses. We can recommend the following varieties for the garden:

‘Dwarf Blue’: Proven, medium-high variety with gray-green foliage and purple flowers, which is well suited as a border and fragrant hedge.
‘Folgate’: Particularly early lavender with compact foliage, tall spikes, and sapphire blue flowers; very suitable as a low hedge or border.
‘Blue Ice’: Medium-high variety with extraordinary ice-blue flowers.
‘Blue Mountain White’: Vigorous lavender with white flowers grows slightly taller than the ‘Nana Alba’ variety.
‘Hidcote Blue’: Proven variety from England with dark blue-violet flowers and a strong fragrance; compact and slow-growing; under ideal growth conditions, however, the plants can become relatively large.
‘Hidcote Pink’: Vigorous growing variety with delicate pink flowers; needs a regular cut.
‘Imperial Gem’: dark purple-blue flowers that appear lush and late; very similar to ‘Hidcote Blue’, but taller in growth; forms a regular hemispherical bush.
‘Jamlitz’: Robust lavender that copes well with rough locations.
‘Lumière des Alpes’: robust variety with blue-violet flowers showing an interesting play of colors; lighter lip flowers stand out from dark blue calyxes.

‘Maillette’: Violet-flowered variety from Provence that is used commercially there; stands out due to its high proportion of essential oils, intense fragrance, and the ability to flower.
‘Melissa’: The flowers of this lavender show a magical play of colors: the pale pink buds fade to a brilliant white as they bloom.
‘Melissa Lilac’: With its light purple flowers, hairy flower spikes, and broad leaves, ‘Melissa Lilac’ is nice to look at, but this variety is particularly sensitive to waterlogging.
‘Miss Katherine’: This lavender brings out the strongest pink of the real lavender varieties.
‘Munstead’: Particularly early flowering variety from England with midnight blue flowers and attractive, silver-gray foliage; spreads an intense fragrance due to the compact growth; very suitable for border edging.
‘Rêve de Jean-Claude’: variety from Provence with a very upright habit and an intense fragrance.
‘Rosea’: An old variety from the 1930s that has pastel pink flowers.
‘Royal Purple’: Grows relatively tall and is therefore ideal for loosely growing fragrant hedges; long, upright flower spikes; very suitable for drying.
‘Siesta’: Is characterized by a particularly spicy aroma and is therefore particularly suitable for use in the kitchen.
‘Two Seasons’ / ‘Irene Doyle’: Remounting variety with a bushy habit and light purple flowers; the second flowering begins in autumn.

In general: keep your eyes open when buying lavender. The attractive-looking poppy lavender with its eye-catching flowers is also becoming more and more popular in the trade. In contrast to real lavender, however, it is very sensitive to cold and should therefore be overwintered frost-free.