What Is the Difference Between French and English Lavender and Which One to Plant in Your Garden
Not only does lavender look great in bouquets, it also has a clean, pleasant scent that many love and soothe. And if you’ve ever bought fresh lavender, you know that it can be quite expensive. So, if you want an endless supply of a fragrant plant, you can grow lavender in your own garden.
You may have even tried this before but were disappointed with the results. While there are many possible reasons why you did not have a good harvest, one of them might be that you are planting a strain that does not grow well in your climate. Thankfully, an article from Smart Healthy Green Living breaks down the differences between French and English lavender, including where each type grows best.
Differences between French and English lavender
According to Smart Healthy Green Living, there are four main differences between French and English lavender: size, flowering, aroma, and ideal climate. Here’s what you need to know about each.
The size
Although the flowers of French and English lavender are roughly the same color, they vary in size. In particular, French lavender spreads – usually growing to two or three feet in width and height, while English lavender remains relatively compact in size and shape as it grows.
Blooms
When it comes to flowering, French lavender is the clear winner. Its flowers not only bloom longer than English lavender, but also have more flowering cycles during the growing season.
Smell
There are also differences when it comes to scent. The scent we usually associate with lavender comes from an English variety, which also produces a much stronger scent than its French counterpart, according to an article in Gardening Know-How. French lavender, on the other hand, has a much lighter scent that smells a little more like rosemary than what we tend to think of as “lavender.”
Climate
This is where you might run into trouble growing your own lavender. While English lavender is tolerant of many different climates, including those that have (at least previously) four distinct seasons, French lavender is nowhere near as flexible.
In fact, it grows best in zone 8 , where frost-free conditions last from early April to late October. In the United States, the zone includes cities such as Atlanta, Dallas and Tuscaloosa , Breck said. Unsurprisingly, one of the places where French lavender thrives is in Provence.