5 Best Types of Lavender for Central Ohio Gardens

Growing lavender can be incredibly rewarding.  But successfully growing lavender starts with choosing the right variety for your unique climate. That’s right! There are, indeed, different types of lavender to choose from.

For central Ohio gardeners, our hot, humid summers and heavy clay soil can be a challenge for Mediterranean native plants, such as lavender.  Luckily, several lavender varieties thrive in Ohio. To help you choose the perfect addition to your landscape, here are five different types of lavender, what makes them unique, why you should plant these perennials in Ohio, and how to care for each lavender variety.

1. Phenomenal Lavender

Phenomenal lavender is a French hybrid lavender known for its robust growth, large mounding habit, and exceptionally long, vibrant purple flower spikes.  It’s one of the toughest, most resilient lavender varieties.

Why You Should Grow Phenomenal Lavender

This variety was specifically bred to withstand extreme weather conditions. Unlike older cultivars that melt in high humidity, Phenomenal lavender stands strong against the mugginess of an Ohio July without succumbing to fungal diseases.

If you want a plant that thrives in the summer in Ohio, then Phenomenal lavender is for you.  Plus, its massive size and abundant blooms make this plant a striking garden focal point.  It also works well as a low hedge plant along a sunny walkway.

How to Care for Phenomenal Lavender

Give Phenomenal lavender plenty of space to grow as it can grow phenomenally large (as wide as three feet!).  Plant it in a spot that receives a full eight hours of direct sunlight, and prune it back by about one-third in late summer to maintain its rounded shape.

2. Hidcote English Lavender

Hidcote is a classic, time-tested English lavender variety that is compact in size and has deep, dark purple blooms. It represents the traditional look and aroma most people picture when they think of lavender.

Why You Should Grow Hidcote English Lavender

Hidcote blossoms have a much darker, richer violet shade than most other varieties. So, if you’re a purple flower lover, then you’ll love Hidcote English lavender.

You’ll also enjoy Hidcote’s sweet, refined fragrance that makes it a favorite for culinary use and potpourri.

Plus, its dwarf habit makes it perfect for small-space gardens, border edgings, and patio containers. It is also exceptionally cold-tolerant, meaning it will reliably survive our freezing central Ohio winters year after year.

How to Care for Hidcote English Lavender

Ensure this plant has ample soil drainage as this lavender variety is particularly sensitive to getting soggy roots and resultant root rot.  Amend your planting hole with plenty of coarse sand or gravel.  You can also plant Hidcote in a raised bed to keep the soil light and dry.

3. Sensational! Lavender

Sensational! lavender (and, yes, you must add the exclamation point with this variety) is a hybrid lavender variety that has thick, sturdy stems and remarkably large and dense flower spikes.

Why You Should Grow Sensational! Lavender

This lavender variety stands out for its broad, silvery-green foliage and massive bloom size. The stems are thick, which prevents the heavy flower heads from flopping over after a heavy summer downpour.

While this lavender variety offers similar heat and humidity tolerance to Phenomenal lavender, Sensational! Lavender is more manageable and compact. =  The fragrance is also rich and strikes the perfect balance between sweet and camphor notes.

How to Care for Sensational! Lavender

Plant Sensational! lavender in a location with excellent air circulation to keep the dense foliage dry. Water it deeply, but infrequently, during its first season.  Once the plant is established, rely strictly on natural rainfall unless the weather is extremely dry.

4. Munstead English Lavender

Munstead is a legendary English lavender variety that has been a staple in American gardens for decades. It grows to be compact and bushy with beautiful, rosy-purple flowers.

Why You Should Grow Munstead English Lavender

This variety blooms earlier in the spring than most other lavenders. So, you can start your lavender season off early with Munstead English lavender.  Munstead also thrives in poor, rocky soil, thereby allowing you to turn neglected garden spots into fragrant sanctuaries for humans and pollinators alike.  Also, Munstead is incredibly reliable and forgiving for beginning gardeners.

Munstead’s soft, sweeping color palette blends beautifully with other classic cottage garden perennials, such as coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, and ornamental grasses.

How to Care for Munstead English Lavender

Avoid over-fertilizing this plant, because rich soil will actually cause it to produce fewer flowers and grow weak stems. Trim the flower stalks down to the foliage immediately after the first bloom cycle to encourage a potential second round of flowers in the fall.

5. Provence Lavender

Provence lavender is a classic French hybrid variety grown extensively in the famous lavender fields of southern France. This plant features long, slender, light lavender-blue flower spikes on top of large, silvery bushes.

Why You Should Grow Provence Lavender

Provence lavender is world-renowned for its intense, sweet perfume and high oil content. The buds drop easily from the dried stems, which makes it a great choice for creating lavender scented sachets, soaps, and culinary spice blends, such as Herbes de Provence.

If your primary goal is harvesting lavender for crafting, baking, or drying, then Provence is the best lavender variety for you. The sheer abundance of flower spikes on a single plant ensures you will have plenty of material for your summer projects.

How to Care for Provence Lavender

Since France has a milder winter than Ohio does, Provence lavender requires a highly protected planting site to shield it from harsh winter winds. Plant it against a south-facing brick wall or near a foundation.  Ensure the soil drains well to help Provence lavender survive Ohio’s winter freeze.

Visit Timbuk Farm During Lavender Days

Not sure which lavender variety fits your garden, goals, and lifestyle?  Stop by Timbuk Farms during Lavender Days (June 13 – June 21) to see these beautiful plants in person and speak with our greenhouse experts.  You can also take home Timbuk Farm’s lavender (which is suited to Ohio gardens) as well as enjoy this family-friendly summer event’s yummy food, music, photo ops, Kids’ Fun Farm, lavender sales, and more.

We know Ohio gardening, and we want to make your Ohio garden be the magical place you deserve.