I have a fence around my front yard with a planting area of about two feet between the fence and the sidewalk. The fence is south facing and I would like to fill the narrow planting area with lavender, but am having difficulty choosing the best variety. Ideally, the plant wouldn’t spill too far into the sidewalk when in bloom. Also, I’ve also noticed some species retain some green growth during the nonblooming months, which would be nice. All recommendations and advice are welcomed.
Almost all varieties of lavender will grow in our area, but you should look for varieties that will stay close to your size limitations (so you won’t have to do hard pruning, just shearing). According to The Timber Press Guide to Gardening in the Pacific Northwest (Carol and Normal Hall, 2008), Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’ blooms over a long period of time, and doesn’t mind cooler summers that are not too dry. The ‘Munstead’ variety is dense and compact, and the most heat-tolerant of L. angustifolia cultivars. Lavandula dentata (French lavender) needs warm summers to bloom well and dislikes winter rain, so it would not be an ideal choice. Cultivated varieties of Lavandula x intermedia tend to be larger (3-4 feet high and wide). Lavandula stoechas (Spanish lavender) has sort of pineapple-shaped blooms, and flowers from May to July and sometimes again in fall. The authors mention a more upright and compact variety of L. stoechas, ‘Anouk.’
Most lavender will retain grey-green or green leaves over the winter, unless we have a serious freeze.