15 Hardy Lavender Varieties Perfect for Cold Climates and Frost-Prone Gardens

What a spectacle are the lavender fields in Provence, sliding sinuously in the sunny landscape like colorful waves of the sea! But that’s the south of France, a hot region… So, how about if you live in a colder country? Strangely enough, you can have this amazing and super fragrant flowering shrub also in a temperate climate zone, with all its blooms in white, mauve, blue, and pink, its intoxicating scent and, of corse, hordes of butterflies, bees and other pollinators too!

Yes, because not all varieties of lavender are afraid of cold winters, and in fact, some of the best, even with the most perfumed aroma, will thrive even in pretty cold regions with freezing temperatures, as long as you give them plenty of sunlight and very well drained soil!

And if you can’t afford the winter temperatures of the Mediterranean, but you sill want lavender blooms and scent in your garden or on your terrace, find out which varieties you can grow!

Cold Hardy Lavender Varieties That Don’t Mind Freezing Winters

So, don’t worry if winters drop to freezing temperatures in your garden, you can grow these varieties of lavender for fragrant blooms and lots of pollinators, and we have divided them into two groups, cold hardy (to USDA zone 5) and semi cold hardy (to USDA zone 6).

Cold hardy lavender varieties

1. Alba Nana’ English lavender
2. ‘Hidcote’ English lavender
3. ‘Grosso’ lavandin
4. ‘Rosea’ English lavender
5. ‘Lacy Frills’ English lavender
6. ‘Royal Velvet’ English lavender
7. ‘Edelweiss’ lavandin
8. ‘Blue Cushion’ English lavender
9. ‘Miss Katherine’ English lavender
10. ‘Hidcote Giant’ lavandin
11. ‘Laventine Petite’ English lavender
12. ‘Hidcote Blue’ English lavender

Semi cold hardy lavender varieties

1. ‘Anouk’ butterfly lavender
2. ‘With Love’ butterfly lavender
3. ‘Anouk White’ butterfly lavender

We will see (and smell them), very soon, but first, what makes a lavender variety cold hardy?

Why Are Some Varieties Of Lavender Cold Hardy And Others Not?

The answer is quite simple. Lavender is a genus of shrubs, Lavandula, and some species are cold hardy, while others don’t tolerate freezing winters. But you are lucky, because the best scented of them all, Lavandula angustifolia (English lavender, used for perfumes) grows in USDA zones 5 to 9, as does lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia), and these are also great bloomers!

On the other hand, French lavender (Lavandula dentata) is soft and it needs USDA zone 8b or above, but its aroma is soapy, and Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas) with its large and butterfly like blooms will not survive under USDA zones 6 or 7, and it can be defined as semi hardy, but it has a lighter fragrance…

This leaves us with lots of highly scented and long blooming varieties you can grow in USDA zones 5 and above, and we can now start seeing the very best!

Cold Hardy Lavender Varieties

There are cold hardy varieties of lavender, that will survive winters in USDA hardiness zones 5, where temperatures drop to -20^oF (that is -28.9^oC), and these are mainly English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and its hybrid Lavandula x intermedia, called lavandin, but also Provence lavender, garden lavender, Dutch lavender or even bastard lavender.

You can grow these even in the northern United States, despite originating from warm and sunny African, Asian and European regions and especially common around the Mediterranean Sea.

1: ‘Alba Nana’ English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia ‘Alba Nana’)

Never mind freezing winters! Grow a small and candid coldhardy  beauty: ‘Alba Nana’. It is an English lavender cultivar, but dwarf (that’s what “nana” means), only growing to a maximum of 12 inches tall. But it packs a lot of light and charm into its small size, because its upright stems bear dense clusters of super fragrant snow white blossoms, and this where “alba” (or “dawn”) comes from.

But if you look closely at these spikes, you will see that at the very center of each blossom there is a golden yellow eye, adding sunny energy to the floral display. A magnet for pollinators like bees and butterflies, it also boasts as set of narrow and long, silver green and evergreen leaves, providing a backdrop of finely textured and glittering foliage, which is scented as well, especially if crushed. It will bloom in mid summer, but if you cut (and harvest) the florets before the whole inflorescenceis spent, it may repeat this show in fall. Compact but striking, this cultivar has also won the super famous Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society!

‘Alba Nana’ is the perfect luminous and candid white variety of English lavender to grow in a container, even on a window sill, but you can also enjoy its foliage, blooms and aroma outdoors in flower beds, or to edge a path or border, or nestled among colorful stones in a rock garden.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9.
• Light exposure:full Sun.
• Flowering season:mid to late summer, a repeat bloom in fall is possible.
• Size:10 to 12 inches tall (25 to 30 cm) and 1 to 2 feet in spread (30 to 60 cm).
• Soil and water requirements:moderately fertile to lean and poor, very well drained and lightly humid to dry loam, chalk or sand based soil with pH from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought and rocky soil tolerant.

2: ‘Hidcote’ English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’)

If you want the classical look and personality of our sunny but cold hardy shrub, then there is a classic for you: ‘Hidcote’ which will thrive in USDA zones 5 to 9! The super fragrant, uprightflowering spikes will open in late spring to mid summer, and they may progress into July as well. Filled with elegant blossoms in violet purple on a very vibrant range, they will attract hordes of bees, butterflies and all sorts of pollinators to your garden, and if you cut them and harvest them, you may have one or even two more blooms later on in the season, though smaller than the first.

It is a medium sized English lavender variety, reaching about 2 feet tall and in spread (60 cm), that really reproduces the picture perfectsceneries of the fields of Provence, in the South of France, with really intense displays and the exact color you see in postcards… On top of this, its evergreen bluish green foliage with the many slender leaves will keep your garden fresh in winter as well. Its very traditional appearance and high performance have granted it the biggest prize of them all, the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society!

If you mass plant ‘Hidcote’ English lavender you will get the exact effect of a sunny and fragrant field in the Mediterranean that this shrub is famous for, and a great harvest as well. But this variety is also great in borders, rockeries and herb gardens, and small enough to fit in a container on a patio or terrace.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Flowering season: late spring to early summer, two more blooms are possible till fall.
• Size: 1 to 2 feet tall and in spread (30 to 60 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: moderately fertile to lean and poor, very well drained and lightly humid to dry loam, chalk or sand based soil with pH from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought and rocky soil tolerant.

3: ‘Grosso’ Lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia ‘Grosso’)

‘Grosso’ is the first lavandin variety we meet, and this hybrid (Lavandula x intermedia) is also called fat lavender, which tells you something about its floral display… Yes, because the spikes are particularly big, up to 6 inches long (15 cm), and they come on upright (in the middle pf the shrub) or gently arching upward stems (on the sides), forming a rounded mound of color in mid and late summer in USDA hardiness zones 5 to 9.

A real magnet for pollinators, its flowers are very fragrant and they will preserve their aroma and color also after drying. Talking about which, this cultivar offers you blooms in a lovely and luminous bluish violet shade, which is very bright and sunny indeed. The inflorescences are fairly dense, and they rose above the finely textured cushion of bright green and evergreen with long and thin leaves that add elegance to the ensemble.

Here is another variety for mass planting and the Provence effect, if you mass plant it, of course. But it can give you its bright and fragrant display in perennial borders as well, and it will work well as a specimen shrub, especially if you grow it in a sunny and focal place in your garden.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Flowering season:mid and late summer.
• Size:2 to 3 feet tall and in spread (60 to 90 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: moderately fertile to lean and poor, very well drained and lightly humid to dry loam, chalk or sand based soil with pH from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought and rocky soil tolerant.

4: ‘Rosea’ English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia ‘Rosea’)

Also called ‘Jean Davis’ this cultivar of English lavender is better known as ‘Rosea’, which, of course refers to its color… In fact, we are looking at a very romantic variety indeed, because its little flowers come in a shade of soft pink with just a tiny rosy undertone, which intensifies in the middle of the blooms, where they hold the sweet nectar that will call pollinators to your garden form far away… But this Lavandula angustifolia is also noted for one particular quality; it can blossom almost continuously from early summer to early fall!

Brightening up your summer day with its dreamy floral display, it also has yet another interesting characteristic: the spikes rise up to the sky, but the actual inflorescences cluster in globular groups rather than long ones, along the upright stems, forming decorative stringed balls, like large pearls… Super fragrant, these inflorescences will stand out beautifully on top of a lovely mound of fine foliage, with long and narrow and bright green leaves, which are evergreen in warm climates, but it will still survive in cold regions, from USDA zone 5 to 9.

Maybe the most romantic of all lavenders, ‘Rosea’ with its ball shaped spikes will definitely add an old world touch to your perennial borders or in a low hedge. It can work in most informal landscaping  styles, from urban to country in inspiration, and of course for a love and sun infused Mediterranean garden.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9.
• Light exposure:full Sun.
• Flowering season:early summer to early fall.
• Size:24 to 30 inches tall (60 to 75 cm) and 30 to 36 inches in spread (75 to 90 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: moderately fertile to lean and poor, very well drained and lightly humid to dry loam, chalk or sand based soil with pH from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought and rocky soil tolerant.

5: ‘Lacy Frills’ English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia ‘Lacy Frills’)

Now we will explore the delicate side of our sunny and scented shrub, with a very tiny variety of English lavender, called ‘Lacy Frills’. In fact, it only grows to a maximum of 14 inches tall (35 cm), but it offers you a really elegant display in this small space. The spikes are held on upright stems, and they are rather loose, first appearing with whorls of pale sky blue buds in early summer, or sometimes late spring in warmer climates.

These will open to display display small white flowers, but if you take a close look at them, you will also see some gentle mauve notes on them. Despite its size, it will attract lots of butterflies, bees and pollinators, and it will enchant you with its sweet fragrance as well… Repeat blooms are possible if you harvest it before the blossoms wilt, and the typically fine evergreen foliage of long and narrow leaves has a fresh bluish green color. This is also one of the easiest cultivars to grow from seed.

With ‘Lacy Frills’ you can bring a Mediterranean flavor even to your window sill and in regions where winters are freezing, being really dwarf, or you could have its elegant white blooms and fine foliage to edge paths or borders, or even in a flower bed, if you wish. Of course, feel free to grow it in a rock or herb garden…

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Flowering season: early to mid summer, later blooms till early fall are possible if you harvest it.
• Size:12 to 14 inches tall (30 to 35 cm) and 10 to 12 inches in spread (25 to 30 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: moderately fertile to lean and poor, very well drained and lightly humid to dry loam, chalk or sand based soil with pH from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought and rocky soil tolerant.

6: ‘Royal Velvet’ English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia ‘Royal Velvet’)

But now on to a bold variety of English lavender instead, with ‘Royal Velvet’! This cold hardy cultivar has a lush, noble and vibrant personality, in fact, and it is due to its eye catching and showy long spikes of florets that rise to the Sun in a super vibrant violet purple color, luxurious and very energetic. But the blossoms will open from dark blue buds, with a very velvety texture, adding even more depth to its floral display!

The spikes are also quite long, between 3 and 4 inches (7.5 to 10 cm) and dense, opening in upright stems in late spring and early summer, with later smaller blooms till fall if you harvest them. And you should, because these flowers are noted for their super strong, intoxicating classic fragrance, but you will have to cut them in a sea of butterflies, bees and pollinators from all over yourneighborhood! Rising to 30 inches tall (75 cm), these bright clusters will wave in the wind above a dense and finely textured shrubby mound of solver green, and ever green, long and narrow leaves.

‘Royal Velvet’ English lavender is also one of the best varieties to grow in areas where winters are wet, and it will bring its sumptuous and noble energetic blossoms to all informal spaces, in low hedges, perennial borders, and, of course, in a herb garden filled with fragrance.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Flowering season: late spring and early summer, repeat blooms are possible till fall if you harvest it.
• Size:24 to 30 inches tall (60 to 75 cm) and 30 to 36 inches in spread (75 to 90 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: moderately fertile to lean and poor, very well drained and lightly humid to dry loam, chalk or sand based soil with pH from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought and rocky soil tolerant.

7: ‘Edelweiss’ Lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia ‘Edelweiss’)

‘Edelweiss’ is a candidly deceitful shrub… Its name suggests high pastures, and in fact, it is the symbol of the Alps and freezing winters… Yes, still in the same region, but with towering snow cappedmountains, not sunny and blue seas… And yes, it is quite cold hardy, withstanding temperatures as low as -20^oF (or -26.6^oC)! But if you look at its pure white blossoms, you will see the reference quite well… Appearing in early summer, the tiny flowers are packed at the tips of long gently arching stems that grow almost horizontally at the edges, and upright in the middle of the shrub.

And they are, of course, very fragrant and a great for pollinators, who don’t fall for its unusual look… And the clusters of blossoms are quite thin as well, despite belonging to the “fat lavender” hybrid group! At about 2 inches in length (5.0 cm), they look like popsicles, or icicles on a stick! Harvest them for their scent or for a lovely posy and you will get smaller blooms later in the season, to keep your garden fresh, also thanks to its fine silver green leaves that persist through the winter months!

Mixing the Mediterranean fragrance of other lavender varieties with the snowy color of its blooms, ‘Edelweiss’ lavandin would look great in a Moon garden, in borders or as a specimen shrub. Mass planed it can look like the trail of a bride, and, naturally, as a cut flower, it can perfume a romantic wedding bouquet.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 10.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Flowering season:early to mid summer, repeat blooms are possible till early fall, if you harvest it.
• Size:2 to 3 feet tall (60 to 90 cm) and 24 to 30 inches in spread (60 to 75 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: moderately fertile to lean and poor, very well drained and lightly humid to dry loam, chalk or sand based soil with pH from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought and rocky soil tolerant.

8:‘Blue Cushion’ English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia ‘Blue Cushion’)

One of the most convincing varieties of English lavender in the color of the sky, ‘Blue Cushion’ can look like the waves of the sea in your garden, even if winters are very severe and cold where you live. In fact, its blooms are really spectacular and so intense that at peak time they will totally cover this small shrub. And they will do it when the Sun is high, from early to late summer, but with possible repeat blossoms if you deadhead them… But maybe this effect is mainly due to the color the little florets start off with.

Yes, because the flowers open in a clear pale blue shade, quite bright and light, but pastel. However, they will change as they ripen, and take on a mauve and purplish tonality… But the fragrance will last throughout the season, with its Mediterranean scent, and then you will be reminded that that leafy mound of of finelytextured gray green and evergreen foliage with under the the azure coat (and wings of pollinators) is not a pond in your garden, but a Lavandula cultivar.

Very floriferous indeed, ‘Blue Cushion’ is a small variety of English lavender, so you can easily have it in containers or in a flower bed. Excellent for rock gardens, it can also work as a lovely sky colored edge on the sides of paths or front of borders.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Flowering season: early to late summer, with repeat blooms till fall if you deadhead it.
• Size: 12 to 16 inches tall (30 to 40 cm) and 12 to 18 inches in spread (30 to 45 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: moderately fertile to lean and poor, very well drained and lightly humid to dry loam, chalk or sand based soil with pH from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought and rocky soil tolerant.

9: ‘Miss Katherine’ English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia ‘Miss Katherine’)

‘Miss Katherine’ is one of the most extraordinary varieties of English Lavender, and in fact, it has won the coveted Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society! Its upright, long and slender stems will bear dense spikes of florets from late spring or early summer, opening in inflorescences that reach 3 inches in length (7.5 cm) but they are also quite plump, and really, really super fragrant… But what makes this cultivar so popular is also the amazing palette of the blossoms… They are pink, overall, but with changes from bloom to bloom…

Some touch notes of pale pastel rose, others are on the shell side, and yet other flowers fade to almost white… The luminous effect adds to the super romantic personality of this shrubby beauty, and when butterflies come to visit it, in great numbers, it’s like living in a love story… The foliage is aromatic too, and typically long and thin, with fine texture and with a sunny bright green shade. But don’t be deceived by its soft and suave appearance, it is a tough little bush, and it will thrive in USDA zones 5 to 9!

Grow the most romantic border ever with ‘Miss Katherine’ English lavender, or add it to low hedges, or if you want, keep it in a container on your terrace or patio, but never forget to cut its fragrant flowers to get even more blossoms and have a dreamy posy for your indoor spaces…

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Flowering season: late spring to early summer, with repeat blooms till early fall if you deadhead it.
• Size:24 to 30 inches tall (60 to 75 cm) and 30 to 36 inches in spread (75 to 90 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: moderately fertile to lean and poor, very well drained and lightly humid to dry loam, chalk or sand based soil with pH from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought and rocky soil tolerant.

10:‘Hidcote Giant’ Lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia ‘Hidcote Giant’)

But if you have a large garden and you want a fabulous “field of Provence” effect, and you live in a cold region where winters are freezing (down to -20^oF, or -26.6^oF),you need ‘Hidcote Giant’ lavandin! Yes, because this big variety is bold in all respects, starting with its floral display. Lasting from mid to late summer, the blooms are clustered in very dense and fat spikes are the top of straight or gently arching slender stems, and they reach 4 inches in length (10 cm)!

Coming very profusely, they flowers are really striking for their vibrant violet purple shade, abs they open from buds that are really deep and intense royal purple, of course! This cultivar is also super fragrant, so you get the full Mediterranean feel, and you will never see it without dozens of butterflies, bees and other pollinators fluttering over its sumptuous blossoms. With silvery, grayish green and evergreen, super dine foliage, this noble looking shrub us indeed part of gardening royalty, having won the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society!

Ideal for mass planting and a breathtaking Southern France inspired landscape, ‘Hidcote Giant’ lavandin is as well a great lavender variety for borders or low hedges, and it can take center stage in a herb garden as a real purpled queen! Its long stems also make it one of the best choices for cut flowers.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 8.
• Light exposure:full Sun.
• Flowering season:mid and late summer.
• Size:2 to 3 feet tall (60 to 90 cm) and 36 to 42 inches in spread (90 to 105 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: moderately fertile to lean and poor, very well drained and lightly humid to dry loam, chalk or sand based soil with pH from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought and rocky soil tolerant.

11: ‘Lavenite Petite’ English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia ‘Lavenite Petite’)

And now a little but very vibrant variety for you: ‘Lavenite Petite’… This cold hardy cultivar was bred in New Zealand, and it is quite compact, but it punches far above its weight with its generous blooms that start before other varieties as well. In fact, you will first see its deep royal purple buds open to display pale violet (lavender, actually is the shade as well) blossoms densely packed in small clusters at the tips of slender stems.

Reaching only 18 inches tall (45 cm), it will still attract lots of butterflies and pollutants with its vibrant flowers and aromatic fragrance… And if you deadhead it, you will get a very long  blooming season, with repeat flushes till early fall. The finely textured foliage is scented as well, and it has a lovely solver green shade, with the typically long and narrow evergreen leaves filled with essential oil, but with a final twist… They take on a bronze tone in winter!

You can grow the early and long lasting purple blooms of ‘Lavenite Petite’ English lavender in containers on a terrace or patio, but also in a rock garden or flower bed, or you can use it to edge laths and borders; the choice is only yours!

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9.
• Light exposure:full Sun.
• Flowering season:mid to late spring, with repeat blooms till early fall if you deadhead it.
• Size:12 to 18 inches tall and in spread (30 to 45 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: moderately fertile to lean and poor, very well drained and lightly humid to dry loam, chalk or sand based soil with pH from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought and rocky soil tolerant.

12: ‘Hidcote Blue’ English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote Blue’)

We come now to a sister of our first variety, ‘Hidcote Blue’ English lavender, and the clue is in its name. Let’s be honest, there are no Lavandula cultivars or species which blossom in the color of the sky or tropical seas… But their buds can hit that shade quite well, and in our case, you will see them cluster at the top of straight stems in a deep, strong and vibrant shade of midnight blue in late spring, or early summer in colder climates… Then, the flowers will open in dense spikes, and they will give you violet purple blooms that almost cover the whole shrub.

Super fragrant, they will bring hordes of butterflies, bees and many other pollinators to your garden, and I suggest you harvest them, because this prompts reblooming later in the season. The leaves are aromatic as well, and typically thin and long, packed with essential oils, and in a bright silver green tonality. And all this show will not be ruined by freezing winters, because it can withstand temperatures that drop to -20^oF (or -26.6^oC)!

An excellent variety for flowering borders and butterfly gardens, you can grow ‘Hitcote Blue’ also in containers or rockeries and with other herbs, and will never disappoint you with its large and fragrant blossoms.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9.
• Light exposure:full Sun.
• Flowering season:late spring to mid summer, later blooms are possible till early fall if you deadhead it.
• Size:1 to 2 feet tall and in spread (30 to 60 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: moderately fertile to lean and poor, very well drained and lightly humid to dry loam, chalk or sand based soil with pH from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought and rocky soil tolerant.

Semi Hardy Lavender Varieties

In the central US states, as well as high up to Wyoming in the west, Ohio by the Great Lakes, or most of the East Coast, up to New Jersey and Massachusetts, the climate is a bit milder, mainly in USDA hardiness zones 6 and 7. If you live in these regions, you have a bigger choice of lavender varieties, mainly Lavandula stoechas, called Spanish or French, or butterfly lavender…

This species can tolerant quite severe winters, even if temperatures drop to freezing 0^oF (-17.8^oC) or -10^oF (which is -23.3^o). Still quite cold indeed! So, let’s see some of the best Spanish (or French) lavender varieties for your garden…

13: ‘Anouk’ Butterfly Lavender (Lavandula stoechas ‘Anouk’)

If you live in USDA hardiness zone 6, you can safely grow ‘Anouk’, a famous variety of butterfly (Spanish or French) lavender, and one of the cold hardiest of all! Then again, it is small enough to grow in a container, and so you will enjoy its plump spikes on upright stems that have tiny florets in deep purple, and large bracts at the top that look like the wings of butterflies, of course!

And and they will attract lots of them, as well as bees and other pollinators, and for a long time. In fact, it will blossom in mid to late spring, sometimes into early summer, and then again in August to September! The top bracts are violet at first, but they fade to mauve and pink as the blossoms mature.Its fragrance, like all other Lavandula stoechasvarieties, is light with notes of English lavender mixed with rosemary, herbal and balsamic and with a woody hint. And it is present in the evergreen foliage as well, which is dense but fine, thanks to the bluish silver narrow and long leaves.

You can have ‘Anouk’ Spanish lavender in pots and containers, even on a window sill, or use it in rockeries or flower beds, for lots of butterflies and intriguing blossoms, or edge your borers with with its evergreen leaves and long lasting flowering spikes!

• Hardiness: USDA zones 6 to 10.
• Light exposure:full Sun.
• Flowering season:mid spring to early summer, late summer, sometimes into fall.
• Size:12 to 18 inches tall (30 to 45 cm) and 18 to 24 inches in spread (45 to 60 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: moderately fertile to lean and poor, very well drained and lightly humid to dry loam, chalk or sand based soil with pH from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought and rocky soil tolerant.

14: ‘With Love’ Spanish Lavender (Lavandula stoechas ‘With Love’)

Here is another of the hardiest Lavandula stoechasvarieties (to USDA zone 6), but with a luminous and even romantic personality. In fact, the butterfly wing shaped bracts of this cultivar are of a very bright, light filled and pale pink color, almost white. Actually, it looks like rosy reflexes on a white crystal, like salt, actually, if you have ever seen rose quartz, that would give you the right idea, but with a darker vein in the middle!

They are quite big and coming atop a plump but short, egg shapedspikes packed with luxurious florets in a super strong and vibrant magenta purple shade… This floral spectacle can start as early as May, and it may last till as late as June, in flushes. But then it can start again in late summer and maybe keep your garden alive with blossoms into fall… Attractive to pollinators, of course, it has the typical light aroma of French or Spanish lavender, and the fine, long and short leaves form evergreen mounds of silver green.

Yet another small but cold hardy variety of butterfly lavender, ‘With Love’ can bring light and romance to your rock garden or flower beds, but you can also have it in containers on a patio or terrace, and, why not, it can accompany you home after work if you grow it to edge your front path or driveway…

• Hardiness: USDA zones 6 to 10.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Flowering season: late spring to early summer, then again in late summer if you deadhead it, and sometimes into early fall.
• Size:14 to 18 inches tall (35 to 345 cm) and 12 to 14 inches in spread (30 to 35 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: moderately fertile to lean and poor, very well drained and lightly humid to dry loam, chalk or sand based soil with pH from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought and rocky soil tolerant.

15: ‘Anouk White’ Butterfly Lavender (Lavandula stoechas ‘Anouk White’)

And we close our journey in search of cold hardy Lavandula varieties with a wintry note, so elegantly touched by ‘Anouk White’, another butterfly (Spanish or French) lavender cultivar. It will tolerate freezing temperatures that drop to -10^oF (or -17.8^oC), but it will also bring a snowy touch to your spring and summer garden, and sometimes into fall as well!

Yes, because the large bracts that appear in May are super pure white, and they first stay upright like an ivory crown, then they arch out like wings. The first close and floriferous flushes may persist till early June. But if you deadhead them or cut them, they will come back with a thinner floral display later on, usually in August and sometimes also in September. These will rise up above a very dense spike that at first looks like a tiny pineapple, but then the little florets open (after the bracts), and you will see their super sumptuous, dark and vibrant violet blue color!

Look even closer, and you will note a saffron yellow, almost orangish central eye… And these are all signals for pollinators, that will visit your garden to feed on the sweet nectar of the blossoms. With the light and complex fragrance typical of this species, the flowers are set on a round and finely textured mound of aromatic and evergreen little, long and narrow leaves, in a shade that touches pale blue and green notes, almost aquamarine!

Less popular than her purple sister, ‘Anouk White’ butterfly lavender is nevertheless as cold hardy and attractive. It also has a very original candid and vibrant combination of colors, which you can enjoy in containers, on patios or terraces as well as window sills in USDA zones 6 or above. Then again, you may also want to have its blossoms and fine foliage in a rockery, or in a flower bed, or to hedge paths and borders. The choice is only yours…

• Hardiness: USDA zones 6 to 10.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Flowering season: late spring to early summer, then again in late summer if you deadhead it, and sometimes into early fall.
• Size:12 to 14 inches tall (30 to 35 cm) and 14 to 18 inches in spread (35 to 45 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: moderately fertile to lean and poor, very well drained and lightly humid to dry loam, chalk or sand based soil with pH from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought and rocky soil tolerant.

Never Mind Cold Winters! You Can Grow Sunny Lavender Varieties In Your Garden As Well

So, even if winters are freezing where you live, you can have lots of sunny and super fragrant, evergreen, flowering varieties of Lavandula in your garden as well, and if you want butterflies, bees and pollinators, and if you want home made perfumed sachets or potpourris (and why not, essential oils and soaps), there is no better shrub than lavender!