Lavender: Lavandula multifida

description for "Lavender: Lavandula multifida"

Fern-leaf lavender looks distinctively different than other garden lavenders. It has deeply lobed fern-like, silvery leaves that give the foliage a handsome lacy appearance and long stems topped with graceful blue-violet trident-form flowers. Easily grown from seed, this first year flowering perennial has a bushy habit and blooms all summer long. Fern-leaf foliage is highly aromatic with a hint of oregano and highly attractive to butterflies. Great for borders, beds and containers. Because perennial lavender’s small seeds germinate slowly and unevenly, it’s best to start them indoors so you can tend them carefully. After seedlings are well established, plant them out in a sunny spot with excellent drainage and good air circulation or in big, well-drained pots. Plants flower lightly the first season and come into full bloom in their second summer. After blooming season, prune and shape the plants while cutting off spent flower stalks. If their requirements are met, these sturdy plants will take more humidity than other lavenders. Fern-leaf lavender plants are beacons for butterflies all summer long. Fern-leaf lavender is a tender perennial in zones 8-10; acts as an annual in colder climates. In northern gardens grow it in pots, or take cuttings from your garden plants indoors in the fall. – edited by dtd pbcouchman

History:

Lavandula multifida is native to southern Europe and northern Africa.