23 Types of Lavender Varieties for a Fragrant and Colorful Garden

Fact checked by Haley Mades

Lavender is one of the most attractive, versatile garden plants. This woody perennial herb is easy to care for while offering evergreen foliage and flowers in shades of purple, violet, pink, or white.

You can harvest lavender for cut bouquets, fragrance, drying, or culinary uses in addition to enjoying its ornamental qualities in your garden.

Native to the Mediterranean, lavender plants overall prefer well-drained soils, warm temperatures, and lots of bright sunlight.

Different types of lavender have slightly different characteristics and care needs, but they share several beneficial traits, including resistance to garden pests like deer, drought tolerance, fragrant flowers, and minimal care.

Here are 22 lavender varieties to consider for your garden.

Warning

Lavender plants (Lavandula spp. and hybrids) are toxic to cats, dogs, and horses.

Spanish Lavender

Like French lavender, Spanish lavender's tall, pinkish-purple bracts outshine the tiny flowers they contain. Both the flowers and leaves of this low-growing, compact plant are edible. This heat-tolerant species requires lots of sun and warm temperatures to thrive.

• Name: Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas)

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 8-9

• Flower Color: Pink

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 12-18 in. tall, 18-24 in. wide

English Lavender

English lavender is one of the most common varieties available, with tall stems topped with spikes of tiny blue flowers during its midsummer bloom period. This hardy herb is perennial in colder climates, making it ideal for northern gardeners.

• Name: English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9

• Flower Color: Pale purple

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 24-36 in. tall and wide

English lavender 'Munstead'

A type of English lavender, Munstead is a low-growing variety that's ideal for edges and borders. This long-living cultivar's long, gray-green leaves resemble those of rosemary, while its violet-colored flowers grow in delicate clusters at the tips of compact stems. Cut back flowers after they fade to encourage a second round of blooms.

• Name: English lavender 'Munstead' (Lavandula angustifolia 'Munstead')

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-8

• Flower Color: Violet

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 12-18 in. tall and wide

French Lavender

France is known for its lavender production—so much so that this sought-after lavender species is named for the country. Fragrant French lavender's tiny flowers are held within pale purple bracts that resemble large petals at the top of the spike, and its leaves are fringed rather than smooth. This type of lavender thrives on neglect, but you can deadhead spent flowers to encourage future blooms.

• Name: French lavender (Lavandula dentata)

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 8-11

• Flower Color: Pale blue-purple

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 1-3 ft. tall, 4-5 ft. wide

Lavandin

Lavandin is a naturally occurring Lavandula hybrid that offers a particularly strong scent thanks to its camphor content. Care is similar to lavender species, but there are some differences: its stems are longer, with multiple flower spikes on each stem that narrow to a point at the tip. It also flowers later in the season.

• Name: Lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia)

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-8

• Flower Color: Light purple

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 2-3 ft. tall and wide

Fernleaf Lavender

Fernleaf lavender gets its name from the feathery, frondlike shape of its silvery-green leaves. Its tall stems bloom with slightly pointed clusters of showy, pale purple flowers through the summer. This aromatic variety is particularly attractive to pollinators.

• Name: Fernleaf lavender (Lavandula multifida)

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 8-10

• Flower Color: Pale purple

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 18-24 in. tall, 2-3 ft. wide

Portuguese Lavender

Also called spike lavender, Portuguese lavender is particularly aromatic, making it excellent for scent bags and perfuming oils. It has long, white-tinged leaves. Profuse, attractive clusters of blooms grow on tall spikes two to three feet high.

• Name: Portuguese lavender (Lavandula latifolia)

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-9

• Flower Color: Blue-violet

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 1-3 ft. tall, 18 in. wide

Hidcote Lavender

This cultivar of English lavender's compact size and mounding growth habit make it a great addition to borders and ornamental beds. Stout clusters of dark purple flowers attract pollinators like bees and butterflies.

• Name: Hidcote lavender (Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote')

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-8

• Flower Color: Dark purple

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 18-24 in. tall and wide

Lavandula stoechas 'Curly Top

This Spanish lavender cultivar is dark purple but its showy top bracts are the real star of the show. The slightly lighter, almost purple-pinkish bracts are ruffled and curved, adding great visual interest to any garden.

• Name: Spanish Lavender 'Curly Top' (Lavandula stoechas 'Curly Top')

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 8-10

• Flower Color: Dark purple

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 12-18 in. tall, 12-18 in. wide

Spanish Lavender 'Anouk'

This vigorous cultivar has the same showy, pinkish-purple flowers as Spanish lavender. It's a drought-tolerant addition to a sunny herb garden. You can expect this type of lavender to bloom around early or mid-spring.

• Name: Spanish lavender 'Anouk' (Lavandula stoechas 'Anouk')

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 7-10

• Flower Color: Pinkish purple

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 24-30 in. tall, 18-24 in. wide

English Lavender 'Sarah'

Maxing out at just 12 inches tall, this compact type of lavender is ideal for planting in containers. Dark purple calyxes holding tiny, paler purple flowers give the blooms on this variety a more intense color. Harvest flowers for drying or culinary uses.

• Name: English lavender 'Sarah' (Lavandula angustifolia 'Sarah')

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-11

• Flower Color: Purple

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 12 in. tall

Spanish Lavender 'Kew Red'

'Kew Red' is a Spanish lavender cultivar known for the pale pink bracts that resemble rabbit ears atop each flower cluster. It's ideal for growing in warm, humid climates. Because of its strong, resinous aroma, this lavender variety is ideal for ornamental or aromatherapy rather than culinary uses.

• Name: Spanish lavender 'Kew Red' (Lavandula stoechas 'Kew Red')

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 8-11

• Flower Color: Pink

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 18-24 in. tall

White Lavender 'Alba'

Not all types of lavender bloom in pink or purple. 'Alba' is a type of lavender known for its tubular white flowers with tiny yellow centers. Cut back spent blooms on this bushy, deer-resistant cultivar to encourage a second flush later in the season.

• Name: White lavender 'Alba' (Lavandula x intermedia 'Alba')

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-8

• Flower Color: White

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 36 in. tall, 24 in. wide

Spanish Lavender 'Fathead'

'Fathead' gets its name from its thick, rounded flower heads, topped in the Spanish lavender style with flashy bracts that fade from purple to pink as the blooms age.

• Name: Spanish lavender 'Fathead' (Lavandula stoechas 'Fathead')

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 7-9

• Flower Color: Purple, pink

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 12-24 in. tall and wide

English Lavender 'Jean Davis'

The flowers of most lavender varieties are, well, lavender—but a few, like 'Jean Davis', stray from shades of purple. This cultivar sports delicate pale pink, almost white flowers that taste fruity rather than bitter, making them excellent for use in sweets or other recipes. While most lavender types love heat, 'Jean Davis' grows best in regions without long periods of extreme heat in summer.

• Name: English lavender 'Jean Davis' (Lavandula angustifolia 'Jean Davis')

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-11

• Flower Color: Pink

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 18 in. tall

Spanish Lavender 'Strawberry Ruffles'

The 'Strawberry Ruffles' cultivar of Spanish lavender stands out with wavy clusters of bright pink bracts atop stout stacks of tiny, magenta-colored flowers. It's tolerant to an array of conditions, including extreme heat, high humidity, and drought and is known for repeat blooming.

• Name: Spanish lavender 'Strawberry Ruffles' (Lavandula stoechas 'Strawberry Ruffles')

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 8-9

• Flower Color: Pink, magenta

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 20-24 in. tall, 18-21 in. wide

French Lavender ‘Goodwin Creek Grey’

This French lavender hybrid, which is well suited to growing in a large container, originated in Oregon. Its smooth-edged leaves are a silvery gray-green. This hybrid cultivar offers up large, dark purple flower spikes from early summer through early fall.

• Name: French lavender ‘Goodwin Creek Grey’ (Lavandula × ginginsii ‘Goodwin Creek Grey’)

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 7-9

• Flower Color: Purple

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 18-24 in. tall, 24-30 in. wide

English Lavender 'Hidcote Giant'

This interspecific hybrid can grow nearly four feet tall when blooming. Violet-blue flowers protrude in thick clusters starting in early summer, and their long stems make them an excellent addition to cut flower bouquets or for ornamental dried flowers. In fall, the foliage turns an attractive coppery color.

• Name: English lavender 'Hidcote Giant' (Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote Giant')

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-8

• Flower Color: Violet-blue

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 36-40 in. tall

Spanish Lavender 'Ballerina'

This bicolor lavender has beautiful bracts that transition from white to pink or light purple as it matures. This Lavender is highly aromatic and perfect for bees and butterflies.

• Name: Spanish Lavender 'Ballerina' (Lavandula stoechas ''Ballerina')

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 8 - 9

• Flower Color: Pink to light purple

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 12-24 in. tall, 12-24 in. wide

English Lavender 'Thumbelina Leigh'

'Thumbelina Leigh' is a dwarf cultivar of English lavender that's excellent for edging, borders, and planting in containers thanks to its compact size and mounding growth habit. Blooms begin as clusters of violet buds that open to reveal sweet-smelling, light-purple flowers.

• Name: English lavender 'Thumbelina Leigh' (Lavandula augustifolia 'Thumbelina Leigh')

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-10

• Flower Color: Violet, purple

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 12-15 in. tall

Spanish Lavender 'La Diva Big Night'

'La Diva Big Night' is the first-ever cross between English and Spanish lavender, giving this unique hybrid a vigorous growth habit and superior tolerance to cold, heat, and humidity. Aromatic, dark purple flower clusters are topped with purple bracts. This lavender's compact size and successive waves of blooms make it a welcome addition to the garden.

• Name: Spanish lavender 'La Diva Big Night' (Lavandula stoechas 'La Diva Big Night')

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-9

• Flower Color: Purple, dark purple

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 14 in. tall, 18 in. wide.

French Lavender 'Grosso'

Despite its name, this oversized cultivar is actually a type of lavandin. Plants grow nearly three feet tall, with a spread of nearly four feet, making for an impressive mass of blooms starting in midsummer. Give this extra-large lavender lots of room and let the pollinators enjoy.

• Name: French lavender 'Grosso' (Lavandula x intermedia 'Grosso')

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-11

• Flower Color: Blue, purple

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 30-32 in. tall, 36-48 in. wide

Spanish Lavender 'Madrid Purple'

This perennial shrub's dark purple flower heads are topped with bright purple bracts and are attractive to pollinators.

• Name: Spanish Lavender 'Madrid Purple' (Lavandula stoechas 'Madrid Purple')

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 8-10

• Flower Color: Dark purple

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil

• Mature Size: 12-24 in. tall, 12-24 in. wide

Read Next: How to Grow Lavender: Planting and Care

Read the original article on The Spruce.