The Heat-Tolerant Lavender Variety That Makes A Fragrant Border Plant

Borders need fragrance! When you walk by a garden pathway, you expect to smell floral and herbal notes as you brush up against the plants. A border without fragrance is like a garden without plants. It's a necessity, and the easiest way to add pleasant scents is with aromatic plants like lavender. Nothing smells quite like this woody perennial. Your garden borders are more of a statement piece than you think, and the addition of lavender helps you maximize that effect.

When choosing a lavender variety, opt for a cultivar that'll excel in your garden based on the growing conditions, soil type, and sunlight levels. Many lavenders are drought-tolerant but few exceed the hardiness of Phenomenal lavender (Lavandula x intermedia Phenomenal 'Niko'). This compact variety emits powerful wafts of fragrance while retaining a short, dense, upright structure. A mature shrub tends to stop growing around 2 feet tall, and it'll reach around 2 to 3 feet wide.

Compact and smelly (in the best way), Phenomenal is perfect for borders, narrow walkways, and tight spaces. A single plant will fill up the space quickly with lovely scents, though planting more than one is a great way to boost the aroma's strength. You'll have a row full of lavender blooms and the start to home growing flowers meant to be in bouquets, allowing you to move the floral fragrance inside your home, as well.

Phenomenal lavender needs little care to thrive, though some special tactics will ensure your shrub excels through the growing season. First, verify that your border receives full sun, with at least six hours of daily direct sunlight. This Mediterranean shrub needs heat and light to grow well from spring to fall. It will get leggy and weak in the shade, and it'll produce fewer flowers and less scent. Ensure you get the strongest floral smells possible by planting Phenomenal in a spot with sufficient sunlight.

Second, check the soil in the border. It should be well-drained with little standing moisture. If you irrigate the site and water pools on the surface, it likely doesn't drain well enough. You'll promote more blooms on your lavender plants by implementing soil additions, like crushed gravel. Sand works well, too, unless the site is rich in clay. If this is the case, ditch the sand and try adding compost ahead of planting to boost the soil quality. The goal is to have loose, free-draining dirt. With good soil, you may water regularly the first year after planting and less frequently thereafter.

When winter arrives, know that your Phenomenal specimen will survive frigid weather in USDA growing zones 4 through 8. It's not only drought-tolerant, but it's frost-tolerant, too! Give your shrub extra protection if you live in zones 4 and 5, as unexpected winter storms can damage its branches. Cover the roots with wood chips or extra gravel, and offer protection during cold, windy periods by wrapping the shrub with frost cloth or burlap.