Lavender ‘French White’

Lavender 'French White' (Lavandula dentata) flowers for a long season rather than one short summer flush. It settles at about 1m tall and 1m across, with grey green toothed foliage under slim white spikes. The leaf scent is closer to camphor than sweet perfume, which is why it takes the heat, salt and poor ground that English lavender sulks in.

Why you'll love it

• White flowers, not purple. Pale spikes over grey foliage suit a coastal or modern garden better than a block of purple.
• A long flowering season. In warm gardens the spikes come and go for much of the year, not for three weeks.
• Genuinely tough. Drought, heat, salt and poor soil are all fine, so it earns a dry verge or a hot western bed.
• Bees and butterflies find it fast. A row is busy from the first season, and one shear a year keeps it neat.

Where it works best

Borders, edging and low hedging. Plant 60cm apart. Any tighter and the plants hold damp air in the middle, which is what rots a lavender hedge out in patches.

Mass planting and rockeries. Use the same 60cm spacing across a slope or a gravel bed. The grey foliage carries the planting when nothing is in flower.

Pots and containers. A 400mm pot with free draining mix suits one plant, and terracotta beats glazed here because it dries out between waterings.

Growing lavender in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, six hours or more. It suits warm temperate, Mediterranean, arid and semi-arid gardens, and cool temperate districts where drainage is sharp. It takes light frost only, so young plants in hard frosting country want a warm wall. Humid subtropical and tropical gardens are the honest limit, because wet summer air brings on root and stem rot.

Soil. Free draining and lean, neutral to slightly alkaline. On clay, mound the bed 200mm and work coarse grit through it. Mulch with gravel or coarse bark, kept clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Deep water weekly through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. Rich soil and heavy fertiliser give soft growth and fewer flowers, so a light dressing in early spring is plenty.

Pruning. Shear back by a third after each flush, taking the spent spikes and a little leafy growth with them. Never cut into bare grey wood, because it will not reshoot from it.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown as tube stock and in 140mm pots sold in packs of ten. Tubes are young single plants, cheap enough for a long run. The pack of ten covers a little over 5m of edging at 60cm spacing.

Firm, low moisture foliage travels well, though some flattened growth after transit is normal and lifts within a week. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Expect roots to hold in four to six weeks in warm weather, and the first real flush of flower the season after planting. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• A guide to the most fragrant garden plants
• Browse the full fragrant plant range
• Rockery and gravel garden plants
• Plants that bring in bees and butterflies

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a low hedge?

Sixty centimetres apart in a single row. Any tighter and the plants shade each other at the base and trap damp air, which is the usual reason a lavender hedge dies out in patches.

Will it grow in a humid subtropical garden?

Not well. It takes heat easily, but humid summers bring on root and stem rot, so wet subtropical gardens do better with a rosemary or a westringia for the same grey, dry look.

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

Not entirely. Lavender is mildly toxic to cats and dogs, and a pet that chews a mouthful may drool or vomit. It is rarely serious, but this is not a plant we mark as pet friendly.