Sea Lavender

Sea Lavender (Limonium perezii) is the plant for the hard coastal bed where salt spray and wind have killed everything else. It forms a rosette of broad leathery leaves about 60cm tall and 60cm wide, then throws up airy sprays of deep purple calyces holding small white flowers, which last for weeks and hold their colour when cut and dried.

Why you'll love it

• Purple that lasts. The colour comes from papery calyces rather than the tiny white flowers, so a single flush stays looking good for many weeks.
• Built for the coast. Salt tolerant and wind tolerant, so a front line beach garden or an exposed headland block suits it exactly.
• Almost no water once settled. Drought and heat tolerant, which makes it a genuine option for a dry bed you would rather not irrigate.
• Bees and butterflies use it. The long flowering season makes it a steady nectar source rather than a two week event.

Where it works best

Coastal gardens. Plant it in the exposed positions rather than sheltering it. Sandy soil, wind and salt air are what it is built for, and it looks worse in a rich sheltered bed than a raw one.

Mass planting and borders. Plant 50cm apart. At that spacing the leaf rosettes meet and the flower stems rise as one continuous purple layer above them.

Rockeries and pots. The sharp drainage of a rockery or a raised pot suits it, and it looks right spilling over a low retaining wall.

Growing sea lavender in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, no compromise. It thrives in warm temperate, Mediterranean, subtropical and arid gardens, and it takes light frost only, so hard frosting inland and southern districts should treat it as a pot plant that can move under cover.

Soil. Free draining above all. Sand and gravelly soils are ideal. On clay, plant on a raised mound or a bed built up with coarse material, because sitting wet in winter is what reliably kills it.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer to root it out, then only in extended dry spells. A light spring application of slow release fertiliser is more than enough.

Pruning. Cut spent flower stems off at the base once the colour dulls, which encourages another flush. Tidy old outer leaves in late winter and avoid mulching against the crown.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown as tube stock and as 140mm plants in packs of ten. Tubes are small young rosettes and the sensible way to plant a whole coastal bank, since they establish quickly in sandy ground. The 140mm packs are further along and give a fuller look in the first season, which suits a defined border.

The leathery leaves travel well and minor edge damage grows out. Plants are delivered Australia wide with delivery from $29.95. Expect first flower stems within a season of planting in a warm garden. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Plant picks for coastal gardeners
• Browse coastal and salt tolerant plants
• Compare drought tolerant plants
• See more rockery and dry garden plants

Common questions

How close together should I plant it?

Fifty centimetres apart for a solid mass planting, which is four plants per square metre. Any closer and airflow drops between the rosettes, which invites leaf spotting in humid weather.

Will it handle direct salt spray?

Yes. It is salt tolerant and wind tolerant, and it is one of the few flowering plants that can sit in the front row of a beachfront garden without burning.

Does it cope with frost?

Light frost only. A few cold mornings will not hurt an established plant, but a genuinely frosty inland or southern site needs it in a pot that can move under cover for winter.