This is Spanish Lavender I found while walking around Meadowlark Gardens, in Vienna, Virginia. Their home page is here. The photos were taken some years ago.
Spanish Lavender is also called French Lavender, Topped Lavender, Butterfly Lavender and Fringed Lavender. Its botanical name is Lavandula stoechas.
It is an evergreen and blooms in the spring and summer, attracting bees and butterflies due to its nectar rich flowers. I love its scent as the flowers and leaves are very fragrant and can be used for potpourri and essential oil, and used in aromatherapy.
Spanish Lavender is one of about 45 species. It is a native to the Mediterranean, so it thrives in hot, dry climates and is less tolerant of cold weather compared to other lavender types. It is unique for its pineapple-shaped flower heads topped with distinctive bracts that resemble rabbit ears. It also attracts pollinators like bees and butterflies due to its nectar-rich flowers. They do well in landscaping or in pots, and I certainly would love a few of those pots around here.
Thanks for looking and have a great day!
(This is actually tomorrow’s post and one of those I occasionally post too early. I didn’t want to reset it though, as I know new posts show up in your feed, and how confusing it can be when it suddenly disappears. Therefore I am leaving it as is. There won’t be another post appearing at midnight. This is it until my regular one tomorrow at midnight.)
