21 Types Of Lavender – The Nicest Flower In The World In Pictures

When it comes to plants, there aren’t many that beat lavender. Not only does it have some of the most vibrant colors, but it also has a completely unique smell.

The quickest way to brighten up a drab living room is by littering it with some fresh lavender plants.

Another great thing about lavender is just how versatile it is. You can stick it to the wall, grow it in a pot or just have it in a vase with some water.

It gives off an amazing sweet smell that is often bottled into perfumes and various types of air fresheners. But what you might not know is there are 47 different types of lavender.

So what are these different types of lavender? What do they look like? Can you buy them from the store? Can you pick them in nature?

Well, we have a list of 21 types of lavender along with pictures so that if you spot them in the wild, you’ll be able to tell exactly which variety they are.

What Is Lavender?

This is a flowering plant that is distantly related to the mint family. It comes from the Mediterranean and Middle East and has a history that reaches back nearly 3000 years.

This plant has so many different utilities, one of the first being as a flower to freshen up clothing, living spaces and human bodies. These days it is used in shampoo, body wash, soap, aftershave, and perfume.

This plant also comes with plenty of medicinal properties, including alleviating insomnia, treating skin conditions, alleviating general pain, reducing blood pressure, and helping with the effects of asthma.

Lavender is also used to treat the effects of anxiety and stress. Studies have shown when lavender is introduced to the diet, it has been shown to help with anxiety, depression and premenstrual stress.

This plant comes in many different forms. You can get it in its raw plant form. You can also get lavender oil, lavender tea, and lavender capsules.

If you are thinking of buying lavender and storing it for future use, we would recommend that you store it in a dry and dark place.

How Can I Care For A Lavender Plant?

If you are thinking of planting your own lavender, you’ll have to make sure that you adhere to very specific directions to care for it. Plant your lavender during the spring.

You can also plant them during the summer or even the autumn, but you’ll want to avoid planting during the winter, as the delicate leaves will not be able to survive.

You should make sure that there is enough space between every plant. Make sure there is a gap of around 2 to 3 feet so that each stem has plenty of room to grow.

You’ll need to make sure that you keep this plant in a relatively dry area.

You won’t need to water this plant that much, maybe only once or twice a week. Once the plant starts to flower, then you can start trimming it back to encourage even more growth.

Once it has flowered, you’ll need to water it even less, around 3 times a week.

You’ll need to make sure that you cut the stems back right to the bottom so that you can tie them together.

To make sure that these stems dry out properly, you’ll need to make sure that you put them in a cool, dark and moisture-free place. We would recommend keeping them in a wooden drawer.

21 Types Of Lavender (With Pictures)

Here are a few of our favorite types of lavender. We have tried to pick the ones that we feel look the nicest and also offer certain health benefits.

1. English Lavender

This first type of lavender might be the one that you have seen the most, although perhaps only if you live in the UK. This is an extremely durable lavender, which is why it can survive the harsher English climate.

This has many attributes that you might not be able to find with other forms of lavender. It has a very subtle yet complex scent, which is why it is often used for oil.

You can refine this one quite easily and turn it into a very fine-quality oil.

There are plenty of different heights and shapes of this lavender. This one also comes in various colors, including pink, white, violet and blue. It has very thin leaves with a narrow petal at the top of the stem.

This also comes with many great herbal and medicinal properties, including alleviating stress and helping with insomnia.

2. Hidcote English Lavender

You won’t be able to miss this next variety of English lavender. It has a very distinctive, dark bud that comes with light purple frills around the outside.

This is an annual blooming lavender, meaning that it will only flower once during the summer.

You can also use it to border many gardens. It is often used in horticulture, as it grows very profusely and will add a lot of much-needed color to your backyard.

It will grow up to 2 feet in height, so you’ll have to make sure that you are trimming this one quite frequently.

If you are going to plant these yourself in a pot, you’ll need to make sure that there is plenty of space between the plants so that they can grow profusely. It will often flower in the late spring or even the early summer.

This also comes with many medicinal benefits, although if you are planning on taking lavender supplements for any health problem like anxiety, pain or stress, then make sure that you consult your doctor first.

3. Alba Nana English Lavender

This next type of lavender is something a little different as it does not come in the classic lavender color. This lavender plant is bright white and makes the perfect addition to the entrance of most homes.

This is great for patios and flowerpots.

This is a very tall lavender, growing upwards of 2 feet. This is great if you are looking for a creeper-like plant that will grow up the side of your wall.

It blooms during the late summer season, which makes it great for the wedding season where you can wear it in your buttonhole or as a headdress.

This one has a very soothing scent, which is great if you are looking for something that you can crush up, refine and put in a bottle.

This will also make a great centerpiece for your table, adding that touch of elegance to your vintage-style kitchen or living room.

4. Munstead English Lavender

This next lavender flower is one that originates from royalty and comes in a light red and purple hue with 5 petals that are clearly visible. This is a great addition to any garden or herb rockery and it is once again a very durable breed of lavender.

This will grow to a height of anywhere between 1 and 2 feet tall, which is great if you want that dramatic effect either in your kitchen or in your garden.

This is another spring and summer bloomer, so plant it during the late winter, ready for the sunny season.

This one has a very strong aroma, which might make it ideal for use in homemade perfumes.

The smell is much sweeter than regular lavender, so make sure that you measure out the lavender properly so that it does not overpower the wearer.

5. Pink English Lavender

This next type of lavender will immediately catch the eye, coming in a bright pink color that will add some liveliness and excitement to any garden.

This is one of the most sought-after lavenders for gardens, creating great borders and dividing up various species of plants.

Like all English lavender plants, this one is extremely durable and will be able to withstand much harsher climates than lavender plants from other parts of the world. This is also one of the tallest, as it can grow up to 3 feet in height.

This is another great one for decoration. You can use it to liven up any living room and it really goes nicely with cream and other muted color furnishings. You should plant these lavender plants around 30 to 36 inches apart.

6. Thumbelina Leigh English Lavender

This is another particularly pretty English lavender type, this time coming with a similar light purple color, although this time there are fewer leaves on the stem.

This is a great lavender if you want to stack different flowers on top of each other, as these grow particularly tall.

Since they have far fewer leaves, this type of lavender is much neater than some of the other varieties that we have on this list.

So if you prefer something that looks a little less overgrown and wild, then we would certainly recommend you get this one.

Thumbelina Leigh is great for your pot plants as it requires very little pruning and is great for livening up your window box. However, if you decide to prune it earlier in the spring, then it might blossom once again during the later summer.

7. Folgate English Lavender

This next breed of lavender is much darker, with a deep purple color that will certainly remind you of something that you might see on a royal family crest. This will give your flowerbed or garden border that amazing burst of much-needed color.

This is also a great bed flower, which you can use to create a divide between other types of flowers. This one can reach up to 3 feet tall, so you’ll need to make sure that you are trimming it back regularly.

This lavender blooms during the early spring and again in the late summer.

This is another one that, if you cut it early enough during the spring, can give you another late bloom during the end of the summer.

This type of lavender is fantastic to use in decorative wedding headgear or as general decoration in your living room or kitchen. This will also add a very tangy sweet aroma.

8. Little Lottie English Lavender

This next flower is another one that is a little different from the other varieties that we’ve listed here, with some of them being white and others being a kind of soft magenta color.

This is a great plant for potting, so if you are looking to fill up the windowbox, then you can’t go wrong with a little bit of Lottie.

This will grow upwards of 2 feet tall, which is great if you are looking for something that will climb high over other varieties of plants.

You should space them out so that they are able to flourish during the early spring and right through until the late summer.

This is another very resilient flower, able to withstand a lot of different severities of climates. You’ll ideally want to plant this one during the spring so that it has a chance to bloom during the summer.

You can also get 2 blooms out of this one if you trim it soon enough.

9. Royal Velvet English Lavender

As you can see by the name and the look of this plant, it is extremely regal. It comes in a deep purple color, running the spectrum from dark blue to navy.

They will grow upwards of 3 feet in height, meaning that you can layer them alongside other plants.

This lavender flower has a particularly rich scent, which makes it great for homemade perfumes, scents that you can put around your kitchen or something natural that you can use to mask particularly strong and noxious odors.

This would make a great plant to use for a corsage, weaving together various stems and making them into a natural bracelet or even a headdress for a wedding with a particularly quirky and bespoke vibe.

This will also make a fantastic addition to any rustic barn wedding.

10. French Lavender

Now we move across the pond to the French lavenders, with one that has particularly long ears and vivid purple coloring.

These have been said to resemble a rabbit, so if you like your garden to have a touch of the animalistic about it, then why not go for French lavender?

This is a very aromatic lavender plant, which is amazing if you want to crush it up and make it into perfume. This plant will bloom right the way through from the middle of the spring until the late summer.

You can prune it quite severely and it will come back again and again.

This is a great lavender breed that you can have on the edge of your garden. It is also wonderful for attracting insects like bees, wasps and butterflies.

If you like your garden to be teeming with life and you don’t mind your plants looking wild, then pick some French lavender.

11. Ballerina French Lavender

This next lavender plant is a lot spikier than some of the other breeds, with purple spikes and long white ears coming out of the top.

This breed grows very tall at around 1 to 2 feet in height, meaning that it will be perfect for a multi-layered garden setup.

This one blooms multiple times during the summer, once during May, once during June and then maybe one more time towards the end of the summer in August or even as late as September.

You should plant them roughly 20 inches apart to ensure they will grow properly.

If you are looking for a lavender plant for your pot, then this is the perfect choice for you. It is easy to prune and won’t grow too unwieldy. This plant has actually won a few awards, that’s how good-looking it is.

12. French Lavender ‘With love’

This is another very elegant variety of lavender, with purple spikes around the edge and a fatter white ball in the middle. It also has ears that are white with pink fringing and magenta streaks running right through them.

This is another great lavender flower for putting into pots and decorating your home with, mainly because of the multiplicity of colors that they come in.

This starts blossoming during the spring and will continue to do so right the way through to the fall.

You can have this flower border your garden or as the centerpiece for your kitchen or living room. If you put enough of these in pots around your living space, then you can completely transform it with some amazing tastes and colors.

13. Regal Splendor French Lavender

If you are expecting company and you really want to pull out all the stops for your guests, then regal splendor might be the perfect flower that forms the center of your living room or kitchen.

It has a very rich scent that you won’t be able to find in any other variety of lavender plants.

These spikes are colored a vibrant blue and laid around deep magenta ears that create an almost crown-like effect. This blooms bright and vivid from the beginning of spring right the way through until the end of summer.

These will grow anywhere between 2 and 3 feet in height, which is great if you want to add a touch of bombast and excitement to your garden environment.

Regal splendor is elegant and quite unlike any other plant, let alone a lavender plant.

14. Pretty Polly French Lavender

Now if you really want to add a splash of color to your garden, then you’ll want to get a bunch of pretty polly for your garden. This species gives off a very rich aroma that will leave your head spinning.

You can be sure this will add a touch of class to any garden.

These lavender plants extend up to 2 feet, which is great if you want something very prominent. It will blossom 3 times from the beginning of the spring right the way through until the end of the summer.

This flower also comes with a bright yellow center, which is what marks it out from all the other lavender.

You can add this to any number of living spaces and you can be sure that it will reflect the light and bring some much-needed color to muted walls and furnishings.

15. Butterfly Lavender Papillion

Now, if you want to gift some lavender to someone, but you want to go for something a little different, then we would certainly point you in the direction of Butterfly Lavender Papillion.

This has a much different look to a lot of other lavender plants, with purple spikes and magenta ears.

This is an award-winning plant, and we can see why. Flower enthusiasts have described this one as the ‘rock and roll’ lavender plant, with its eccentric, rebellious and explosive appearance.

There’s no more romantic gift than picking up a bunch of butterfly lavender Papillion.

One of the greatest things about this lavender plant is that if you plant it in a certain climate, it will bloom all year round, although this is very rare.

It will usually start blooming during May and then continue right the way through until the end of the summer.

16. Fringed Lavender

This is a lavender breed unlike no other, coming with a delicate light purple color and elongated ears that flop over the side.

This brand of lavender has a much more muted scent than a lot of other lavender breeds, but if you have enough of it, then it will still make an impact and mask any unpleasant odors.

You can use this one to border your garden as it can act as a subtle contrast to the more vivid flowers that you might have. It is a very neat plant, which is great if you are looking for something that is very low maintenance.

It also grows very tall and has a very wide spread, which is also perfect if you want to leave it unattended for any length of time. This breed of lavender blooms all through the year, peaking during the fall and winter seasons.

17. Portuguese Lavender

Now we move on to the types of lavender that can be found in the wonderful country and Portugal. This variant comes with purple flowers with surrounding spikes with silver and green clumps that are found in the center.

This can grow up to 30 inches in height, which is great if you are looking for something to cover up that unsightly piece of wall or crack in the concrete of your garden.

These can even be used to create hedges or higher borders around your garden.

This type of lavender comes with a very pungent odor, so you won’t need that much of it to fill the room in your living space. This will start blooming during June and keep going right the way through September.

18. Provence Lavandin

This next type of lavender is actually a cross between English and Portuguese lavender, which is what makes it so unique looking. This has more of a soapy scent, so it is not as sharp as the other types of lavender.

This has 3-inch-long flower heads, which are deep purple coloring. This plant really thrives in the summer heat, so you won’t have to worry about watering it too often. It reaches its peak bloom during the middle of the summer.

If you want the smell of lavender softly wafting through your garden, then you should definitely think about getting Provence Lavandin.

This has a wide spread, so you can leave it to its own devices and it will soon fill your garden with bright colors and sweet scents.

19. Grosso Lavandin

This next lavender hybrid is another one that aggressively spreads throughout your garden, although you can be certain that the results will look amazing.

This plant has protruding spikes and a deep purple color that we have come to associate with the lavender plant.

This plant will grow up to 3 feet long, making it ideal for tiered planting systems. This one blooms the best during the summer, although if you plant it during the spring and trim it, then you can possibly get 2 separate blooms out of it.

This lavender plant has a few sparse buds, which means that you won’t have to worry about it looking too crowded or untidy.

You won’t have to prune this one that much at all, although if you want those second blossoms, then give it a snip around late spring.

20. Phenomenal Lavandin

This next plant probably has the most fragrance of any of the lavender variants that we have on this list.

If you want to cover up an unpleasant smell or you just want to bring the joys of nature into your home, then get a few stems of Phenomenal Lavandin.

This has a deep purple-violet color that most people would associate with classic lavender. This also has a thick shrub with a few spikes coming out of the top.

One thing is for sure: this flower is very eye-catching, especially if you fill your garden with it.

This one can grow up to 3 feet tall and has a decent spread. This is a more wild-growing lavender, so if you want to fill your garden with it, we suggest you do.

This will start blossoming during the summer and will last right the way through until the fall.

21. Hidcote Giant Lavandin

Our final lavender hybrid breed is one of the biggest, coming with a prominent 4-inch column where the vivid purple buds are housed.

This type of plant is great if you want to grow your own potted lavender. It will also thrive in city window boxes too.

The Hidcote Giant starts blooming during the mid-period of the summer. One of the main reasons why people decide to have this lavender plant is because of its color.

It is ideal for breaking up the more vivid plants in your backyard. It also makes a great bed flower.

This plant has won the Harden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society in 2002, so if you want to add that touch of prestige to your garden, then this is a great plant to have on your roster. This grows to 3 feet high and has a 5 foot spread.

Health Benefits Of Lavender

There are numerous supposed health benefits to introducing lavender into your life. This herb has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years now and it is still used in the treatment of many illnesses.

Here are just a few things lavender can help you with:

Insomnia

If you start dropping a little bit of lavender oil on your pillow at night before you go to sleep, studies have shown that you will have a more restful slumber.

The gentle aroma of lavender has been shown to get people off to sleep without the need for any sleep aids or medication.

Skin Irritation

Lavender has a very high antioxidant concentration, meaning that it will help you to heal any wounds or irritation caused by eczema or psoriasis.

Mix some lavender oil with water and apply it to the affected area. Make sure you are diluting it, as it could cause more harm than good to the skin.

Pain Relief

There is nothing worse than suffering from chronic pain and sometimes the side effects of medication can cause more harm than good.

If you harvest this plant at the beginning of its blooming, then it contains molecules that have anti-inflammatory properties that will help with pain.

Add some lavender drops to hot water and inhale the mixture as a part of aromatic therapy. There are many people who swear by this oil to relieve aches and pains.

Reduces Your Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is something that will put you and your heart at risk. But there are many studies that show that inhaling lavender oil and water will help to reduce your blood pressure.

If you have high blood pressure, you can try this treatment in consultation with your doctor.

Conclusion

Lavender is a lot more of a diverse plant than you first thought, huh? Well, now that you’ve seen a few of the variations and what they are capable of, you can do a deep dive and seek out one of the other 47 different types of lavender.

There are so many uses for lavender, whether it is for decoration, as an air freshener or you can use it to help you with any ailments that you have.

Frequently Asked Questions

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