Grosso Lavender Lavandula x intermedia ‘Grosso’

LATIN NAME: Lavandula x intermedia

COMMON NAME: Grosso Lavender

The Grosso lavender sways the long, violet wands above the grey-green mound, the narrow, silvery leaves below them, and the whole clump stands in the fine, aromatic look of the sunny herb border. The hardy, evergreen shrub carries the narrow, linear, silvery-grey leaves along the upright, woody stems, and the small, deep-violet, tubular flowers in the long, slender, dense spikes at the stem tops, through the mid summer, one of the aromatic, bright sights of the sunny herb border, drawing the bees, to be followed by the small, dry, brown nutlets. The nutlets have a very long record as the fine, oil lavenders of the old gardens, and the plant is a historic presence of the sunny herb border. It is a plant of the open, sunny, light, gritty, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The Grosso lavender is a historic subject of the plant science, and the long spikes keep showing up in the work on the oil lavenders. The way the small, deep-violet, tubular flowers form in the long, slender, dense spikes has been studied closely, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the oil lavenders, the narrow leaves and the members of the mint family. The nutlets and the upright habit have also made it a fine study shrub, and the Grosso lavender is a regular subject of the work on the long spikes of the temperate world.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The Grosso lavender is a fine, useful plant of the sunny herb border and the study collection. The narrow, linear, silvery-grey leaves along the upright, woody stems carry the fine look of the sunny herb border, one of the aromatic, bright sights of the sunny herb border, drawing the bees, and the nutlets have a very long record as the fine, oil lavenders of the old gardens, the long, scented wands coming to the oils, the sachets, the soaps and the steady practice of the old kitchens, while the small, deep-violet, tubular flowers in the long, slender, dense spikes at the stem tops open through the mid summer, to be followed by the small, dry, brown nutlets. It is one of the fine choices for the sunny herb border, the bee garden and the study collection, and it has been written about in the horticultural and the culinary papers for the long spikes and the very long history. It is a fine, useful plant of the open, sunny, light, gritty, well-drained garden.

The Grosso seeds germinate slowly but surely in a sandy, gritty mix kept barely moist. The young plants are neat and woody, and they enjoy the light, gritty ground of the sunny border.

To grow the Grosso lavender from seed, sow the small, grey seeds directly across the surface of the tray of sandy, gritty mix, water gently, then keep the tray in a bright, airy spot. The seedlings show themselves within a few weeks, and they grow on slowly. With the sun and the light, gritty, well-drained ground, the violet wands will sway over the summer.

GrossoHardy Lavender Potted Plant (Lavendula intermedia)Lavender bluebloomson long stems, Good for lavender wands and dried boquets. Z5 18" High