Appearance: Lavender is a perennial evergreen shrub with narrow, silver, needlelike leaves on bushy plant up to 10 inches tall. The lavender-blue flowers appear in summer and stretch up about 6 inches higher.
Growing Know-How: Plant in full sun and clean, well-drained soil 12 inches apart. Mulch with an inch or two of coarse sand. Give the plant time to reemerge in spring before trimming. In areas with mild winters, you can shear growing lavender into a low hedge, knot, or edging. Remove faded flowers.
When you travel to the French countryside, where lavender is grown commercially for oil and flowers, this is one of the cultivars you will find. The light purple flowers are very fragrant, and dry beautifully for potpourri. "Provence" is more moisture tolerant than other varieties, and is recommended to gardeners who have difficulty overwintering lavenders. Recommended as one of the best culinary varieties. Hardy Zones 6-9 or indoors.