Anouk Supreme Spanish Lavender

For a new look at an old classic, the stunning Anouk Spanish Lavender will turn your head. The simple flower spikes of the traditional lavender are replaced by striking spikes that wave violet ‘flags’ at the top, making a showy and colorful alternative to French Lavender. Like the swirl of a flamenco skirt, these flashy flowers will flounce around your beds, adding color and sparkle. Forming a compact, dense bush with thin, flat leaves, it has the same nostalgic fragrance, and can be grown in mild climates out in the garden, as specimens or hedges. For gardeners in cooler zones, the good news is that this plant can be grown in a pot which can be overwintered indoors, preferably in a cool room, with minimal watering. Placed outside once frost is gone, it will send up many flower spikes, each one topped with a fat head of deep purple, with 3 or 4 flat, leaf-like petals at the top, of a rich violet. It attracts butterflies and bees, and looks great on a terrace, up a set of stairs, flanking a door or gate, or slipped into your beds to give that true Mediterranean look.

• Striking violet ‘flags’ at the top of fat flower spikes
• Neat, compact bush with gray-green leaves
• Excellent potted plant for that Mediterranean look
• Makes a great hedge in warmer zones
• Easily overwintered indoors if you live in cooler zones

Full sun is what the Anouk Spanish Lavender loves, so place it out in an open, bright place. Grow it in any well-drained soil, and once it is established it has excellent drought tolerance. It thrives in poor, rocky and sandy soils, and potted plants grow best in soils blended for succulents and cacti. Make sure your pot has good drainage, and water only when the top inch or two has become dry. To overwinter in colder zones, trim back lightly in late fall and bring into a bright but cool place, such as a cool porch or sunny window. Water infrequently in winter, and place back outside as soon as frost is over. Deer and rabbits won’t eat it, and it normally has no particular pest or disease problems, if the soil is well-drained and it has full sun. Trim off the first flower stems once they fade – often more will follow over the summer.