Anouk Spanish lavender

Sun

Full sun, ideally at least 6 hours daily.

Water

Water regularly during establishment, letting the soil surface dry between waterings. Once established, water sparingly in the ground; containers need more frequent checks.

Soil

Lean to moderately fertile, sharply drained sandy or gravelly soil, preferably slightly acidic to neutral. Avoid waterlogged ground and heavy, unimproved clay.

Height

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m)

Spread

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m)

Flowers

Dark purple flower heads with brighter purple upright bracts, mainly in spring and early summer; repeat flowering is possible after trimming in warm conditions.

Foliage

Evergreen. Narrow, aromatic grey-green leaves on woody, branching stems.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Medium

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Low allergen
• Fragrant

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Needs looking after

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.5 ft (0.45 m)

   full size

About 5 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Invasive in

the US and Australia

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Moderate

• Water at soil level and allow the surface to dry before watering again; never leave pots standing in water.
• Use containers with drainage holes and a gritty, free-draining potting mix.
• Avoid rich manure and routine feeding; feed container plants lightly in spring only if growth is weak.
• Keep the crown clear of damp organic mulch; use a thin gravel mulch if needed.
• In cold or persistently wet winters, move containers to a bright, cool, frost-free shelter.

Pruning. Trim off spent flower heads after the main flush, lightly shaping the leafy shoots to encourage fresh growth. Never cut into bare old wood, and avoid hard pruning in autumn.

Early spring

Check for winter damage and trim dead tips back to living, leafy growth once severe frosts have passed.

Spring

Plant after hard frosts, choosing full sun and sharply drained soil.

Late spring

Check newly planted shrubs and containers for drying soil; water deeply rather than giving frequent small amounts.

Early summer

Remove faded flower heads and lightly shape the plant after its main flowering flush.

Late summer

Where cultivation is permitted, take semi-ripe cuttings from healthy non-flowering shoots.

Autumn

Reduce watering as growth slows and move pots under bright, frost-free cover where winters are too cold or wet.

• Plant along a sunny path edge where the aromatic foliage can be appreciated without spilling into the walkway.
• Repeat in terracotta pots around a sunny courtyard for a compact Mediterranean planting.
• Combine with rock roses, santolina and thyme in a free-draining gravel border.
• Use as a low, informal edging around sunny beds, allowing enough space for air to circulate between plants.

Garden styles it suits: Mediterranean, Modern Mediterranean, Dry gravel garden, Modern courtyard, Sensory garden and Pollinator garden.

Plant it with: Rock rose, Santolina, Creeping thyme, Rosemary, Catmint and Dianthus.

Wildlife: Flowers attract bees and other nectar-feeding insects. Do not plant it for wildlife where Spanish lavender is an invasive weed.

• Root rot and crown rot in wet soil: improve drainage or grow in a raised bed or container; replace plants with extensively rotted roots.
• Winter dieback from frost and wet conditions: choose a sheltered site and protect container plants in a bright, frost-free place.
• Woody, bare growth: trim lightly after flowering each year; replace badly bare plants rather than cutting hard into old wood.
• Poor flowering and floppy growth: provide more direct sun and stop high-nitrogen feeding.

Lavender is toxic to cats, dogs and horses if eaten, usually causing digestive upset such as nausea, vomiting where the animal is able to vomit, or reduced appetite. Leaves and flowers contain aromatic compounds, and concentrated essential oil presents a greater poisoning risk. This is not a culinary lavender; people should not ingest its essential oil, and its sap or oil may irritate sensitive skin.

Where it spreads. Lavandula stoechas, often called topped lavender in Australia, is a serious invasive weed in parts of southern Australia, including Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia; cultivation and sale are restricted in some jurisdictions. It is also invasive in parts of California. Do not assume 'Anouk' is sterile or exempt from local restrictions; check before buying or planting.

• English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

  Has slender flower spikes without the large upright terminal bracts of Spanish lavender and is generally much more cold-hardy.

• Fringed lavender (Lavandula dentata)

  Has noticeably toothed leaf margins; 'Anouk' has narrow leaves with un-toothed margins.

• Portuguese lavender (Lavandula pedunculata)

  Usually carries its flower heads on much longer, conspicuously bare stalks, often with longer, spreading terminal bracts; 'Anouk' has a more compact habit.

The name stoechas comes from the ancient Greek name for the Stoechades islands, now the Îles d’Hyères off southern France, where this lavender grew.

Propagation. Where cultivation is permitted, root softwood cuttings in spring or semi-ripe cuttings in summer in a gritty propagation mix. Seed-grown plants will not reliably retain the characteristics of 'Anouk'.

Accepted botanical name

Lavandula stoechas

In the US and Canada

Introduced in the lower 48 states.

Native range

Algeria, Baleares, Corse, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., France, Greece, Italy, Kriti, Lebanon-Syria, Morocco and Palestine.

Measured

Soil pH 4.5 to 5. Average height 75 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.