Lavender butterfly flower with pink bracts
Flower spike lavender butterfly pink bracts
Shrub lavender wild butterfly
Lavandula stoechas shrub in pot
Contents
Find all our tips in the Monstera application
Lavandula stoechas, from lavender spikes to butterfly wings
Contents
Find all our tips in the Monstera application
Native to the Mediterranean basin, butterfly lavender owes its Latin name, Lavandula stoechas, to the islands of Hyères, known since antiquity as Stoechades. In fact, this perennial plant of the Lamiaceae family is endemic to these islands. But you don't have to live on Porquerolles, Port-Cros or Ile du Levant to enjoy it. It also adapts to oceanic and continental climates.
How to recognize Lavandula stoechas butterfly lavender?
Butterfly lavender is a shrub with a bushy habit. Its height rarely exceeds 60 centimeters in any direction.
Opposite leaves are between two and four centimetres long. Narrow and lanceolate, the blades are gray-green in color and have a felted appearance. The aromatic foliage gives off a camphor-like scent, similar to that of spike Lavender.
During flowering, butterfly lavender is easily distinguished from true Lavender. The violet, almost bluish flowers are grouped on dense, square spikes. They are connected to the quadrangular stem by a short peduncle. Each spike is topped by intense purple bracts, similar to butterfly wings. These attract pollinating insects.
Butterfly lavender is harmless to humans and animals. It is even appreciated for its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. But be careful when using Lavandula stoechas essential oil. In the wrong dosage, it can be toxic.
Our maintenance tips
Butterfly Lavender do not tolerate frost or limestone. Better to grow them in pots to enjoy their bracts!
Watering
Check that the substrate is dry to the depth of five centimeters before watering. If your plant is thirsty, water with cold or lukewarm water. It's best to use rainwater to provide nutrients. If you don't have any, use mains water.
Empty any stagnant water from the dish to prevent root rot.
Spray
Your butterfly Lavender hates wet foliage. You must not mist the plant.
Repotting
Obtain a pierced pot with a diameter of at least 20 centimetres. Ceramic or terracotta containers are preferable. These materials promote water evaporation and limit the risk of root rot. Place clay balls at the bottom for drainage.
Your Butterfly lavender appreciates acid soil. You can mix garden soil and heather soil, or ordinary potting soil and heather soil.
Pour a layer of substrate at the bottom of the pot and plant your specimen. Fill in with the rest of the potting soil and tamp down. Water generously to remove air bubbles and encourage rooting.
Harvest
Depending on the variety, fruit is harvested between early and late summer.
Pick flower spikes. Make bouquets and hang them upside down in a dry place.
You can then use the dried flowers to perfume your linen.
Prune
Prune faded flower spikes flush with the foliage. This way, the plant doesn't spend energy on producing seeds.
If you have a single plant, use sharp, clean pruning shears. If you have beds or hedges, use shears with clean blades.
Never cut dry wood. The plant will not grow back on old wood.
Carry out maintenance pruning to maintain the shape of your Butterfly lavender and help it become denser.
Using shears or pruning shears, cut back the stems by about two-thirds.
Thinning out
When the first shoots appear, keep only the most vigorous from each bucket. Remove the others.
The following spring, you can plant your Butterfly lavender in a pot or in the ground.
Plantation
When the risk of frost has passed, it's time to plant.
Soak your Butterfly lavender, still in its pot.
Find a sunny spot. Dig a hole twice the size of the root ball. You can place pebbles at the bottom to improve drainage. Place your Butterfly lavender in the center and fill in with garden soil. If your soil is acidic, you can add some heather soil.
Tamp and water with non-calcareous water to eliminate air bubbles.
Seedling
Fill cups with potting soil for seedlings. Plant a seed every two centimeters and cover with a thin layer of substrate.
Water for the first time. Water by capillary action, by placing your pots in a larger container filled with water. This way, you're sure to moisten all the soil without the risk of displacing or burying the seeds.
Place your seedlings in a bright spot with a temperature of 20°. You can place them in a mini greenhouse or on a heat mat. Spray the substrate regularly to keep it cool.
Cutting
Cutting is carried out during the strong growth phase, generally in spring and early summer.
For annual pruning, select a terminal shoot about fifteen centimetres long. The stem should still be supple. Remove the leaves from the lower half of the cutting.
Pour a drainage layer (gravel, clay balls, pozzolan, etc.) of one to two centimeters into a bucket or small pierced pot. Add a draining substrate, such as universal potting soil mixed with sand.
Make a pilot hole and plant the cutting. Do not bury the leaves. Press lightly and water.
Diseases / Threats
Information
| Family | Lamiaceae - Lamiaceae |
| Type | Lavender - Lavandula |
| Species | Butterfly lavender - Lavandula stoechas |
| Lifecycle | Perennial |
| Foliage | Evergreen |
| Exposure | |
| Substrats | |
| Planting methods |
Open ground In pots |
| Category | |
| Tags |
Flowery Medicinal |
| Origin |
Southern Europe |
| Hardiness (USDA) | 9a |
| Leaf color |
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| Flower colors |
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