what is the difference between lavender and heather plants

And here are their characteristics. If you want an option for a shadier spot in your garden, Anne Sparks is for you, as it cannot stand direct sunlight. The Dark Beauty grows outstandingly well in sandy, moist, acidic, gravel-like, and well-drained soil. The Prince of Wales heath plant produces lovely shell shaped flowers in pink from November until April. Erica: Also called winter heather, it has fluffy foliage that changes color from winter to summer. The Lamiaceae, or mint family, is the seventh largest among flowering plant families and encompasses about 7,000 species. The foliar shades overlap and rumps into a mix of pink, light green, yellow, and orange. Heather is a low-growing shrub or bush that grows to be about 4 to 24 inches tall. Because of this, Mexican heather acts great as a filler for pots. Then just focus on the lavender -- especially if the heather is older and more established. It is not usually used for oil or essential oil. Lavender is a plant to look at, smell and love. It's a rare but beautiful example of a heather plant variant. The plethora of flowers add tremendous color to any space, and this is how they can be seen for miles in their natural habitat. Heather can eventually take over a border width-ways if left unchecked. Soil PH should also be acidic and neutral. It usually only blooms once a year from January until April, and grows to a maximum height of 7 inches. Hidcote Giant lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia Hidcote Giant), https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/i5w4g1, 20 Different Flowers That Almost Look Like Daisies, 12 Full-Sun Annuals That Will Keep Your Garden Blooming All Summer Long, 15 Tall Perennial Flowers To Add Vertical Interest And Hight to Your Garden, 20 Best Flowers That Attract Hummingbirds to Your Garden. Cut the runners from the lavender, especially if the plant is old and too woody, and lay the runners into new holes in a separate area -- at least 6 feet from the heather. They are of a bright and very beautiful shade of magenta, and they are big enough to see the veins in them. As they can flower through some of the harshest conditions, these plants make perfect additions to provide color through what some gardeners call the gloomiest months of the year. King George produces deep pink flowers from December through until April, and spreads very easily. Hidcote English Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia Hidcote), 2. 'Pastor's Pride' English Lavender. Each of these genera is further subdivided into different species, each with its distinct look and growth requirement. Its difficult to describe how lovely lavender and heather are when combined. The size of these plants depends on the species, but many specimens grow up to 4 feet tall and spread. Lavandula stoechas, the most common species by this name, is famous for having long, larger petals (bracts) at the top of each spike, or inflorescence. The spikes of this variety of English lavender have an upright habit and they can be 4 inches long (10 cm). The Jana plant is another variant of the Calluna Vulgaris. Lavandula (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae.It is native to the Old World and is found in Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and from Europe across to northern and eastern Africa, the Mediterranean, southwest Asia to India.. Winter Chocolate can grow up to 20 inches high and blossom around August and October. The size of the plants is another difference. This will allow the plant's root system to become established before the onset of the summer heat. The dark beauty has a deep ruby-red, dark cerise flower and is profuse. The differences between sage and lavender are not as great as they appear. Keep reading to discover all you need to know about heath and heather plants. Wintersonne produces gorgeous purple to pink flowers with dark, almost black tips in winter, and will flower despite the harshest conditions the season can throw at it. As winter comes into its own, the foliage turns bronze and even purple in places. Non-hybrid seeds will produce plants whose seeds will produce more plants that look the same as the parent plant. Like any other Heather on our list, the Bell Heather dislikes alkaline soil. They both spread out considerably and, if left alone, can end up growing together. This plant can get up to 20 inches tall, and requires full sun in either acidic or neutral soil. The whole spike reaches about 4 inches in length, which is 10 cm. They have different qualities and even smells, and even differing visual qualities, habits and needs. Sign up for our newsletter. French and English lavender varieties are both great plants, but they are not the same. As adjectives the difference between lavender and heather English lavender is Lavendula angustifolia. The heath plant itself grows to a maximum height of 6 inches. Bright lavender, Medium lavender magenta, Lavender pink and lavender magenta. Its full-bodied fragrance provides a pleasant, peaceful scent that promotes calm and relaxation when diffused. Heather has small, delicate flowers that grow in clusters and come in a variety of colors including white, pink, purple, and lavender. These flowering plants provide a lot of color and a lot of joy in places which often look bereft in the harsh conditions they are adapted to live in, such as fell sides and moors, which often have a lot of severe weather and can be very dangerous on the wrong day. The other species of French lavender (L. dentata) has pale - green, tooth- edged leaves. One of the most compact varieties, 'Thumbelina Leigh' grows dark bluish-lavender plump flower spikes with a strong and pleasant scent. Read on to discover 20 of my favorite types of lavender plants, what the plants of a particular variety of lavender look like, when they bloom, and what conditions they thrive in your garden. The leaves have a unique needle-like shape that is whorl and racemes. Carnea Aurea is a lovely heath that produces golden yellow leaves, and blooms in January until April with pale pink flowers. The runners are the lower-branching offshoots that are putting down roots. While Rosantha only has a short flowering season in March and April, the flowers put on a great display with their dark pink blooms. They prefer acidic, well-drained soil with lots of organic matter. 20 Favorite Lavender Varieties Youll Love To Grow In Your Garden, 1. Lavender. Lavandula dentata also called Fringed Lavender or French Lavender, this evergreen shrub is native to Eastern and Southern Spain and derives its name from the toothed (dentate) leaves which have a richly aromatic lavender-rosemary scent. The other distinctive difference is the aroma of the two plants. This variety is much more commonly cultivated and is typical in gardens and containers. Cut the runners from the lavender, especially if the plant is old and too woody, and lay the runners into new holes in a separate area -- at least 6 feet from the heather. If you want a sweetly cheeky variety of English lavender, Little Lottie is a bit different from her sisters because the flowers are of two colors: some are white and some light magenta, and they mix in the inflorescences, forming myriad combinations of purity and soft feelings.This secured the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society for Little Lottie in 2002, and has made her one of the most popular varieties of English lavender for pots and containers. The plant can grow up to a height of 60-90 cm. Wisteria, mandevilla, honeysuckle and climbing rose are popular vines that work well. Lavender is a shrub while is a tree. Do this until you have removed all plant parts, including runners. Also known as the Scottish heather, Firefly produces purple and red flowers, though these can vary during the season. Prune it in the fall, but leave some of the older branches to shade the flowers in the summer. Please correct me if I make the error. If youd rather have flowers which are much warmer, Pats Gold produces bright orange flowers against a backdrop of bright golden-green leaves. Essential oils are the constituents that dissolve in oil. The Irish heath has a medium purplish color. While you can mulch heather, you should only do so as youre introducing them into your garden. It has a spacing of 15-18 inches. It is tender (not hardy) and it will only grow in USDA zones 8 or 9 and above. What's Cooking America - Lavender - Culinary Lavender, University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources: Lavenders for California Gardens, Santa Cruz Sentinel: Lavender Not Just for Soap Anymore. To keep the two scents distinct; in fact, the fragrance of Portuguese lavender, which is very strong but less valuable than that of English lavender. Like the Russian Sage, the lavender should be watered regularly in the first season as the root system is yet to fully develop. This species is a low-growing ornamental, typically reaching only about a foot in height. They look very pointy and rebellious, unlike the larger ones of classical French lavenderSo, if you fancy a lavender plant that says, I am different, in a subtle way, the small purple spikes with unruly looking magenta ears on top may be what you have been looking for.Its originality must be why this variety won the Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural society in 2002. I have a Nebraska background and found your information very useful. Irish Heather develops oval, dark green leaves with long spikes. It is, in fact, one of the most generous bloomers of the entire lavender genus. The heather plant (see also Flowers Beginning With H) is part of the Ericaceae genus. Spring is a good time to do any pruning of heath before the plant sets its flower buds or has new growth. Camphor: Max 0.6%. Grosso Lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia Grosso), 19. Description [ edit] It grows to about 60 cm (24 in) high by 90 cm (35 in) wide and has purple, lavender or white coloured flowers and fine foliage. Pull the lavender carefully through the heather branches. What benefits do these plants bring? The smell is strong, but soapy; it has herbal overtones (sometimes even minty) and a camphor undertone. During the hotter days of summer, youll need to make sure to water your plants thoroughly. Unlike other types of lavender, however, it will bloom profusely but only once, from late spring into the early summer. Obviously this has an effect on the individual fragrances of . Since its flowers are so beautiful, they can easily attract butterflies and hummingbirds. So based on that, Heather does look somewhat like Lavender. To give you an idea we created a visual guide including the top 20 most popular types of lavender plants to help you to choose the best variety for your conditions and needs. Heather is a small evergreen shrub that is part of the Ericaceae family. They will grow to be about 2-4 feet tall, while lavender plants will only grow to be about 2-3 feet. If an individual admires someone, it was customary to show his admiration through the gift of flowers, specifically heather. The plant develops and grows sterile seeds. I stumbled on your page because Im trying to identify the particular type of lavender plant that I have in my home. She holds a masters degree in horticulture from the University of California as well as a BS in Biology from the University of San Francisco. The foliages of the Erica tetralix are evergreen and can either be erect or prostrate. Laurie Black. Water both the lavender and heather to keep the ground moist for a few days afterward, to ensure the plants are getting what they need. THIRD - Using garden sheers, trim the long green stems making . A medium to top note, Lavender Essential Oil (South Africa) exudes a rich, crisp aroma with light floral undertones and just a tinge of camphor. Lilac vs. violet: Lilac is a shade of violet but carries a pinkish tinge to it. An aromatic plant of the genus Lavandula (Lavandula vera), common in the south of Europe. It produces bright pink and white blooms, and gets to a maximum of 25 inches tall. Everything from which plant part is used to create the oil to different conditions of where it is grown can affect the chemical constituents and even the aroma of an oil, making it a different chemotype. Alexandra is a type of heather that needs acidic soil in order to grow well. Humidity:Lavender does not like humid atmosphere; it likes dry regions, and, if summers get wet, it may become moldy and lose fragrance. It produces the strong scent that permeates the air, while French lavender has a much lighter scent, which while nice, is more reminiscent of rosemary. Lavandula xintermedia 'Grosso' is the variety most commonly used to produce lavender essential oils, soaps, and lotions. Small trees can be a final touch, providing scale and shade. Here are some of the popular types everybody loves: The Erica cinerea is a large but compact shrub. Though there is no definitive difference between ornamental and culinary lavenders, some varieties are better for cooking than others. Munstead English Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia Munstead), 4. You may want a site where you can see the flowers often, or where the flower color will not clash or be upstaged by flowers of other plants. Lavenders leaves are smaller and longer than those of sage. Heather is a low-growing shrub or bush that grows to be about 4 to 24 inches tall. Missouri Botanical Garden: Lavandula Angustifolia, Monrovia: Lavandula Angustifolia 'Thumbelina Leigh', Missouri Botanical Garden: Lavandula Angustifolia 'Munstead', How to clean a showerhead, according to an expert, Where & How to Plant Lavender as a Ground Cover. As long as you get the conditions right they need well-draining soil, which is preferably acidic, they will thrive in many places. You can do this with your spade or use a pitchfork if you want to eliminate too much extra dirt coming up with the roots. But they are of a heather plant ( see also flowers Beginning with H ) is part of the heat. Either be erect or prostrate, 2 24 inches tall 4 feet,. Trees can be 4 inches long ( 10 cm ) only once, from late spring into early! Bright pink and white blooms, and they can easily attract butterflies and.! A heather plant ( see also flowers Beginning with H ) is part the... 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