Lavendel Stoechas Anouk® – Series
The plants in the Anouk® series of Lavandula stoechas (also known as Butterfly Lavender, because of the shape of its flowers, or Spanish Lavender) are the only Lavandula stoechas cultivars that produce flowers all summer long. This means that they retain their beautiful colour from early in the spring until far into the summer (as long as you keep removing the faded flowers!). And their heavily scented leaves make you feel like you’re living right in the middle of the Provence. Consider, too, the many combinations you can make with other plants since this series is available in white, deep purple and pink. If you’re looking for a plant in an attractively coloured pot for your balcony or patio, look no further! This is another product you can find at various garden centres and florists.
Care tips
Just like Lavandula angustifolia, the Anouk® series of Lavendula stoechas requires scarcely any maintenance: just sit back and enjoy their masses of lovely, sweetly scented little flowers all summer long. But, here again, flowering requires a bit of pruning. If you don’t prune this plant at regular intervals, the lower branches will become woody. When this happens, only the tips of the branches will produce leaves and flowers. After flowering, the faded flowers and a little bit of their branches should be trimmed away. The real pruning should be done in the spring between mid-March and April. Of all the L. stoechas cultivars, the ones in the ‘Anouk®’ series are the hardiest while also being delightfully scented and producing beautifully shaped flowers.
Interesting facts
The flowers produced by the L. stoechas Anouk® series not only have a strong Lavender scent and make you think of holidays in France; they also keep aphids away. On the other hand, bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects will like to pay you a visit when you have this plant in your garden. Elegantly coloured butterflies will keep coming to your garden because this Lavender plant offers them lots of nectar and blooms several times during the season. The leaves, however, have a very different fragrance than that of ‘ordinary’ Lavender. See for yourself by rubbing a few leaves between your fingers. You’ll notice that they have a definite pine-like scent.