Lavandula angustifolia Cleo-Patio Blue - True Lavender

The Lavender 'Cleo-Patio® Blue' (Lavandula angustifolia) is a selection of true lavender that combines the charm of blue lavender with the practicality of a variety grown from seed: its growth is rapid and regular, its habit is compact, its flowering is quick, and its lavender scent is authentic. In the garden or in a pot, this undershrub is ideal for edging a path, forming a neat, very low hedge, or scenting a sunny balcony.

Lavandula angustifolia is a plant of the Lamiaceae family. Native to the dry, calcareous slopes of the western Mediterranean up to the Balkans, this species colonises garrigues, stony hillsides, and well-drained clearings.
'Cleo-Patio® Blue' is a selection from sowing, interesting for its compact habit, uniformity, and flowering from the first year, even without a cold period; it differs from the typical species by a lower and more regular habit as well as quicker flowering. This perennial forms a dense clump, the base of which gradually becomes woody. In the ground, the clump reaches 25 to 35 cm in height and 30 to 40 cm in spread; in a 3 to 5-litre pot, expect 20 to 30 cm in height and width. The leaves, opposite on the stems, linear to lanceolate, measure 1.5 to 3 cm long by 2 to 5 mm wide. Grey-green in colour, they are evergreen to semi-evergreen depending on the climate, and very aromatic. Flowering occurs from June to August, with a slight rebloom possible after deadheading the spent spikes; the terminal flower spikes, 5 to 8 cm long, bear bilabiate corollas of lavender blue, with the characteristic scent. The hardiness of Cleo-Patio® Blue is comparable to that of true lavender: down to -15°C in very well-drained soil.

'Cleo-Patio® Blue' is perfect for pots and containers on a well-exposed terrace, in low borders along a path, or in a bed in a dry garden. Give it plenty of sun and a very free-draining substrate; in a pot, use a rather deep container, a compost enriched with sand or pumice, and protect the root ball during severe frosts. Pair it with perennials and shrubs for poor, dry ground: Santolina chamaecyparissus, Cistus, Helichrysum italicum, Nepeta faassenii, or ornamental grasses like Stipa tenuifolia. To create a lavender bed, you can mix it with other proven cultivars of L. angustifolia: ‘Hidcote’ (bluish violet spikes, very compact), ‘Munstead’ (blue, summer flowering, generous), ‘Alba’ (traditional, white and fragrant), or 'Loddon Pink' (pale pink and compact).

From the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence to the Ligurian hills, true lavender was long harvested in the wild for perfumery and dried flowers. A very melliferous plant, it contributes to the conservation of bees: the nectar from its flower attracts bees, which make it into one of the most renowned honeys. In Provence, the plant is distilled to obtain an essential oil highly sought after in perfumery and aromatherapy. Its many therapeutic virtues are still widely used: its essential oil has antiseptic, antispasmodic, healing, depurative, diuretic properties…