Lavandula stoechas Madrid Purple - French Lavender

The 'Madrid Purple' Butterfly Lavender is a variety of Lavandula stoechas with contrasting flowers. From spring and throughout the summer, it blooms in very dark, purple-violet spikes, carrying light purple bracts resembling butterfly wings. It forms a small, dense, rounded shrub, covered with narrow, aromatic leaves that smell like pine. This moderately hardy plant prefers dry, slightly acidic, and very well-drained soils, and a sunny exposure.

The butterfly lavender, Lavandula stoechas, is a plant native to the western Mediterranean basin. It is a shrub with evergreen leaves that blooms in spring on siliceous hillsides. Belonging to the Lamiaceae family, this plant is aromatic but less used in perfumery due to its camphor content. The 'Madrid Purple' variety forms a compact shrub, with dense vegetation, reaching 60 cm in height and 60 cm in width. It is hardy down to -12°C once mature and under good growing conditions. Its quadrangular stems bear narrow, fuzzy, grey-green leaves with curled edges, emitting a pine scent. In spring, at the tip of each stem, a dense, short-stalked, thick, square-shaped spike forms, carrying tiny flowers. This spike is crowned with several large petal-like bracts, resembling butterfly wings. It is highly visited by pollinating insects, especially bees. It is a nectariferous and melliferous plant.

Unlike most other lavenders, the butterfly lavender should be planted in a low-limestone soil. Additionally, it requires protection from frost, especially when young. It thrives in full sun, in a very well-drained, even dry and rocky soil. Under hot, sunny exposure, its silvery foliage becomes particularly striking, and its flowers diffuse an intense fragrance. Ideal as a Mediterranean ornamental plant, it fits well in borders, rockeries, or containers. It can be paired with Yarrows, Gauras, and Delospermas for example. It also adapts well to container cultivation on a terrace or balcony, with the option of bringing it indoors in frost-prone regions.

Properties: Lavender being a highly melliferous plant, it contributes to the preservation of pollinators: the nectar of its flower attracts bees, making it one of the most renowned honeys.