Curly lavender (Lavandula dentata)
The Lavandula dentata is an evergreen subshrub ideal for growing in low maintenance gardens or patios and terraces. It resists drought, and also produces very ornamental purple flowers every year and for several months.
As if that were not enough, and like all the species of the genus, its leaves emit a very pleasant aroma for the human smell…, but not so much for the insects that cause damage to plants . Get to know it.
Origin and characteristics
Image – Wikimedia/ Sten
The Lavandula dentata, called by the names alhucema curly, lavender, toothed lavender, lavender curling, toothed lavender, Garlanda or English lavender, is an evergreen sub – shrub native to the western Mediterranean region, Macaronesia and southwest Asia. In Spain we find it on the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian Peninsula, in the Balearic Islands from sea level to 400 meters above sea level, and in the Canary Islands.
It grows to a height of 30 to 45cm, with opposite oblong-linear to lanceolate leaves with a size of 4.7-1 by 9.5-0.8mm, grayish green in color. The flowers, which sprout in summer, are purple, up to 1.5cm long.
What are their cares?
If you want to have a copy, we recommend that you take care of it as follows:
Location
It has to be outside, in full sun. The more hours of direct light it has, the better it will be.
Earth
- Flowerpot: it is not necessary to complicate a lot: with black peat mixed with perlite in equal parts it will be fine. You can put a first layer of previously washed river sand, pumice or similar to further improve drainage.
- Garden: grows on calcareous soils. It adapts very well to those that are also poor in nutrients.
Irrigation
Image – Wikimedia/ Sten
In the garden
From experience I will tell you that it resists drought phenomenally, but on the contrary it fears waterlogging. To give you an idea, where I live (in the driest region of the island of Mallorca, with an annual rainfall of 350mm), if it is in the ground you have to water it from time to time the first year for it to take root, but from the second it stays well on its own.
So, based on this, I advise you to water it about 2 times a week in summer, and every 7 or 10 days the rest of the year. From the second season that I am with you, spread out the risks.
Potted
Watering in a pot has to be more often than in the garden, since the soil dries much more quickly and the roots cannot grow more than what the space in the container allows. Therefore, you should water about 3 times a week during the summer and every 5 or 7 days the rest.
It tolerates calcareous water, but it is preferable to water with rainwater whenever possible.
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Guano powder.
If you have your Lavandula dentata in a pot, fertilize it in spring and summer once a month with ecological fertilizers, such as guano for example. You have it liquid here and powder here.
If you have it in the garden, it is not necessary to pay it, although it can be done once a month.
Pruning
After flowering, the stems must be trimmed, if possible, about 20cm. If it is a very young specimen that has not reached its adult height, you cannot.
Multiplication
It multiplies by seeds and cuttings in spring/ summer. Let’s see how to proceed in each case:
Seeds
- First, a seedling tray (like this one ) needs to be filled with universal growing medium (get it here ).
- Then, it is watered consciously.
- Next, a maximum of two seeds are placed in each socket and covered with a thin layer of substrate.
- Then it is sprayed onto the surface.
- Finally, the seedbed is placed outside, in full sun.
This way they will germinate in about 2 weeks.
Cuttings
To multiply it by cuttings you have to cut semi-woody pieces without flowers, impregnate the base with homemade rooters and then plant them in individual pots, with vermiculite.
Plagues and diseases
It’s very tough.
Rusticity
The Lavandula dentata resists cold and frost of up to 6 ° C and maximum temperatures of up to 40C. But it is important to say that in rainy climates it is vulnerable to root rot; that is why it is necessary to make sure that the ground is able to absorb and filter the water quickly.
What uses is it given?
Ornamental
Without a doubt, it is a very decorative plant. Regardless of whether it is kept in a pot or in the garden, whether it is flowering or not, it is a species that makes it very happy where it is.
Medicinal
In folk medicine it is used to treat stomach and kidney problems. It has antispasmodic, antiseptic and tonic properties.
Others
- To obtain perfume.
- As a pest repellent (also as an anti-mosquito plant).
Image – Wikimedia/ Forest & Kim Starr
And even the file of one of the most interesting plants for areas where it rains rather little . I hope you enjoy it very much, seeing for yourself how easy it is to care for and maintain.
