Scottish growing tool
Lavender Variety Selector: Which One For Your Garden
Every recommendation below traces back to our full Lavender varieties comparison — this page is the fast route to one answer for your specific situation, no clicking through required.
If: Open border, want the single most widely available pick
HidcoteAGM
The most widely stocked of the four English cultivars, useful when sourcing locally rather than by mail order, and slightly larger and more vigorous than Imperial Gem, with deep violet-purple flowers. H5 hardy to about -15C, safe for an open Scottish border.
If: Want height, a later flowering window, or a low hedge rather than edging → White
AlbaAGM
Lavandin (L. x intermedia), the paler of the two lavandins with long spikes of pure white flowers, reaching a metre or more. Carries the same H5 hardiness as English lavender despite the hybrid label, and suits a low hedge or screen rather than edging.
If: Want height, a later flowering window, or a low hedge rather than edging → Dark blue-purple
SussexAGM
Lavandin (L. x intermedia), flowering dark blue-purple in mid and late summer, later than the English cultivars typically finish, extending the flowering season. H5 hardy, same as English lavender, and taller, suited to a hedge or screen.
If: Want height, a later flowering window, or a low hedge rather than edging → Not sure, just give me the safest all-round choice or Small border or tight edging, want something compact → Not sure, just give me the safest all-round choice or Want the distinctive rabbit-ears flower shape, can offer a container and frost-free winter shelter → Not sure, just give me the safest all-round choice or Want a plant against a sheltered wall, one step hardier than the pot-only pair → Not sure, just give me the safest all-round choice or Not sure, just give me the safest all-round choice
HidcoteAGM
Best overall for an open Scottish border is Hidcote or Alba. Hidcote is the most widely available single pick if only one plant is wanted, English lavender, H5 hardy to about -15C; Alba is worth choosing instead for a taller, later-flowering hedge with the same hardiness.
If: Small border or tight edging, want something compact → Very front of a border, or a container
Beechwood BlueAGM
The smallest of the four English cultivars, a low-growing 30cm dome with violet-blue spikes, the pick for the very front of a border or a container where the taller three would look out of scale. H5 hardy.
If: Small border or tight edging, want something compact → Small border or tight edging run
Imperial GemAGM
Compact at 40cm height with a narrower 90cm spread than Hidcote, dark violet flowers, a tidier choice for a smaller border or tight edging run. H5 hardy, and it also carries the RHS Plants for Pollinators symbol.
If: Want a genuinely different flower colour than the usual violet-blue
Miss KatherineAGM
The outlier of the English four on colour: light pink flowers with a silvery ring of small leaves cupping each bloom, highly fragrant and prodigious in flower production, a genuine alternative to the usual violet-blue palette. H5 hardy.
If: Growing on acid soil or Want the distinctive rabbit-ears flower shape, can offer a container and frost-free winter shelter → Yes, acid soil
Willow ValeAGM
L. stoechas, deep violet flower spikes topped by conspicuous reddish-purple tufts, the classic rabbit-ears look. Named as the alternative for acid soil, but it's also H3, the least hardy variety on the list, so a movable container with frost-free winter shelter is the safer route, not open ground.
If: Want the distinctive rabbit-ears flower shape, can offer a container and frost-free winter shelter → No, neutral to alkaline
Royal CrownAGM
L. dentata, a compact, rather tender evergreen shrub with toothed grey-green leaves and violet-blue tufted rabbit-ears flowers. In areas prone to frost it should be grown in containers and overwintered in a greenhouse or conservatory, H3.
If: Want a plant against a sheltered wall, one step hardier than the pot-only pair → Fragrant foliage as well as flowers
SawyersAGM
Crosses hardy L. angustifolia with the tender, woolly-leaved L. lanata, producing silvery-grey foliage with a rich lavender perfume from the leaves themselves, not just the flowers. H4, best against a sheltered wall or in a pot rather than open ground.
If: Want a plant against a sheltered wall, one step hardier than the pot-only pair → Longer flowering period, late spring through summer
BallerinaAGM
A vigorous hybrid with L. stoechas in its parentage, purple flower spikes topped by white bracts that flush pink-purple with age, flowering over a long period from late spring through summer. H4, tolerant of an ordinary UK winter but not dependably through a hard frost, best against a sheltered south- or west-facing wall or in a pot.
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