When you think of lavender, the colors blue and violet immediately come to mind. But do you already know white lavender? Introducing the curiosity.
Completely different from its brothers, the white flowering lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is fresh, brightening and versatile in flower boxes and perennial beds. At first, the color change only happened by chance among the purple lavender varieties, but for some time now, selected white-flowering varieties have finally been available on the market. Below we present the variety 'Nana Alba'.
White Lavender: Properties of Lavandula angustifolia 'Nana Alba'
'Nana Alba' is one of the first stable white flowering varieties of Lavandula angustifolia and grows extremely compact and low to a height of about 35 cm. The variety is ideal for planting in pots and balcony boxes or as an underplant in perennial beds. Due to the slow growth, however, 'Nana Alba' takes quite a long time to develop fully. The plant is frost hardy down to -28 °C and also gets along well with other plants in a group.
The amount of pigments, in the case of lavender the so-called anthocyanins, determines the coloring of the flowers. High levels show up in a deep violet color, low levels in pink variants. However, if no dye is formed at all due to a genetic defect, the flower appears white, as in this case. However, the scent and aroma remain completely unaffected. You can also dry white lavender or use it in ointments and teas. And such a white filled lavender bag is also something special. If the faded flower stalks are cut off in August, the white lavender will form a second flower in early autumn. It delights us with its delicate flower stalks well into autumn.
Summary White Lavender:
- Very compact but low growth
- Ideal as underplanting
- Extremely hardy
- White flowers with a typical lavender scent
Location andspecial requirements of white lavender
Like conventional lavender varieties, 'Nana Alba' requires rather drier locations with well-drained soil, only a moderate supply of nutrients and a place in the sun. You should definitely avoid waterlogging and therefore only water very sparingly.
Ideal plant partners are those that feel just as at home in the Mediterranean region, but do not crowd 'Nana Alba' too much. Low varieties of thyme (Thymus sp.), oregano (Origanum vulgare) or the slow-growing rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis ) are great for this.
Click here for more details on growing and caring for lavender.
Buy White Lavender
When buying white lavender, you should definitely pay attention to the botanical name Lavandula angustifolia, because many white "lavender varieties" on the market are hybrids of lavandins (Lavandula x intermedia), which is not hardy here and grows much faster. The Horstmann tree nursery and the Gaißmayer perennial nursery offer 'Nana Alba' in their range, for example.
Propagation can then also take place in the home garden via cuttings. This is absolutely necessary to preserve the white flowers, because the natural crossbreeding of purple varieties by insects can cause seedlings to lose their unique color and compact growth.
There are a few other types and varieties of lavender that also enchant with their appearance and smell. We explain how to distinguish the most common types and varieties of lavender.