Lavandula stoechas Fat Head

This charming shrub offers the most original of lavenders. Lavandula stoechas Fat Head is covered with violet-purple flower spikes between May and July, topped by beautiful mauve-violet bracts that turn pink at the end of summer. It forms a small, compact, dense and nicely rounded bush, covered with narrow, downy and aromatic leaves with a pine fragrance. Moderately hardy, this plant prefers slightly acidic and well-drained soils and a sunny position. It will thrive in flower beds, borders, and rockeries.

Lavandula stoechas, is a plant native to the western Mediterranean basin. It is an evergreen shrub that flowers in spring on siliceous slopes. Belonging to the Lamiaceae family, this plant is aromatic but not widely used in perfumery due to its resinous perfume. The Fat Head variety is a compact shrub with dense vegetation. Its quadrangular stems bear narrow and downy leaves, grey-green in colour, with fringed edges and a pine fragrance. The plant has a rather spreading habit and rarely exceeds 60 cm (24in) in height at the time of flowering. In spring, a dense, short-stalked, thick and square-shaped spike forms at the end of each stem, bearing tiny violet-purple flowers. This spike is crowned with several large petaloid bracts resembling butterfly wings, which are mauve-violet then fresh pink. It is frequently visited by pollinating insects, especially bees. It is a nectar-bearing and honey-bearing plant.

Properties: Lavender is a very honey-bearing plant, contributing to the conservation of bees: the nectar of its flower attracts bees, making it one of the most renowned honey flowers.

Anecdote: During Roman times, women who wanted to secretly taste wine (a drink that was forbidden to them) would chew a few sprigs of lavender to perfume their breath and deceive their husbands.