Like clothing, plants cycle in and out of fashion. It's interesting when a plant that was once commonly found in a plant nursery disappears to make room for the latest trend and then reappears decades later. Sea lavender (Limonium perezii) is such a plant.
First, to clarify what sea lavender is not. Sea lavender is not a lavender. Also, although it is commonly known as statice, it is not the statice that is the annual plant (Limonium sinuatum) used for cut flowers and in dried bouquets.
Decades ago, I planted sea lavender in my windy front yard because it is both pretty and tough. Sea lavender is a perennial shrub approximately 2-3' tall and wide. Its flowers are showy, with large clusters of tiny papery flowers composed of purple calyces and white corollas supported on long stems arising above the deep green foliage. Sea lavender blooms for months and its flowers can used in fresh or dried bouquets. The plant does best in full sun and well-drained soil with occasional summer water. It is relatively pest and disease-free. It tolerates heat, wind, drought, and salt spray, which makes it is useful in seaside plantings and dry gardens.
Sea lavender grows from woody rhizomes and the clumps should be divided every 2-3 years. Light pruning after flowering can help encourage new growth from the base. In my experience, sea lavender that is left untended can become woody and ragged-looking. Even with some maintenance, the shrub may need to be replaced at some point.
Sea lavender is native to the Canary Islands off the west coast of Africa. PlantRight, which is an organization that works to keep invasive plants out of California's landscape, gives sea lavender a Plant Risk Evaluator rating of Low Potential Risk. PlantRight recommends against planting sea lavender in areas adjacent to coastal riparian habitats where it has been known to naturalize.
Over time, my sea lavender plants aged and needed replacing. But at that time, I could no longer find sea lavender in the nursery. I assumed that the plant fell out of favor or was removed to make way for newer, trendier or more useful plants. Much to my surprise, nearly a decade later, I've begun to see it in nurseries again and I am curious why it has returned. In any event, it's a plant worth considering for a challenging location where it won't naturalize.
