- Author: Christine Casey
When gardeners think of good bee plants, many choices in the mint (Lamiaceae) family come to mind. A favorite of many folks (and many bees!) is Spanish lavender, Lavandula stoechas. Among the lowest water users of the lavenders, there are a few tried-and-true cultivars and many new introductions. Primarily a nectar source, attributes for the bee garden include late winter bloom (followed by repeat bloom through the summer with regular deadheading) and great bee attractiveness. All need full sun and well-drained soil. To give an idea of relative attractiveness, our largest planting of 'Anne's Purple' is next to a similar-sized planting of 'Hot Lips' sage. When both are blooming, there are no bees on the sage while the lavender is heavily foraged.
Spanish lavender cultivars in the Honey Bee Haven:
- 'Anne's Purple'. Among the largest cultivars (about 30 inches tall and wide), this one has been a vigorous grower at the Haven, where it is a bee favorite.
- 'Dedication'. Newly planted this winter. A cultivar of the subspecies Lavandula stoechas pedunculata, it was developed in New Zealand and is similar to 'Anne's Purple' in size.
- 'Kew Red'. I planted this a year ago because of the interesting raspberry-colored flower. I removed it this winter as it did not prove to be as attractive to bees as the purple-flowered cultivars.
- 'Lutsko's Dwarf'. Newly planted this winter. Grows to about 12 inches by 12 inches and a great choice for containers.
- 'Madrid Purple'. Newly planted this winter. This is part of a series; there's also 'Madrid Blue', 'Madrid Pink', and 'Madrid White'. On the smaller side, these reach about 18 inches by 18 inches and are also an option for containers.
- 'Mi Casa'. Newly planted this winter. Not much information available.
- 'Otto Quast'. This one has not been as vigorous or as attractive to bees as the other cultivars at the Haven.
- 'Winter Bees'. Smaller in stature (about 18 inches tall and wide), it blooms for a long time (it's the first to bloom in late winter) and is very attractive to bees.
At the Haven, Spanish lavender seems to be more attractive to bees than our other lavender, Lavandula 'Goodwin Creek Grey'. I have not yet tried and of the white-flowered lavender cultivars.
At the Haven we see both honey bees and bumble bees using Spanish lavender.
Spanish lavender is a good bee plant; they visit these for nectar. I'm not aware of any studies documenting the effect of the topiary process on nectar quality or quantity. That said, the topiary form is not a natural way for this plant to grow, and its creation removes a lot of leaf material. This will likely impact photosynthesis and nectar production.