Are you ready to dive into a world of blooming beauty and intoxicating fragrance? I’m exploring the wonders of my latest Plant of the Month – Lavandula Sensational!® – a magnificent lavender variety with BIG blooms that will whisk you away to a realm of tranquility and charm.
How to grow Lavandula Sensational!®Flowering time: Summer to autumn Location: Patio pot, rock garden, border, balcony garden, landscaping Soil: Well draining Light: Full sun Water: Water well while establishing; drought tolerant Size: 60cm (H) x 60cm (W) Care: Trim back in April, taking care not to cut into old wood |
What’s different about this plant?
Alongside very thick and broad leaves, Sensational!® has a strong branching habit on a plant that is definitely more compact and stiffer than Lavender Phenomenal®, the origin of Sensational!®.
The foliage colour is brightly silver to white, looking attractive year-round even when not blooming. But it is the bloom that really sets Sensational!® apart from all its peers. The stem is easily twice as thick as anything else seen – stiff and rigid and takes shock and shaking without any effect. Highly desirable if you want to bring that beautiful scent inside for cut or dried flowers.
Additionally, the flowers are massive – much thicker than anything comparable, extremely dense and fully saturated with color. Many stems branch to a secondary bloom, and often tertiary. Side by side with other lavenders, Sensational!® is a stunner.
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Is lavender good for your health? Beyond its visual and olfactory pleasures, Lavandula Sensational!® also offers numerous health and wellbeing benefits. Lavender has long been revered for its calming properties, known to alleviate stress, promote relaxation and improve sleep quality. A simple stroll through your Lavandula Sensational-filled garden can be a therapeutic experience, melting away the worries of the day and bringing you closer to a state of inner tranquility. |
How was this plant created?
Sensational!® was created by Lloyd R. Traven, President at Peace Tree Farm LLC, after working closely with Dr. Rick Grazzini of Garden Genetics. Dr. Grazzini is a famed plant breeding scientist, known for great innovation and improvements in a wide range of genera, including a plant that was on the shortlist at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year (2023), along with Lavender Sensational!®.
During these evaluations, a mutated sport was found and isolated. Over time, refinements were selected and evaluated and proven to be true-to-type vegetatively (Lavender X intermedia are not grown from seed). During trials at Peace Tree Farm, the team loved the foliage density, but the real key was when they started to bloom after winter dormancy.
After the selections and isolations were made, there was a process of tissue culture initiation to ensure clean propagation and maintenance of the germplasm. Then plants could go to the farms for propagation study, bulking, overwintering and finally some flowering. This process took another two to three years.
It was very evident this was a winner! Peace Tree Farm protected and patented it so they could send trials out to growers, cutting farms, propagators and lavender field growers under a set of rules. They maintained all the stock at the farm initially, and worked with a major propagator while they began to create the marketing buzz both in Europe and the North American market.
It took off quickly in Europe. This was because it is so much more amenable for potted production than the original Phenomenal®, and well-suited for the EU potted market.
The process took at least five years from the original selections.
Where can you plant Lavandula Sensational!®?
Lavender is incredibly versatile and tough – and Sensational!® is no different! As long as this plant sits happy in full sun with well-draining soil, it can be planted almost anywhere. Think en masse landscaping for a sea of scent and tranquil purple; tight and tidy in a patio container; or sitting pretty in a rock garden.
Those large blooms will make an impact wherever they’re planted!
Where can you buy Lavandula Sensational!®?
Lavandula Sensational!® is available in the UK from Gardening Express and Crocus.
Plant of the Month is sponsored by Plantipp, a company based in The Netherlands who handle the introduction of new plants into Europe.
See every Plant of the Month here.
Images courtesy of Plantipp.
Michael has been involved with gardening and plants since he was just five years old. He is a self-professed Plant Geek, and was listed in the Sunday Times top 20 most influential people in the gardening world, thanks to his plant hunter role at Thompson & Morgan.
Michael was responsible for new plant introductions such as the Egg and Chips plant and the FuchsiaBerry and keeps busy travelling the world in search of new plants as well as lecturing worldwide, including stints in Japan. He is very active on social media – so why not give him a follow at @mr_plantgeek or Facebook. You can also listen to The Plant Based Podcast with Michael and co-host Ellen-Mary on iTunes, Spotify and Google.
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