FlowerKisser® Delft Blue & White English Lavender: 2022 Plant Of The Year

Lavender is one of our most beloved Old World herbs. Their fragrant oil is a wondrous gift when used in soaps, lotions, and cosmetics. The beautiful and aromatic flowers are a superb nectar and pollen source for honeybees, other native pollinating bees, and butterflies. These waterwise shrubs are a cornerstone genus recommended for abundant use in xeric gardens and landscapes.

FlowerKisser® Delft Blue and White English Lavender is a unique find made by our Chief Horticulturist David Salman. While on a walk with his dogs, David spotted a curious volunteer seedling that had popped up in a patch of lavender plants growing in a commercial landscape near his home in New Mexico.  The plant was small, but there were a handful of flower spikes that caught his eye, with pure white buds (calyxes) and soft blue flowers (corollas). With permission, he harvested a few cuttings to take back to the greenhouse for propagation.  And after several years of garden evaluation, it was clear that the pure white buds and light blue flowers were not an anomaly, and were produced abundantly each growing season.

This new introduction has unique coloration not seen in previously introduced varieties of English Lavender. It’s fascinating to watch the coloring of the flower spikes change over the 4 to 6 weeks that the plants are blooming. Initially, there are only white buds (calyxes) showing. Soon the flowers emerge with soft blue coloration. After about 4 weeks, the flower spikes mature as the calyxes develop a soft blue tint and the flowers turn a light lavender-blue. 

The plants are compact and uniform. They're nicely floriferous, growing numerous 12-to-14-inch tall flower spikes.  The flowers and foliage are nicely fragrant and will make nice sachets and dried flowers.

FlowerKisser® Delft Blue and White is a wonderful companion for dark-colored English lavender cultivars, such as FlowerKisser® After Midnight, another previous Plant of the Year, whose calyxes emerge an intense deep violet-purple color. 

To play off of its blue and white coloration, another great combination is to plant with white-flowered Lavender, such as Lavandula x intermedia ‘Edelweiss,’ and deep-blue flowered  ‘Gros Bleu’ Lavender. Or, plant with blue-and-lavender-flowered Rocky Mountain Penstemon (Penstemon strictus).

Other xeric, white-flowered late spring bloomers, such as white-flowered Melampodium (Black Foot Daisy) and Achillea ageratifolia (Greek Yarrow), will also create beautiful combinations to light up the dry garden.

Pink-flowering companions include ‘Miss Katherine’ English Lavander and groundcover Thymus x ‘Pink Chintz’ (Creeping Thyme).

Hardy to USDA zone 5, this smaller-growing English Lavender is a great choice for those hot, sunny spots in your yard that have fast-draining, non-clay soil. 

For detailed planting information, see our guide: How To Grow & Care For Lavender

The Legacy of David Salman | High Country Gardens founder David Salman was a pioneer of waterwise gardening, a passionate plant explorer, and a charismatic storyteller. His commitment to cultivating a palette of beautiful waterwise plants transformed gardening in the American West.

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