Side by side
English lavender or lavender-cotton? How to tell them apart
Lavandula angustifolia · Santolina chamaecyparissus
How to tell them apart – English lavender: narrow, untoothed leaves and purple flower spikes; lavender-cotton: compact, silvery-grey shrublet with finely toothed, aromatic leaves and yellow button-like flowers.
How do you recognise them?
- English lavender
- Low, grey-green shrublet with narrow, aromatic leaves and purple flower spikes.
- Compared with lavender-cotton: narrow, untoothed leaves and purple flower spikes.
- Lavender-cotton
- Compact, silvery-grey shrublet with finely toothed, aromatic leaves and yellow button-like flowers.
| English lavender | Lavender-cotton | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Opposite, narrow and linear, 2–5 cm, grey-hairy and strongly aromatic. | Alternate, 2–4 cm, narrow and set all round with short, thick teeth, silvery-grey and felted; smells aromatic when touched. |
| Flowering | Bluish-purple spikes on long stalks, June–August; bees and bumblebees love them (June–August). | Rounded, bright yellow flower heads (1–2 cm) without ray florets, single on long stalks, June–August (July–August). |
| Fruit | Small nutlets. | Small nutlets without a pappus. |
| Bark | Woody base with peeling bark. | Woody base with grey, felted twigs. |
| Shape and height | Dwarf shrub, 0.3–0.8 m | Dwarf shrub, 0.3–0.5 m |
| Site | Full sun, any garden soil, dry | Full sun, any garden soil, dry |
| Native to Belgium | No, planted | No, planted |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for bees and butterflies | – |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | April and August–September | April and August–September |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Choose what suits your soil, your light and the space you have: see the growing conditions in the table.
Read on
- Plant profile: English lavender
- Plant profile: Lavender-cotton
- English lavender: when and how to prune
- Lavender-cotton: when and how to prune
- Identification key
Also looks like
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.