'Provence' lavender (Lavandula x intermedia 'Provence') is another highly popular lavandin hybrid, much like 'Grosso', and it's widely grown on commercial lavender farms (including potentially in Door County WI) for similar reasons: high yield and robust scent. While it shares many characteristics with other lavandins, 'Provence' has its own typical appearance and a scent profile that, while strongly herbaceous and camphoraceous, is often considered one of the more "refined" among the lavandins. It's a common variety to buy lavender online.
Here's a breakdown of the typical appearance and scent of 'Provence' lavender:
Typical Appearance of 'Provence' Lavender:
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Plant Size and Habit:
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Large and Robust: 'Provence' is a substantial plant, growing taller and wider than most English lavenders. It typically reaches 2.5 to 3 feet (75-90 cm) tall and wide, forming a large, bushy, mounded shrub. This vigorous growth contributes to its high yield.
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Foliage: It features silvery-green, narrow leaves that are aromatic and evergreen in warmer climates. The foliage tends to be dense, giving the plant a full appearance.
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Flower Characteristics:
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Color: The flowers are a beautiful, soft to medium mauve-purple or pale lavender-blue. The color is often described as lighter than the deep purple of 'Grosso' or 'Hidcote' but still distinctly lavender.
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Spikes: 'Provence' produces exceptionally long, slender, and abundant flower spikes. These spikes can be quite graceful, swaying gently in the breeze. While they are dense with florets, they often appear a bit looser or less rigid than the very compact spikes of 'Grosso'.
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Bloom Time: It's a prolific bloomer, typically starting in mid-summer (around late June to early July in Northern Hemisphere climates) and continuing through late summer or even into early fall, especially with deadheading. This extended bloom season is a commercial advantage.
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Excellent for Drying: The long stems and well-formed flower spikes make 'Provence' an excellent choice for dried bouquets, wreaths, and arrangements. The color retention upon drying is also very good.
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Typical Scent of 'Provence' Lavender:
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Strong and Herbaceous: 'Provence' possesses a robust and strong lavender scent. Being a lavandin, its aroma is distinctly more herbaceous and less purely sweet than English lavender.
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Camphoraceous Notes: It contains higher levels of camphor (typically 5-10%) and 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol) than true lavender. This gives it a sharper, more penetrating, and somewhat medicinal or "clean" aroma. This is a common characteristic of all lavandins.
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Balancing Act: While camphor is present, many describe the scent of 'Provence' as being more balanced and slightly sweeter than some other lavandins (like 'Grosso'), though still not as sweet as English lavender. It often has a fresh, almost piney or resinous undertone. It strikes a good balance for general-purpose lavender scent.
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"French Lavender" Scent (Confusion Alert): It's very important to note that 'Provence' is a lavandin (a hybrid of true and spike lavender), not French lavender (Lavandula dentata). However, because 'Provence' is so widely grown in the Provence region of France, many people mistakenly refer to its scent as "French lavender scent." The true French lavender (L. dentata) has a different, often more rosemary-like aroma.
Popularity and Uses:
'Provence' is highly valued for:
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High Essential Oil Yield: Like 'Grosso', it's a prolific producer of essential oil, making it economically viable for distillation.
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Dried Flower Production: Its long stems and beautiful color retention make it a top choice for cut and dried floral products.
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Resilience: It's tolerant of heat, humidity (more so than English lavenders), and poor soils once established, making it a reliable performer in many climates.
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Fragrance Products: Its strong, pleasant, and well-balanced (for a lavandin) scent makes it excellent for soaps, candles, potpourri, sachets, and general household fragrancing.
While not traditionally the first choice for delicate culinary applications due to its camphor content (English lavenders like 'Munstead' or 'Hidcote' are better for this), some sources suggest that 'Provence' can be used sparingly in cooking if a bolder, more savory lavender note is desired. However, if pure sweetness is the goal, stick to Lavandula angustifolia.
In summary, 'Provence' lavender is a large, vigorous plant with abundant, long, pale mauve-purple flower spikes and a strong, herbaceous, camphoraceous, but often well-balanced aroma. It embodies the classic "lavandin" scent that is highly popular for a wide range of non-culinary, commercially produced lavender products, and is a common sight at a thriving lavender farm.