culture connectionperennial solutions

52 | gpn | JULY 2015 | www.gpnmag.com

A recent breeding breAkthrough, ‘bAnderA PurPle’ is the first commerciAlly comPAct sPAnish lAvender from seed.

By Paul Pilon

LavanduLa stoechas

‘bandera Purple’

With its aromatic herbal attributes and landscape presence, the demand for lavender continues to increase.

English lavender (Lavandula angus-tifolia) is the most commonly grown

lavender, but Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas) has many uniquely appealing characteristics that sets it apart

from others. They are known and easily recognized by their showy and more fragrant flowers.

Recently, Kieft Seeds made a breeding break-through and developed Lavandula stoechas ‘Ban-dera Purple’. It is the first commercially compact Spanish lavender from seed. It branches very well and produces an abundance of eye-catching blooms that nearly cover the attractive silver-

green colored foliage. The flower spikes contain dark purple-violet flowers with beautiful purple

flags (bracts) on top of the inflorescences. Spanish lavender grows best in locations with

full sun and can tolerate heat and humidity better than the other types of lavenders. With cold hardiness

in Zones 7 to 10, some parts of the country will have to grow this one as an annual. ‘Bandera Purple’ forms attractive compact mounds

reaching 7-9 inches tall and 10-12 inches across, which do not fall open with age. The showy, winged f lower spikes

appear in the late spring and last well into the summer. The f lowers are self cleaning, and the plants produce a good secondary

f lush of fragrant blooms. This small, yet floriferous lavender is suitable for production in small

containers or combination pots and is often utilized in border and container plantings.

Other appealing attributes of interest to gardeners and landscapers, laven-ders are not attractive to deer or rabbits, and once they are established, they are drought tolerant.

With its strong garden performance and desirable attributes, Lavandula stoe-chas ‘Bandera Purple’ received the Fleuroselect Gold Medal Winner in 2015.

propagation‘Bandera Purple’ can easily be propagated from seed. Growers generally sow

one seed per cell in 288- or 180-sized plug trays. Light is considered optional for germination; however, having some light present during this stage is

culture connectionperennial solutions

beneficial and will reduce early stretching of the seedlings. The seeds can be covered very lightly with ver-miculite after sowing. Covering them too deeply will greatly decrease the germination rate.

If available, use a germination chamber to maintain temperatures of 65-68° F and the relative humidity at 95 percent. Keep the media moist, but not saturated until the roots emerge (level 4). To decrease early elongation, remove them from the chamber when 15 percent of the cells have radicles visible. Germination takes three to five days.

After the seeds have germinated, the temperature of the soil can be reduced slightly to 60-65° F; also reduce the soil moisture levels slightly (level 3 to 4) to encourage rooting. Fertilizers can be applied once the true leaves are present, applying 75- to 100-ppm nitrogen, using a nitrate-based formulation with low amounts of phosphorous. As the plants develop, the fertility rate can be increased to 100-150 ppm. Growth regulators are usually not necessary, but if toning is required, spray appli-cations of 2,500-ppm daminozide (B-Nine or Dazide) can be applied.

A N N U A L S | P E R E N N I A L S | P O T T E D P L A N T S | C U T F L O W E R S

S e e w h a t ’s b l o o m i n g a tD u m m e n O r a n g e . c o m MARGARITA COOL PURPLE

MARGARITA SOFT PINK

Best Osteos pe r mum se r ies ,hand s d ow n .

• Incredible color range• Perfect for early season programs

• High consumer appeal

MARGARITA RIOJA RED

OSTEOSPERMUMMARGARITA

Spanish lavender grows best in locations with full sun and can tolerate heat and humidity better than the other types of lavenders.

Small, yet floriferous, ‘Bandera Purple’ is suitable for small containers.

Attractive mounds reach 7-9 inches tall and 10-12 inches across.

When produced at temperatures averaging 65° F, they are usually ready for transplanting in seven to eight weeks.

production‘Bandera Purple’ is well suited for production in

small 1-quart to 1-gallon sized containers. Spanish lavender performs best when they are grown in a porous, well-drained medium with a slightly acidic pH: 5.5-6.0. When planting, the growing medium should be even with the top of the liner. Avoid transplanting too deeply as Botrytis may

develop on the branches that are in direct contact with the moist soil. Since they branch freely, it is not necessary to pinch prior to potting or during production.

Like most types of lavandula, Spanish lav-ender require an average to slightly below average

amount of irrigation, as they do not tolerate really wet or overly dry con-ditions. When wet conditions persist for extended periods, they are very susceptible to root rots.

Keep in mind that while they are in containers they are not quite as drought tolerant as those grown in the landscape and should be kept slightly moist (level 3). Overly dry growing conditions can adversely affect the opening of the flowers. When irri-gation is necessary, water them thor-oughly then allow the growing mix to dry slightly between waterings.

Spanish lavender need light to moderate fertilization. Growers using water-soluble fertilizers either apply 250 ppm of nitrogen as needed or feed with a constant liquid fertiliza-tion program using rates of 125- to 150-ppm nitrogen with every irriga-tion. Controlled-release fertilizers can also effectively deliver nutrients when incorporated into the growing medium prior to planting at a rate equivalent to 1.0 to 1.2 pounds of elemental nitrogen per yard of growing medium.

‘Bandera Purple’ has a naturally compact growth habit and usually will not require height control strate-gies. The plants can be toned using spray applications of 2,500-ppm daminozide (B-Nine or Dazide), 30-ppm paclobutrazol (Bonzi, Paczol, or Piccolo) or 5-ppm uni-conazole (Concise or Sumagic). To improve plant quality, reduce stem elongation and avoid problems with plant pathogens, grow lavender with high light intensities and low relative humidity levels (< 75 percent).

insects and DiseasesAlthough there are several insects

which feed on lavandula, they can generally be grown without signifi-cant damage. Be on the lookout for aphids, leafhoppers, spider mites and whiteflies. Of these, aphids and whiteflies are the most prevalent. There are several diseases including bacterial leaf spots (Xanthomonas), Botrytis, fungal leaf spots (Colletot-richum and Septoria) and several root

culture connectionperennial solutions

culture connectionculture connection

WHO DO YOU KNOW IN THE

CLASS OF 2015?If you don’t know them now, you will know

them in the future! These bright, shining

stars are the future of our industry — the

individuals who will blaze new trails for

growers, retailers, breeders, landscapers

and more.

Visit www.gpnmag.com/40-under-40

to meet the class of 2015 and discover what

makes these 40 Under 40 individuals tick.

Do you know a candidate for the

Class of 2016? Perhaps a colleague?

Or an employee? Nominations will open

in November. Watch for details.

www.gpnmag.com

54 | gpn | JULY 2015 | www.gpnmag.com

culture connectionperennial solutions

and crown rot pathogens (Fusarium, Phytophthora, Pythium, and Rhizoctonia) lavender are susceptible to. Routine scouting is useful and recommended to detect insect pests and plant diseases early, allowing the appropriate control strategies to be implemented before significant crop injury or mortality occurs.

temperature and SchedulingLavandula stoechas ‘Bandera Purple’ is a first

year flowering tender perennial, which can be easily grown and scheduled to bloom during the first growing season. Vernalization is not required for flowering and over-wintering should be avoided altogether in colder parts of the country. It is rec-ommended to use frost protection when the tem-peratures are below 39° F.

‘Bandera Purple’ is a facultative long day plant. This means that although it will flower under shorter day lengths, it blooms more uniformly and faster when it is grown with long day lengths (>14 hours). Growing them with short day lengths will increase the time to flower and reduce the total number of blooms each plant produces. To further improve plant quality and increase the number of flowers they produce, grow ‘Bandera Purple’ under high light intensities (> 4,000 foot-candles).

For the best plant quality with the largest flowers, grow Spanish lavender on the cool side

with ideal temperatures of 54-60° F at night and 65-68° F during the day. At these temperatures, ‘Bandera Purple’ takes 11 to 15 weeks after trans-planting to flower.

availabilityLavandula stoechas ‘Bandera Purple’ is brought

to the market by Kieft Seed (www.kieftseed.com). To obtain seed, contact your Ball Sales Represen-tative (www.ballhort.com). Plug flats can also be

obtained through your Ball sales representative or various reputable perennial plant brokers and propagators. g

Paul Pilon is a horticultural consultant, owner of Perennial Solutions Consulting (www.perennialsolutions.com), and author of “Perennial Solutions: A Grower’s Guide to Perennial Production.” He can be reached at 616.366.8588 or paul@perennialsolutions.com.

Flower spikes contain dark purple-violet flowers with beautiful purple bracts on top of the inflorescences.

Direction.Dimension.Display.

®

Not round.Not square.

3D!Save. Save. Save.

No matter how you workthe numbers 3D containers

are real cost savers.More on the floor, more onshipping racks, and more

facings at retail - up to 30%more than traditional round!

Available in 5 sizes withmatching trays, 3D systemsare size compliant – 1 pint,

1 quart, 1.25 quart, 2.5 quartand 3 quarts. The right

choices with big savings.

And, that’s a win-win!

®Ph: 800.814.3496 • www.summitplastic.com • sales@summitplastic.com© 2015 Summit Plastic Co.

See them in Booth #1157

GPN Summit Four 1-2PTab 5-15:GPN HalfHorizontalTab 5/7/15 5:34 PM Page 3