Taller plants may require stakes to remain upright. The untoothed leaves are narrow and long stalked. Typically, the plant grows to a maximum height of three feet (one meter), and has jagged leaves that look like dandelion leaves. Sea lavender has dark green, leathery, spoon-shaped leaves that grow in a circular pattern at the base of its stem. September. Sea lavender flowers originate from basal leaves that rise up directly from the plant's roots. 6. Individual flowers are less than ¼ inches wide and tall. You can always add more, if needed! Useful in a sunny herbaceous border and for naturalizing. The stalks are hairy, and its leaves are deeply pinnately lobed, usually 1¼ -7 inches (3-12 cm) long, and tapered at the base; leaf margins are coarsely hairy. Height: 60cm Development along coastal areas has destroyed much of the natural habitat, and the plant is further threatened by overharvesting. Bold rosettes of foliage to 18 inches tall, clumps to 2 feet wide, flower stalks to 2 to 3 feet. Although the blooms are beautiful and highly valued by plant enthusiasts and florists, picking the flower prevents the plant from expanding and forming colonies, and removing the plant by the roots destroys the entire plant. Don’t attempt to remove plants from the wild because sea lavender is protected by federal, local or state laws in many areas. Evergreen perennial. Read more. BBC © 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. sea lavender: [noun] any of a genus (Limonium) of chiefly perennial herbs of the plumbago family with small flowers and basal leaves. Sea lavender’s interesting inflorescence is a terminal, helicoid cyme, meaning its flowers are born along one side of a curved or coiled spike. 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Flowering period: Limonium platyphyllum (Sea Lavender) is a clump-forming perennial boasting attractive sprays of tiny papery light purple flowers in summer. Sea lavender is a widely popular flowering accent plant due to its striking purple flowers and long springtime flowering season. The flowers that bloom until December are small, papery, have one to three petals, and are pale violet or blue-white in color. This forms a low mound of large, leathery green leaves, bearing upright branching heads of tiny, pale-blue flowers, giving a misty, cloud-like effect. With everlasting papery purple-blue flowers fading to white with age, the Sea Lavender can flower all year. The name sea lavender (Limonium sinuatum) conjures up clouds of light purple blooms growing in an airy coastal garden, and rightly so. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. Leaf blades are thick, leathery, obovate to oblong and four to eight inches (10 – 20 cm) long, with smooth, often wavy margins. Sea lavender displays red-tinted stems and leathery, spoon-shaped leaves. The rotting leaves release these […] How to grow sea lavender: Plants need full sun and a good, well-drained garden soil with plenty of sand for drainage. Sea lavender displays red-tinted stems and leathery, spoon-shaped leaves. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! Perennials Image Gallery. There are five spreading-to-reflexed white petal lobes. Lavender is a lovely plant that is a fairly common choice for most gardens. Spread: 45cm Its branches produce small, fragrant, pale purple flowers along one side. Sea lavender turns brown in fall and winter. The flowers dry out gradually on the plants and, though faded, persist into late summer. Sea lavender is sometimes difficult to divide. Remember to keep a light hand though, so as not to overpower the dish. This makes these plants great to tuck in among other perennials as the foliage remains mostly hidden and allows the flowers to stand out. … Description of sea lavender: Large, leathery leaves to 10 inches long form a basal rosette, which, in late July and August, sends up 2-foot stems that branch out into huge clouds of tiny 1/8-inch lavender-blue flowers. Seed grown. Also known as marsh rosemary and lavender thrift, sea lavender is a perennial coastal plant that can often be found growing in both salt marshes and along coastal sand dunes. Skill Level: Beginner Its flowers range in colour from blue through to lilac and pink, and can often be seen densely carpeting the ground from July to October. Limonium perezii 'Blue Seas' - sea lavender DESCRIPTION: Canary Islands native, hardy perennial with big oval leathery-fleshy leaves and domed clusters of flowers throughout most of the year.Cut the flowerstems for dry and fresh arrangements; they hold their colour for a long period.USE IN: Front line coastal and seaside gardens; waterwise and outback gardens. You can use Lavender leaves for some of the same things you would use the Lavender flowers for such as in Lavender sachets. to Divide sea lavender every two to three years in early spring, but dig deeply to prevent damage to the long roots. Delicate purple blooms appear in summer. Read more. Lavender certainly. Tm many leaves are arranged in a spiral at the base of the plant. Hardiness: Hardy Rosemary definitely not, but no one consulted us. Sea Lavender Tournefortia gnaphalodes Beautiful blue masses of sea lavender are found naturally along the coast from Key West to Brevard County. Limonium latifolium (sea lavender) is a member of the Plumbaginaceae family. Each plant forms a neat rosette of large, attractive oval leaves almost flat on the ground, and these often turn bronze-red in the sun. Corollas and calyces are 5-lobed. Plant sea lavender in full sunlight in most areas. Also known as marsh rosemary and lavender thrift, sea lavender (Limonium carolinianum), which has nothing to do with lavender, rosemary or thrift, is a perennial plant often found growing wild in salt marshes and along coastal sand dunes. They are borne on slender and multi-branched stems which rise from a basal rosette of large, broadly spoon-shaped leaves, 6-10 in. This is normal and isn’t cause for concern. The flowers are densely arranged in curved clusters on the helicoid cymes. If you’re interested in growing sea lavender, Limonium plants are readily available online. Once established it is fairly drought-tolerant, but thrives equally well in better conditions. You may be familiar with lavender flowers but the leaves have a ton of flavor too! This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Sea-lavender is a salt-loving plant and thrives is saltmarshes and on the edges of runnels through mudflats in estuaries. Deep lavender-blue flowers are borne in panicles made of spikelets on wiry stems. Cooking with Lavender Leaves. Sign up for our newsletter. Above: Sea-lavender, Dorset Coast. Sea lavender is a herbaceous perennial with a woody base. The more commonly grown annual statice plants, which are related to sea lavender and may even share its common name, are a good substitute. In mid-summer, wiry stems support frothy masses of tiny pale pink or lavender flowers, like gypsophila but stiffer. It is a small clumping perennial with large deep green lettuce-like leaves; flower stalks can grow to over 2 ft. tall. Delicate purple blooms appear in summer. Sea lavender is a rosette-forming perennial with mid- to dark-green leaves to 12 inches long, occasionally to 24 inches. Many species flourish in saline soils, and are therefore common near coasts and in salt marshes, and also on saline, gypsum and alkaline soils in continental interiors. I find the flavor of the leaves to be a bit more mild than the flowers but I am sure it depends on the variety. Where prevailing winds drift salt spray towards the shore, Sea-lavender can also be found in grasslands some distance from the shoreline. Sea lavender, Argusia gnaphalodes, is also known as sea rosemary.To our eyes, the leaves look more like sage. Even More Uses for Lavender Leaves The seed heads remain on the plant throughout winter and are visited by hungry finches. Subtle foliage makes sea lavender an unusual perennial. Common sea-lavender grows in muddy, salty pools or saltmarshes along the coast. Th… Also known as marsh rosemary and lavender thrift, sea lavender (Limonium carolinianum), which has nothing to do with lavender, rosemary or thrift, is a perennial plant often found growing wild in salt marshes and along coastal sand dunes. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. Time to divide plants: March to April Sea lavender ease of care: Easy. Not only does this type of plant create a pleasant smell where it is planted, but it will also add beautiful shades of purple throughout your garden. On salt-marshes and seashores this pretty, papery wildflower blooms from July to September.Its flowers are a lilac-lavender colour, each 6-7mm long, in lax clusters, the five-petalled flowers being loosely scattered along the stalks. The largest of the sea lavender species grow to about 3 feet (91 centimeters) tall and 2 feet (61 centimeters) wide. Sea lavender is ideal for gardens on dry, sandy soil, and even windy coastal gardens. Stores will close at 4 p.m. Dec. 24 so our associates can celebrate the holidays and prepare for the Semi-Annual Sale. Wavyleaf sea lavender is a short-lived perennial herb that produces several branched flower stalks from a basal rosette of leaves. Species: platyphyllum However, the plant benefits from afternoon shade in hotter climates. What is sea lavender? in any case, sea lavender is a rare plant, native only to Florida among the 50 states, and only on the east coast, Brevard County south to the Keys. Sea Lavender is a member of the Borage family that contains chemicals in its leaves and white flowers that several male butterfly species use to attract their mates. Water new plants regularly to establish a deep, healthy root system, but only occasionally once the plant is established, as sea lavender is drought tolerant. 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