Product Field NotesLavender Plants
Cedar Blue Lavender: Pale Purple Mounds with a Sweet Scent
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Cedar Blue lavender is an English lavender with a softer palette. Its flowers are pale purple rather than deep violet, set over a bushy mound of gray-green foliage, and they carry a strong, sweet floral scent with gentle herbal notes and little camphor. You may also see it sold as 'Blue Cedar'.
As a Lavandula angustifolia, it is among the hardier lavenders, and it carries a strong hardiness rating for cold gardens. It grows about 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide, a comfortable middle size for borders and low hedges.
Cedar Blue at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Lavandula angustifolia 'Cedar Blue' (syn. 'Blue Cedar') |
| Flower color | Pale purple |
| Foliage | Gray-green |
| Habit | Bushy |
| Mature size | About 24 inches tall and 36 inches wide |
| Stems | About 12 inches |
| Bloom | Starts mid-June, peaks mid-July, moderate rebloom |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 5a to 9b |
| Fragrance | Strong, sweet and floral with low camphor |
A softer purple for mixed plantings
Deep purple lavenders make bold statements. Pale purple ones blend. Cedar Blue is a good choice when you want lavender to sit comfortably among roses, peonies, catmint and soft pink or white perennials, rather than dominating the bed. Its color also helps a long lavender row feel lighter when alternated with darker cultivars.
Its bushy, broad mound fills space well, so fewer plants cover more ground. Bees work it heavily through July, and deer tend to leave it alone.
Planting it right
- Sun: full sun, six to eight hours or more.
- Soil: fast-draining sandy or loamy soil. In clay, plant on a raised bed or mound.
- Spacing: about 30 to 36 inches apart for a hedge that just touches.
- Depth: crown level with the soil surface, never buried.
- Mulch: keep it away from the woody base. Pea gravel or coarse sand around the crown helps it dry quickly.
English lavenders need a winter chill to bloom well, which our Michigan winters supply. Use the USDA Zone Finder to confirm your zone.
Through the seasons
Spring: once new growth appears, remove any winter-damaged tips. Early summer: water young plants deeply when the top few inches dry; established plants need little. Mid-July: peak bloom and prime harvest time. After bloom: shear off spent stems and a little leafy growth to shape the mound and invite a modest rebloom. Fall: leave it be, and keep fallen leaves off the crown.
The golden rule of lavender pruning applies: cut into the leafy part of the stem, never into bare wood. The Pruning Calendar has the details.
Harvest and uses
Cedar Blue is rated great for culinary use and excellent for oil suitability, with best uses listed as oil and fragrance. Its 12-inch stems are a nice length for small bundles and sachets, and it is rated good for fresh and dried flowers. For cooking, harvest buds when colored but before most flowers open, dry them in the shade and use sparingly, from plants grown as a food crop.
Pale flowers can fade a little in drying, so dry bundles in a dark room to keep as much color as possible.
Formats offered
Cedar Blue is listed as a 3-inch plug, a 4-inch pot or a 1-gallon pot. See the product page for current sizes and availability, and use Notify Me if it is not ready yet.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cedar Blue the same as Blue Cedar?
Yes. Blue Cedar is listed as a synonym for the same cultivar.
Is it blue or purple?
Despite the name, its flowers are listed as pale purple.
Is it hardy in Michigan?
It is rated for zones 5a to 9b and is among the hardier lavenders. Good drainage is the key to winter survival.
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