Overview
Despite the name, Hidcote Giant is a lavandin, not an English lavender. It unlocks at Level 7 and is one of the widest plants in the starter set: about 36 inches tall and 59 inches across, with fragrant violet-blue flowers.
Best uses
The cultivar record lists it as best for: Essential Oil, High Oil Production, Fresh Bouquets, Dried Flowers, U-Pick, Commercial Fields.
Star ratings
Evidence level shown in the game: Product-record model. Tags: Camphor-forward, Long-stem candidate, violet-blue palette, Great Lakes hardy candidate.
| Rating | Stars | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Oil | ★★★★★ | Essential-oil potential; changes still recovery when you distill |
| Aroma | ★★★☆☆ | Fine-fragrance quality for sachets, sprays and oils |
| Stems | ★★★★★ | Cut-stem grade for bouquets and bundles |
| Bundles | ★★★★★ | Harvest volume: more stems and flower units per cut |
| Display | ★★★★★ | Wedding, photo and dried-flower appeal |
| Culinary | ★★☆☆☆ | Flavor suitability; 3 stars or more can be a culinary lot |
Harvest at full health
These are the game's predicted amounts from one healthy plant (100% health, no Harvest Tools upgrade, no woodiness). Lower health or a woody old plant gives less; the Harvest Tools upgrade gives up to 15% more. The game's yield number for Hidcote Giant is 87.
| Harvest use | Amount | XP |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh stems | 13 stems | 6 |
| Drying stems | 11 stems | 8 |
| Distillation crop | 10 lavandin flower units | 9 |
| Culinary lot | Not allowed (under 3 Culinary stars) | — |
Growing it
- Needs 20% more warm-weather growth per stage than English lavender.
- Needs 12 chill weeks in winter before it can flower. Until then it waits at stage 3.
- Bloom record "summer", peak "summer". Before the game shifts it for your frost dates, the bud-and-bloom window runs from the week of May 27 to the week of Aug 26.
- Well suited in zones 5–8. Outside that range it grows at 72% speed and takes 20% more frost damage.
- After a harvest the plant drops back to stage 2 and regrows from its crown.
Tips
- With 2 Culinary stars it cannot be harvested as a culinary lot; choose fresh, drying or distillation instead.
- Its 5-star Oil rating makes it one of the best for distilling: recipes need much less flower per bottle.
- Stems 5★ and Display 5★ suit bouquets, wreaths, weddings and dried bundles.
- Hardy down to zone 5, so it suits most cold-winter farms.
See also
Written from the game itself. Spot something out of date? and our farm team will check it.
