Royal Velvet Lavandula angustifolia - Royal Velvet English Lavender

Lavandula Angustifolia 'Royal Velvet’, commonly known as Royal Velvet Lavender, is a prized variety of English lavender due to its deep, vibrant purple flowers and charming aesthetic appeal. Loved worldwide for its stunning beauty, delightful fragrance, and beneficial qualities, it's an outstanding choice for cooks, lavender enthusiasts and hobby gardeners alike.

For centuries, lavender buds have been used for perfume and in medicine. Crushed dried buds can be lightly sprinkled on many dishes such as beef, chicken, fish, and steamed or roasted vegetables. Lavender buds are one of the herbs used in the herb blend Herbs de Provence recipe. Visit Martha Stewart's page on ideas to cook with lavender -> Cooking with Lavender.

The Royal Velvet is a cultivar of Lavandula Angustifolia, also known as English lavender. This beautiful plant is favored due to its ability to produce a stunning array of large, deep purple flowers. Its calyxes, the portion holding the lavender flowers, are a rich, dark violet, which energetically contrasts the long, arching, leafy, gray-green stems.

One of the many appealing aspects of Royal Velvet Lavender is its enriching fragrance, which fills the air surrounding the plant, especially in the warm summer months. Due to its concentrated aroma, Royal Velvet is often chosen for lavender essential oil production over other lavender varieties. It is known as a 'True Lavender'.

The best time to plant lavender is in the spring or early fall when the soil is still warm. When selecting a site, be sure to choose a location with full sunlight, lots of air circulation and (extremely) well-drained soil.