Sea lavender - Inland Valley Garden Planner

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Sea lavender — <em>Limonium perezii</em>

Description

Sea lavender is a widely popular flowering accent plant due to its striking purple flowers and long springtime flowering season. It is a small clumping perennial with large deep green lettuce-like leaves; flower stalks can grow to over 2 ft. tall.

Sea lavender is valued for both its lush foliage character and striking flower color along borders and in mixed perennial plantings. It is also used in rock gardens, containers and small planter spaces. When grown in the Inland Empire it does best with moderate amounts of supplemental water, protection from extreme sun exposure and protection from winter frost conditions. Sea lavender is one of the longest flowering perennial plants for our ornamental gardens; flowering can last from spring through mid summer; remove old flower stalks as they die.

Water Needs

Sea lavender grows well throughout the Inland Empire in partial shade to partial sun with moderate amounts of water. The chart shown below provides a recommended baseline guide to the monthly irrigation schedule and volume of supplemental water needed to maintain healthy growth throughout the average year. It should be noted there are several winter months marked by an asterisk (*) when rains can provide sufficient moisture and irrigation is not needed. The high and low range of moisture indicates this plant can grow with varying amounts of water; higher amounts of water will result in stronger flowering performance and summer foliage character.

Irrigation Schedule and Graph

Moderate Water Use Plants

Irrigation Schedule 3

	Jan*	Feb*	Mar*	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov*	Dec*
Runs per Month	0x to 3x	0x to 3x	0x to 3x	2x to 3x	1x to 2x	1x to 2x	1x to 2x	1x to 2x	1x to 2x	2x to 3x	0x to 3x	0x to 3x
Inches per Run	1"	1"	1"	1"	1"	1"	1"	1"	1"	1"	1"	1"

Inches per Month	0" to 3"	0" to 3"	0" to 3"	2" to 3"	1" to 2"	1" to 2"	1" to 2"	1" to 2"	1" to 2"	2" to 3"	0" to 3"	0" to 3"

Range of supplemental summer water: 9"-16"
Range of supplemental winter water: 0"-15"

0"-3"

2"-3"

1"-2"

2"-3"

0"-3"

Jan*

Feb*

Mar*

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov*

Dec*

For more information on how to use this Irrigation Schedule and Graph, click here.

Plant Properties

Plant Type: Perennial
Foliage Character: Evergreen
Habit: Clumping
Growth Rate: Moderate
Height: 12 in. - 18 in.
Width: 2 ft. - 3 ft.
Water Needs: Moderate 3
Foliage Color: Medium green
Flower Color: Purple
Flower Season: Summer, Spring
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil
Exposure Adaptations: Morning sun, Heat, Fog, Drought, Coastal salt air, All day sun
Function: Rock gardens, Residential spaces, Raised planters, Grouped, Flowering accent plant, Container plant, Commercial spaces, Borders, Banks

Maintenance

Prune out older woody stems as needed. Remove dead flower stems by cutting at the base of the stem as needed (D). Allowing flowers to dry and set seed will encourage "volunteer" plants in the garden, if desired. Remove dead leaves early in the spring (18).

References