IMPERIAL GEM ENGLISH LAVENDER

Lavandula angustifolia 'Imperial Gem' is more commonly known as Imperial Gem Lavender. It is a highly regarded cultivar of English lavender, notable for its exceptional performance, dense, compact habit, and heavy production of intensely fragrant flowers. This variety forms a neat, mounded, silvery-green evergreen shrub, typically reaching a manageable 18–24 inches in both height and spread, making it ideal for edging, containers, or mass plantings. From early to late summer, it is covered in numerous rich, dark violet-purple flower spikes that rise above the foliage, offering a stunning color contrast and a sweet, classic English lavender scent, which is prized for both culinary use and drying. 'Imperial Gem' is also celebrated for its robustness, deer and rabbit resistance, and excellent cold hardiness across USDA Zones 5–9.

'Imperial Gem' Lavender requires full sun (at least 6 hours a day) and perfectly well-drained, lean (poor) soil; wet, heavy soils will quickly cause fatal root rot, especially in winter. Established plants are highly drought-tolerant and require minimal watering or fertilization. Proper pruning is essential to maintain its compact shape and prevent woodiness: give the plant a light shaping prune in early spring to remove any winter damage and then a harder trim immediately after the main summer bloom to remove spent flower stalks and about one-third of the foliage.