Sometimes people get confused between Lavender and several other plants because they look exactly the same. To solve this problem, we should learn about all other plants that make us confused.
I have recently been studying Lavender, and then I thought about why I am not making a guide on this topic. I have found 7 plants that look like Lavender. They are Russian Sage, Purple Giant Hyssop, Meadow Sage, Hyssop, Catnip, Pitcher Sage, and Rosemary. In this article, I am going to discuss their nature and how you can know these plants like Lavender plants.
Basics of Lavender plant
If you like flowering plants, then Lavender is not a foreign name to you. It is one of the most produced flowers all over the world and adorable because of its beautiful appearance as well as fragrance but special for its essential oil known as lavender essential used for scenting different products.
The plant is normally annual but some varieties are perennial and herb to the small shrub in type. Its flowers are arranged on spikes of the tip of long bare stalks and flowers are medium purple or a light pinkish-purple in color. It belongs to the mint family of Lamiaceae. The plant bears pinnate leaves, covered in very small hairs containing essential oils.
7 Plants That Look Like Lavender
1. Meadow Sage
The ornamental plant belongs to Lamiaceae or commonly known as the mint family, has the scientific name of Salvia pratensis. The plant is an upright herb and perennial in nature. The stem of the plant is 4-edged like many plants of the mint family and is covered in tiny soft hairs containing essential oil.
The leaves are simple in shape having wrinkled margins and arranged in opposite directions on a stem. The leaves emit an unpleasant odor which you get if you smell a single leaf. The plant is unbranched and the single stem holds all the leaves as well as flower spikes. Flowers are showy small and 4-7 whorls of flowers on a stalk form a spike. The stem is divided on the top forming 2-4 flower spikes.
The flowers come commonly in blueish purple to purple color, similar to Lavender’s flower color. If you look only at the flower stalks of Lavender and Meadow Sage, you won’t easily distinguish them. Their main difference is their leaf. Since the Meadow Sage leaves have an awful odor, rabbits and cattle don’t touch them. So, you can plant them on the border of your garden to protect your other plants from cattle and rabbits. Moreover, their colorful appearance attracts bees, butterflies, and birds which may be an interesting scene for you
2. Hyssop
The flowering plant is a plant of the Lamiaceae or mint family. Its scientific name is Hysoppus officinalis. The plant is an upright herb and perennial. On average, the plant grows up to 42 cm. Like other plants of the mint family, its stem is 4-edged and covered in tiny glandular hairs.
The plant is branched near the base having 15-25 shoots. The leaves are simple and narrow elliptical in shape 2-3 cm long and covered in very short hairs. Its flowers are small, leafy, stalkless, and attached to the shoots which are known as flower spikes. Flower petals are also covered in very short hairs and violet-blue or purple in color, resembling the flower color of Lavender.
The flower is aromatic too. The plant is grown for its aromatic leaves and flowers. The essential oil the plant contains has a sweet scent and a bitter taste, which is used for a long-time flavoring of foods and beverages. The oil contains phenol and thujone and other friendly chemical compounds which have made the plant antiseptic.
Moreover, since the flower is aromatic, honey collected by bees from the nectar of the plant is very aromatic and excellent in quality. The colorful appearance of flowers attracts pollinators which are favorable for garden plants. The plant has almost the same height and flower color and leaves as Lavender, it looks quite similar to the Lavender.
3. Catnip
Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is a typical herb that prospers in much of Northern America and is quick and easy to thrive. While you’ve most likely heard that catnip makes felines sloshed, you may not know that this impact is an acquired characteristic, and it does not impact all felines.1.
Catnip thrives to a height of 3.5 to 4.5 feet and has light green, featherlike foliage and little bunches of lavender flowers that thrive on spikes. A cousin of the mint household, catnip is likewise utilized in food and natural treatments. Tea made from the leaves along with flowers of Nepeta cataria is stated to ease coughs. The oil drawn out from catnip trees is even utilized in natural mosquito repellents.
Catnip trees have been naturalized in different parts of Northern America, and even the place where they are not seasonal, they will likely reseed. Numerous garden enthusiasts discover catnip to be too aggressive and too weedy to thrive in their gardens. This herbaceous season can be grown in spring or even fall. It is a quick grower as well as can reach 2.5 to 3.5 feet in height in a sole season.
Keep remembering that there are various kinds of catnip and that all typical types are intrusive if you’re preparing to thrive catnip for your feline or yourself. If they do not take over your feline’s mind, this implies they might take over your yard even.
4. Russian Sage
Appreciated for its silvery gray, aromatic foliage as lavender-purple blooms, Russian sage, or scientifically(Perovskia atriplicifolia) makes a strong declaration in the yard. The large, spiky bunches of flowers flower from late spring till fall, practically totally covering the leaves. Usage Russian sage as a wrapper for exposed locations or as a model tree. Knowing the way to thrive Russian sage trees is as quick and easy as Russian sage care. It likes an arid environment, making it a perfect tree for xeriscaping.
Russian sage is sturdy in USDA tree hardiness zones 4 through 10. Pick a place with really well-drained soil of typical fertility completely sun. Thriving Russian sage in partially shaded areas might trigger the trees to sprawl.
Set out new trees in early spring, spacing them ahead of 2 to 3.5 feet (0.6-1.1 m.). Water the trees from time to time throughout droughts till they are developed and thriving. Gravel is a much better option than natural mulch since it permits much better wetness evaporation if you would like to use mulch around the trees.
Watering takes care of Russian sage trees very little. Russian sage grows in dry soil and seldom requires watering when developed. Spread a handful of general-purpose plant food or a shovelful of garden compost around each tree every year in late fall.
North of USDA Zone 7, supply a 2.5-inch (6 cm.) When new development comes out, a layer of pine needles over the winter season and eliminate them in spring. While enabling the stems along with seed pods to stay in the yard up until spring develops winter season interest, if you like a tidier look, you can trim the stems back to feet (.6 m.) in the air.
Spring and summer seasons take care of Russian sage generally consisting of pruning. The moment new spring development comes out, trim the old stem to simply above the most affordable set of leaves. Shear off the leading two-fourth of the branches to motivate upright growth if the tree starts to spread out open or spread in the late spring or summer season. If the tree stops flowering in the summer season, eliminate the top half of the stems. This motivates new development and a fresh glow of flowers.
5. Purple Giant Hyssop
Purple Giant Hyssop (likewise referred to as Prairie Hyssop) is a very tall-growing, seasonal tree from the herb household. The aromatic flowers are understood to bring in bees and other pollinators easily, and its height implies it’s typically chosen to mature versus fencing or borders.
Maturing to 6 feet high, this is a late-blooming tree with pale pink or purple blossoms that form on several spikes at the apex of the branch. The leaf branch is covered with, in other words, white hairs. This tree succeeds in sandy, fertile, damp soil with restricted competitors around it, and it can endure full sun or Partial shade.
It is native to Northern America and Eastern Asia, environmental damage and competitors from non-native types are now concerned as uncommon in the wild.
Purple Giant Hyssop is a quick and easy season to thrive from seeds, although it does not typically flower till the 2nd year of development. Deadheading flowers past their finest will assist in extending their flowering duration.
It thrives finest in damp, sandy soil with a minimum of partial sun. It does not succeed with plenty of competitors, so do not plant it in locations with great deals of other current types. This tree can thrive extremely high, so ensure you place it in an area where this will not be an issue.
Buy Purple Giant Hyssop Plant Seeds
6. Pitcher Sage
The plant is native to North America. Salvia azurea is the scientific name of the plant and it comes from the Lamiaceae or mint family. The plant got the name for its flowers having pitcher-like appearance. The plant is perennial and shrub in type. It grows up to 200 cm in height upright. Since it is a shrub, it grows up to 6 feet wide. The plant has commonly found 4-edged stem, which is woody and fully covered in glandular small hairs.
The plant contains two types of leaves which are arranged in opposite directions. The larger leaves are found near the base having petiole (the stalk which connects leaf blade to the stem or branch) and petiole less small leaves near the top. Like other plants of the mint family, its leaves are completely covered in glandular hairs and leaves are pale green in color. Leaf-blade is lanceolate and edges are smooth, sometimes serrate (sawlike).
The plant produces white to pale pink or Lavender purple flowers. Flowers appear as open raceme (unbranched stem with stalked or petiolate flowers). Sepals and petals of each flower are covered in hairs like stems and foliage. Stem, leaves, and flowers emit pleasant odor when crushed or touched. Due to having an attractive appearance and fragrant, the plant greatly attracts pollinators and hummingbirds. The plant is believed to be a remedy for headaches and fever. The plant is an attractive diet to the cattle too.
7. Rosemary
You do not require an herb yard to thrive in rosemary. A single tree in a pot will offer you sufficient rosemary to taste your cooking and even scent the cooking area. If you are in a location where rosemary grows, you might have whole hedges of the tree.
Rosemary is among those excellent herbs that make a gorgeous decorative tree and flexible cooking spices. Its scientific name, Rosmarinus officinalis, suggests “dew of the sea,” and that’s why rosemary is most carefully related to cooking in the Mediterranean area.
In warm environments, rosemary can be grown at any time. In environments with cold winter seasons, tree it in the spring as soon as the soil heats up, a minimum of 7 days after the last frost. When thrived as a seasonal in warm environments, freshly planted seedlings will reach fully grown size and start blooming in their 2nd season.
The three basics for effectively thriving rosemary are sun, significant drain, and excellent air blood circulation. If you reside in a frost-free location, you can thrive rosemary in the garden year-round, where it will become a rich, bushy shrub. In cold-winter environments, you can grow rosemary in the garden yearly or plant it in a box that you bring inside well prior to the first frost.
Frequently Asked Question
Are Salvia and Lavender the same plant?
Answer: Salvia is known mostly as common Sage. Both Lavender and common sage belong to the mint family but they are not the same plant. They are of different genus. Their flowers may appear to be the same but the leaves are completely different. Moreover, Lavender has sweet and citrus flavor whereas common sage contains an earthy peppery flavor.
How do you identify Lavender?
Answer: the plants discussed above are quite similar and some are almost similar to the Lavender. You need to look closely at the plant. Look for narrow and oblong-shaped and silver-gray-colored leaves forming a clumping mound. Look for purple flowers and check the fragrance whenever you crush leaves or flowers.
