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Six months ago, The Garden Guy prognosticated that Augusta Lavender heliotrope was going to one of the hottest plants for 2022. This was really based on my trials at my house outside of Columbus, GA.
Unbeknownst to me at the time Augusta Lavender was sweeping awards across the country, in places The University of Georgia, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Oregon State, Colorado State, Oklahoma State and Cornell. This is like a who’s who of awards.
You would have been hard pressed to find gardeners anywhere that believed there was a heliotrope that could hang all summer with Luscious Marmalade lantana. Well, the Luscious Marmalade has turned to toast as expected with temperatures in the low 20’s.
The heliotrope which has a chance of being perennial in zone 9a is still blooming after all of those freezes. I decided I better go out and touch it to make sure it wasn’t a popsicle or frozen ice. Indeed, it is still growing and blooming. I admit I am stunned after most of us expected the death certificate in August.
Augusta Lavender is like none you have ever tried. I’ll happily go with the name lavender but to be honest, blue or sky blue would have worked too. But this isn’t the only color you will see as each little floret has a center that is orange to deep yellow. You’ve got your own complementary color scheme in each flower. The flowers have gotten more intense in color with the cooler temperatures of fall.
There is a good chance you aren’t familiar with heliotropes. Botanically speaking they are in the borage or forget-me-not family and if you looked at the long list of genera or family members, I doubt all but the ardent botanist could recognize more than five. But don’t let that throw you, I assure you this will be a wonderful new plant for your pollinator arsenal.
If visiting pollinators don’t float your boat then just look at it as a great lavender plant that reaches 24-inches tall with a 36- inch spread. It kind of looks like a lantana and is tough-as-nails so you can go golf while nerds like me are shooting photos of butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.
I also planted Augusta Lavender with Color Coded Orange You Awesome echinacea and Vermillionaire cuphea. You can see how in my eyes I was seeing the blue hues in the lavender. I’ll admit I could not have picked better combos from my standpoint.
Augusta Lavender heliotrope, a hybrid with South American DNA has been everything I could have wanted. After reading an industry article on Augusta Lavender I can tell you the breeders were masterful. You can bet I’ll keep watching and if indeed if it dies, you can bet I’ll be replanting in the spring. Everyone needs Augusta Lavender.
This spring looks so exciting and a great time to be a gardener. Follow me on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy for more photos and garden inspiration.
