Good. Better. Best. Phenomenal. Sensational.

Those adjectives generally describe the quality of paper towels, ballpoint pens, and 4th grade science projects. The same words also point to a current debate amongst gardeners: Which lavender plant variety is best?

Lavender is such an inconsequential thing. Yes, it is a beautiful, useful, fragrant, and colorful plant, and it does attract pollinators, but it is, frankly, just a plant. Why should you care? You have many things to think about and to investigate. Wars are raging, politicians are shouting, friends are suffering, and family members are dying. There are serious issues right here and right now, and you, and the two of us, are all impacted. A five-minute glimpse of world news can bring on fear, sadness, and hopelessness. Friends, it is time to remember that God is completely perfect, and He is totally in control. Regardless of how you feel or what you think, the fact remains: holy God is in control. Since God is in control, we can care about lavender plants.

Choosing the correct variety of horticultural lavender to purchase and plant is certainly a first-world problem. Lavender has been available for hundreds of years, and gardeners all over the world have coped with/managed/struggled/enjoyed whichever variety of lavender was available.

We now have the pleasure of purchasing good, better, best, or even phenomenal or sensational lavenders.

Phenomenal Lavender was introduced about 10 years ago to withstand the heat and humidity of the southern U. S., including hot Augusts in Northeast Texas. Lavenders usually have mounds of greyish-green fragrant foliage, and most produce purple flowers. Phenomenal lavender is more resistant to both heat and cold than traditional Mediterranean lavenders. It produces a large plant, more than 36-inches in diameter. It is easy to grow, resistant to most plant diseases, adaptable to neutral or alkaline soils, and somewhat resistant to being jumped upon in play by our cats! It thrives in full sun and does not require rich soil. It can be grown in large well-drained non-glazed clay containers.

Hardiness Zone: 5-8 · Mature Height: 30 inches · Mature Spread: 36 inches And then there was more! Sensational lavender (Lavandula x intermedia ‘ Tesseract’) is more compact than Phenomenal, so it grows well in containers. The foliage has shorter stems than Phenomenal, and marketers promise larger flowers against its silvery-grey foliage. Sensational also loves full sun, hot, dry conditions in neutral or alkaline pH.

Hardiness Zone: 5-9 · Mature Height: 18-24 inches · Mature Spread: 18-24 inches Take a walk outside today and see God at work.