From fat, round flowerheads, slender mauve petals emerge like butterfly wings, fluttering in the breeze among the aromatic, grey-green leaves. Like most French lavenders, Lavandula pedunculata subsp. pedunculata is earlier flowering than its English cousins, but when they are planted together, they will offer a prolonged season of interest.

The flower-spikes are also a magnet for bees and other nectar-loving insects - and they look wonderful when planted en masse in a protected, sunny border where their heady fragrance can be enjoyed. In colder regions, grow it in a pot so it can easily be moved to a cool greenhouse or conservatory during the winter.