Thursday, July 21, 2022

Plants in Early American Gardens - Sea Lavender was Dried in the Fall 1793

Sea Lavender (Statice) (Limonium latifolium)

Limonium latifolium bears clouds of delicate, lavender-blue flowers that are perfect for arrangements, both fresh and dried, and also blend beautifully in rock gardens, coastal gardens, and other well-draining sites.

Long admired as a cut flower, Statice was included in the Garden Notes of 1793 by Lady Jean Skipwith of Virginia, who noted “dried - it retains its colour which renders it ornamental for a Mantel-piece in Winter.”

 In The English Flower Garden, first published in 1883, William Robinson called this larger species of Sea Lavender “the finest of all.”