Davidsan’s Japanese Maples Lavender Collection

​Cathy Blanc (Lavendula x intermedia)
A large, white lavender, Cathy Blanc is beautiful for contrast plantings with other purple lavenders. Also beautiful planted en masse against darker colored lavenders. Size 30”x36”
 
Folgate (Angustifolia - English Lavender)
One of the first of the year to bloom, Folgate is a coveted favorite. This variety grows neat and tidy on a compact bush. With gray-green foliage and its flowers bloom a vibrant violet-blue that bees, butterflies and florists love. It is especially cold hardy and is used in both fresh and dried bouquets.
First blooming in late spring, Folgate blooms again in the summertime. Its iridescent florets have a sweet fragrance and refreshing taste. Landscapers and gardeners love its smaller size and often use this variety in perennial borders, low hedges and rock gardens.
If kept warm and in sunlight in the winter, the compact plant is even suitable in large pot. For these reasons, Folgate is the variety recommended for both new lavender growers and more experienced enthusiasts.
It was developed in the 1930s by Linn Chilvers of Norfolk, England. It’s a versatile herb that has much to offer home gardeners. Once cultivated, it serves many purposes, adding beauty and utility to any flower shop, restaurant, wedding or spa.
Folgate can be used as a dried culinary lavender, especially nice in the blend “Herbes du Provence.”  Size 24” x 24”

Graves (Angustifolia - English Lavender)
This cultivar of English lavender is taller than most others. Very productive with taller upright stems - nice for fresh and dried flowers. The color is dark violet. Graves tends to bloom longer than most during the growing season. Size 36”x30”
 
Grosso (Hybrid)
‘Grosso’ lavender is a hybrid, the result of breeding English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and a Portuguese lavender known as spike or broadleaf lavender (Lavandula latifolia). This hybrid brings an improvement to traditional English lavender by blending cold hardiness with a tolerance to excess heat and humidity. It also brings flowers that have larger heads, a darker purple hue and intense fragrance.
The purple blooms of Grosso lavender not only offer a deeper violet hue, but they’re contained in a bract that’s also purple (instead of green, like other lavenders). This deep purple color and its long stems make Grosso excellent for dried bouquets and the strongly scented blossoms make wonderful additions to sachets and potpourris.
Because Grosso is such a high-yielding plant, it has become the most widely used lavender variety for oil production in the world.
The rich perfume that Grosso lavender blooms offer also works well in culinary applications. Use Grosso flowers as you would any other culinary lavender to season desserts and savory dishes, as well as teas and other drinks. Like other lavenders, Grosso thrives in full sun in well-drained, even rocky or sandy soil, but despite its sturdier nature, it won’t survive if it’s shaded or even crowded by other plants. Give it good air flow for best growth. Prune after flowering to shape the plant. Size 36”x30”
 
NOTE: Throw a handful of flowers and stems onto the fire while grilling. As the lavender burns, it sends up an aromatic plume of smoke that will fill the air with fragrance. Put the lid on the grill and let the smoke infuse the meat for about five minutes.
  
Hidcote Blue (Angustifolia - English Lavender)
A medium, short-stemmed bushy plant with dense grey-green foliage. A brilliant dark purple flowered plant for ornamental or culinary use - a wonderful, sweet oil producer. Height 28”
 
Hidcote Pink (Angustifolia - English Lavender)
A medium bushy plant with grey-green foliage. One of the best pink-flowered cultivars for culinary and ornamental purposes - quite striking when planted en masse. The aroma is sweetly fragrant. Height 24”
NOTE: The potency of the flowers increases with drying. In cooking, we normally use 1/3 the quantity of dried flowers to fresh. So, if a recipe calls for 3 teaspoon fresh lavender, try substituting 1 teaspoon of dried.
 
Melissa (Angustifolia - English Lavender)
Melissa is a prolific bloomer, perfect for edging paths and borders, with aromatic foliage that perfumes the garden when brushed against. This variety features tightly compact pink and white spikes that bloom longer than other pink lavender plants. It is nicely upright and compact with gray green leaves. Of interest is the way the corollas age from white to pink giving the whole plant a pink glow when in bloom. It blooms early, and the flowers persist for a long time. The flowers appear above the fine silvery-green foliage.
The aroma of this plant is very sweet and fragrant, Melissa makes a wonderful addition to a sunny border or herb garden. An excellent lavender for cutting and drying and it is fantastic for culinary use. Melissa is a lovely lavender that was named by Oregon grower Andy van Hevelingen for his wife. Size 20”x24”
 
NOTE: A fantastic way to cook with lavender is to create a lavender sugar. In a clean coffee mill or spice grinder, place the buds of two lavender flowers for every two tablespoons of sugar. Grind these together until a fine sugar is created. This breaks apart the lavender buds and releases their essential oils into the sugar. Store this fragrant sugar in an air tight container in the freezer to use throughout the year. Once you have this in your pantry, you can experiment with adding this flavored sugar to your baking.
 
Miss Katherine (Angustifolia (English Lavender)
A semi-tall plant with gray-green foliage. Spikes are long and lilac-pink in color. Excellent for use in a border or to contrast with a darker purple plant.
 
Provence (Lavendula x intermedia)
Provence has beautiful soft violet flowers with light purple highlights and is a very prolific bloomer. Use for fresh-cut, wands and potpourri. Flower aroma is both powerful and sweet. This plant lacks much of the camphor overtones of other lavandins and therefore is widely used as a culinary lavender. Reminiscent of the South of France where much of this variety is grown. As its name suggests, it’s perfect for a special “Herbes du Provence” blend. Size 30”x36”
 
Richard Gray (Angustifolia - English Lavender)
A shorter plant, Richard Gray has purple flowers that contrast nicely with its dense and compact silver foliage. This distinct variety is beautiful planted as a border in front of a darker purple plant.
  
Royal Velvet (Angustifolia -English lavender)
Royal Velvet is a striking, dark-flowered cultivar introduced by Andrew Van Hevelingen in Newburg, Oregon. This variety is a small to medium-sized plant It is one of the best English lavenders.
Royal Velvet sports gray-green foliage and its flowers have dark navy-blue calyxes and violet corollas making it one of the darker purple lavenders. Flowers appear in terminal spikes (to 4” long) in late spring to early summer. Its longer stems are excellent for dried floral bouquets/crafting.
These deep purple flowers and foliage are highly aromatic. It is a great oil producer and excellent for culinary uses. Royal Velvet is an all-purpose plant that is one of the most popular lavender plants. Height 24”-30”
 
NOTE: A good way to introduce the flavor of lavender is to steep crushed lavender flowers in warm milk, cream or sugar syrups. Consider using these infused liquids to flavor whipping cream, homemade ice cream, jams and jellies, fruit syrups, iced tea, shortbread cookies, scones, glazes on pound cakes, biscotti, sorbets, granitas, custards, and cheesecakes. 
 
Super (Lavendula x intermedia)
This plant is a French cultivar, and an extremely heavy oil producer. Very fragrant with very long stems and large flower heads - dark violet in color. Very hardy with a bushy habitat.

Tumalo Surprise It’s new. Super hardy to well below zero!

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LAVENDER RECIPES
​Lavender and Lemon Poundcake
from Lauren Chattman “Cake Keeper Cakes”
INGREDIENTS
3⁄4 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh lavender leaves
1 3⁄4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1⁄4 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 large eggs

Combine the milk and lavender in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring just to a simmer; transfer to a glass measuring cup, and let cool to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 325°; grease inside of a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and dust with flour.
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and zest; cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix until incorporated; add 1/2 of the milk and mix until incorporated; repeat with the remaining flour and milk, ending with the flour.
After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula; bake until the cake is golden brown and a pick comes out clean, 50-55 minutes.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely; slice and serve.
Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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Goat Cheese Spread with Lavender and Honey
From Whole Foods
12 ounces soft goat cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons dried lavender
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Whisk together goat cheese, heavy cream, lavender, honey and sea salt in a large bowl until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.
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Honey Lavender Ice Cream
From “EPICURIOUS”
INGREDIENTS
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup half-and-half
2/3 cup mild honey
2 tablespoons dried edible lavender flowers
2 large eggs   
1/8 teaspoon salt
 Special Equipment: a candy or instant-read thermometer; an ice cream maker
Bring cream, half-and-half, honey, and lavender just to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, then remove pan from heat. Let steep, covered, 30 minutes.
Pour cream mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and discard lavender. Return mixture to cleaned saucepan and heat over moderate heat until hot.
Whisk together eggs and salt in a large bowl, then add 1 cup hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking. Pour this mixture into remaining hot cream mixture in saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick enough to coat back of spoon and registers 170 to 175°F on thermometer, about 5 minutes (do not let boil).
Pour custard through sieve into cleaned bowl and cool completely, stirring occasionally. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours.
Freeze custard in ice cream maker. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.
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Lavender Gelato (no eggs)
From “Domestic Daddy”
3 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons lavender buds
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Whisk together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of the milk.  Set aside.
Place the milk, cream, salt, and lavender in a saucepan.  Bring to the boil over medium high heat, and then turn off the heat, cover and let steep for about 30 minutes.
Strain the mixture through a fine sieve to remove the lavender buds, and return it to the saucepan.  Whisk in the cornstarch slurry, the corn syrup and the sugar and bring the mixture to the boil again over medium high heat.  Strain again into a bowl.
Chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours, or, if you’re in a hurry, chill in an ice bath for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally
Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions until it’s the consistency of soft serve.  Eat several generous spoonfuls and then swiftly transfer the rest to a metal or plastic container and place in the freezer for about 2 hours before serving.
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Lavender Syrup for Soda and Cocktails
1cup water
1 cup sugar
2 or 3 tablespoon fresh or dried lavender blossoms
Combine water, sugar, and lavender blossoms in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let syrup steep, about 30 minutes.
Pour syrup into a sterilized glass jar through a mesh strainer to remove blossoms; let cool.
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Lavender Martini
Ice
1 1/2 ounces vanilla vodka
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/4 ounce Lavender Syrup
1 fresh lavender sprig
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the vodka, lemon juice and Lavender Syrup and shake well. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with the lavender sprig.
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Lavender Lemonade
A small handful of freshly picked and rinsed lavender flowers or a tablespoon of dried lavender flowers
1 cup white, granulated sugar
2 cups of boiling water for the infusion
1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups or more of cold water
Ice
Cut the lavender flowers from the stems and place in a medium bowl. Pour the sugar over the flowers and use your fingers to gently rub the flowers into the sugar.
Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the lavender sugar and stir with a spoon until the sugar has melted. Cover and let infuse for 30 minutes (or up to several hours).
Strain the lavender-infused simple syrup and pour into a serving carafe or pitcher.
Stir in the lemon juice.  Add another two cups of water. Taste and adjust for tartness. Add more lemon juice if too sweet.  Add more sugar if too tart. Add ice and more water to desired level of concentration. Note that the ice will melt eventually, further diluting the drink.
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Blackberry-Lavender Shrub
2 pints blackberries, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
1/4 teaspoon dried lavender
2 cups sugar
2 cups champagne vinegar
In a medium bowl, combine blackberries, lavender and sugar. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.   
Arrange a fine mesh sieve over a bowl. Strain fruit mixture into the bowl and press to extract all juices. Add vinegar and whisk vigorously. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 month.   
To use, fill a glass with ice and sparkling water, then stir in 1 tablespoon of the shrub; add more to taste.