Limonium perezii

A delicate perennial that adds a soft, airy touch to gravel gardens with its profusion of purple blooms from May to October. The papery flowers are equally at home as cut flowers or in dried floral arrangements and are loved by pollinators.

Limonium perezii is native to the Canary Islands and superbly adapted to Mediterranean coastal conditions. It produces large showy panicles of papery purple-violet flowers above broad rounded basal leaves from spring through autumn — typically April to October — with the longest bloom in late spring. The papery flower bracts persist for months and remain colourful as the actual flowers fade, providing extended seasonal interest. After cutting they dry perfectly without loss of colour and are popular in everlasting flower arrangements. Hardy to -3°C, drought-tolerant, exceptionally salt-tolerant — it can grow right at the sea-edge — and undemanding in poor sandy soils.

Sea lavender forms a clump of large dark green leaves 30–40 cm wide, with flower stems lifting 50–80 cm above. Plant in coastal gardens where salt spray defeats most ornamentals; in massed drifts along sandy paths and seafront terraces; in raised planters where the broad leaves spill softly over the edges; and in large terracotta pots on exposed roof gardens. The purple-violet flower clouds combine beautifully with the silver of Senecio cineraria, Convolvulus cneorum and Helichrysum italicum; with the yellow of Bulbine frutescens; and with the pink of Pelargonium peltatum. Cut spent flower stems in autumn to maintain a tidy appearance. The plant self-seeds gently in coastal conditions.