Variety: Arctic Snow
Species: Lavandula angustifolia (English lavender)
Colour: White — pure white flowers against silver-green foliage
Foliage: Evergreen, aromatic, grey-green with a slightly softer tone than Hidcote
Height: Around 50cm (20in)
Spread: 40–50cm
Flowering: July to August
Scent: Sweet English lavender scent, lighter than Hidcote but still noticeable on a warm afternoon
Hardiness: Fully hardy throughout the UK
RHS AGM: No
Sold as: Pot-grown plants (P9 & 2L available depending on season)
Plant outdoors: From late April onwards when soil is warming. Northern gardens and exposed sites do better waiting until May
Delivered: From April/May, weather dependent

Arctic Snow Lavender — The Quiet One in the Row

Most people picture lavender as purple. That is fair enough, and if you lined up ten gardeners and asked them to name a lavender colour, nine would say purple and one would say blue. Arctic Snow is the variety that nobody expects. The flowers are a clean, true white, held on short neat spikes above compact silver-green foliage, and the effect in a border or along a path is quite different from anything a purple lavender can do. Where Hidcote gives you drama and a strong colour statement, Arctic Snow gives you light. It lifts the plants around it, makes a shaded corner feel less heavy, and works in colour schemes where purple would fight with the neighbours.

Arctic Snow is one of the more compact English lavenders, topping out at about 50cm, and it grows slowly enough that it stays tidy without much intervention. That slowness is worth mentioning honestly. A row of P9 Arctic Snow plants will take longer to knit together than a row of Hidcote or Munstead planted at the same time. By the second summer you will have individual mounds touching at the shoulders; by the third, a proper hedge. The scent is sweet and recognisably lavender, though lighter than the purple varieties. On a still July evening you catch it walking past. On a windy day in March, not so much.

White Lavender and the Mixed Hedge

Arctic Snow earns a particular place in the Ashridge range as one third of our mixed English lavender hedge pack, alongside Hidcote and Loddon Pink. The idea is simple: plant them alternating along a path or border edge and you get a hedge in three colours from the same species, all flowering at roughly the same time, all the same height, all needing the same care. The white sits between the deep purple of Hidcote and the pale pink of Loddon Pink and stops them clashing. It is the peacekeeper. You could do the same thing with separate orders of each variety, of course, but the pack takes the arithmetic out of it and gives you equal numbers of each.

White lavender has a slightly different audience from the purple kinds. It turns up in wedding gardens, white borders, moon gardens (the sort of planting designed to look good at dusk), and alongside pale roses where a line of purple would be too heavy. If you already have a lot of purple in a border and want to add lavender without adding more of the same colour, Arctic Snow solves the problem without changing the mood.

Planting Companions

The obvious partner is Hidcote. A line of alternating white and deep purple is one of those combinations that looks like you spent a long time planning it, when in fact it more or less designs itself. Rosemary planted behind gives you a taller evergreen backdrop and extends the Mediterranean feel through the winter months. Catmint, white hardy geraniums and Stachys byzantina (lamb's ears) all sit well alongside Arctic Snow at the front of a sunny border. For a taller white lavender further back, Edelweiss reaches about 75cm and the two whites at different heights make a surprisingly effective layered planting.

Why Buy from Ashridge?

Your Arctic Snow plants are grown here in the UK and sent to you when planting conditions suit. We deliver by next-day courier, every plant is guaranteed, and if you need advice there are gardeners in Somerset who actually answer the phone. Browse our English lavender collection or see all our lavender plants. We hold a Feefo Platinum Service Award, which says something too.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Arctic Snow lavender good for cooking?

In terms of taste, it is as good as any other English lavender. All Lavandula angustifolia varieties have a sweet, low-camphor flavour that works in baking and drinks. The white flowers look rather elegant scattered over a cake or frozen into ice cubes, so if anything it has a slight visual advantage over purple varieties in the kitchen. Munstead is usually cited as the best culinary lavender, but the difference in flavour is marginal.

How far apart should I plant Arctic Snow for a hedge?

Three per metre, so about 33cm apart. Because Arctic Snow is a slower grower than some English lavenders, expect the hedge to fill in fully by the third summer with P9 plants. With 2L plants you will be most of the way there by the end of the second year. Always plant into warm soil, not cold wet ground in early spring.

Can I grow Arctic Snow in a pot?

Yes, and its compact size makes it one of the better lavenders for containers. A pot 25cm across is fine. Use a free-draining compost with added grit or perlite, and do not let it sit in a saucer of water. Our lavender growing guide covers container growing in more detail.

Does Arctic Snow come in the mixed hedge pack?

Yes. It is one of three varieties in our mixed English lavender hedge pack, together with Hidcote and Loddon Pink. The pack gives you equal numbers of each in P9 pots, ready to plant alternating along a path or border. It is our cheapest way to buy lavender if you want a multi-coloured hedge without ordering three separate varieties.

When should I prune Arctic Snow?

After flowering, usually late August or early September. Take off the spent flower spikes and trim about a third of the current season's green growth. Do not cut into old bare wood. A light shape-up in April is fine but the late-summer prune is the one that matters. There is a short video in our pruning guide that shows the technique.

English Lavender Plants (Lavandula angustifolia)

Arctic Snow Lavender Plants