lavender flower spikes Riverina Thomas Lavandin Lavender – Long Stems, High Oil Yield – Charsaw Farms

lavender flower spikes Riverina Thomas Lavandin Lavender – Long Stems, High Oil Yield – Charsaw FarmsQuick Care Sun: Full sun (68+ hours) Water: Low once established Soil: Well drained, sandy or loamy Spacing: 36 48 inches Size: 1218 in tall and wide Hardiness: Zones 59 Best Use: Essential oil, bouquets, crafts, wreaths, landscaping, mass plantings Growing Tip: Plant in a sunny spot with excellent drainage. Lavender performs best when roots are allowed to dry out between waterings, which helps prevent rot and supports healthy growth. Riverina Thomas

🌿 Quick Care

☀️ Sun: Full sun (6–8+ hours)

💧 Water: Low once established

🌱 Soil: Well-drained, sandy or loamy

📏 Spacing: 36-48 inches

📐 Size: 12–18 in tall and wide

❄️ Hardiness: Zones 5–9

🌼 Best Use: Essential oil, bouquets, crafts, wreaths, landscaping, mass plantings

Growing Tip:

Plant in a sunny spot with excellent drainage. Lavender performs best when roots are allowed to dry out between waterings, which helps prevent rot and supports healthy growth.

Riverina Thomas is a high-performing lavandin selected for long stems, strong growth, and excellent essential oil production. It forms a broad, healthy evergreen shrub and produces tapered, true-purple flower spikes that stand upright and harvest cleanly.

Introduced by Clive Larkman of Larkman Nurseries in Australia, this cultivar was bred for oil quality comparable to ‘Grosso’ while offering a long, reliable bloom season. Plants flower generously, often providing multiple harvest windows for oil, fresh cutting, and dried use.

Because of its length and structure, Riverina Thomas is especially well suited for wreaths, bundles, bouquets, and large-scale craft work. It’s a dependable choice for growers who need productivity, uniformity, and strong field performance, and it also holds its own as a bold landscape plant.

WHY GROW RIVERINA THOMAS

• Long, rigid stems ideal for wreaths and bundles
• High essential oil yield with classic lavandin fragrance
• True purple flower color that holds when dried
• Extended bloom period with multiple harvest opportunities
• Vigorous, reliable growth for larger plantings

HOW IT GROWS

• Plant type: Evergreen shrub (lavandin)
• Growth habit: Vigorous, spreading
• Sun: Full sun
• Soil: Well-drained soil
• Water: Low once established
• Hardiness: USDA Zones 5–9

Lavandins perform best with full sun, good airflow, and excellent drainage. Give Riverina Thomas space and it will reward you with strong growth and consistent flowering.

SIZE & BLOOMS

• Height × Width: ~3 ft. × 4 ft.
• Stem length: 15–30 inches
• Flower color (corolla): Dark violet-blue
• Calyx: Dark violet
• Bloom form: Tapered, elongated spikes
• Fragrance: Strong, classic lavandin

BEST USES

• Essential oil production
• Lavender wreaths and bundles
• Bouquets and fresh cutting
• Dried crafts
• Landscaping and large garden plantings

🌱 Not recommended for culinary use (as with most lavandins).

HOW TO CHOOSE

Choose Riverina Thomas if you want:

• Long stems for wreaths or craft work
• A lavandin bred specifically for oil production
• A high-yield plant for larger spaces
• Strong purple color that dries well

Choose an English lavender instead if your focus is cooking or container growing.