Unusual Lavenders

The lavender flowers and gray-green foliage of lavender plants are a part of all Mediterranean gardens and should be in every California garden as well--for the fragrance, color and a host of practical uses. T. DeBaggio Lavender is an unusual nursery doing a mail- order business only in lavender plants, but not just any lavender. He sells several special selections, including the variety “Grosso,” which is the standard commercial variety in France. He also sells “Irene Doyle,” a dark, heavy-flowering variety, “W.K. Doyle,” an even darker version, and “Susan Belsinger,” a dwarf, 11-inch high variety. His catalogue costs $1 and includes a growing guide, from T. DeBaggio Lavender, 923 N. Ivy St., Arlington, VA, 22201. 703/243-2498.