Birth flower for May 20
French lavender
Meaning: I am waiting for you, silence
The big pale purple ears on top are sterile bracts that work like flags for bees, which is why it is often called rabbit-ears lavender. Its species name, stoechas, comes from the old Greek name of the Hyères Islands off southern France, and the plant was already described by the Greek physician Dioscorides. It handles heat better than English lavender.