A granny of a plant (Lavender)

Member Name: eiley123

Product:	Lavender
Date:	10/02/07 (886 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fragrant , easy to grow , attracts butterflies , can be cut and used

Disadvantages: Can attract too many bees and wasps .

Most of us recall Lavender as an old ladies and old fashioned perfume . You would probably be surprised to learn it still appears in masses of modern perfumes , toiletries and cleaning products . It is still a useful and lovely plant and has many uses . It is also very decorative .

Having had to venture into the garden this week to assess the storm damage to our fence , and garden I thought I'd have a general tidy round . Looking at the now huge lavender plant , I have in the back garden , trying to put a few thoughts , about this seemingly hardy plant into a review , seemed a good idea .

I am quite lucky in that I have always seemed to have green fingers and very little attention to my plants has gone a long way . In all our gardens over the years we have always had a lavender plant or two . Our other house , which only had a yard , had one in a pot which grew for many years . Eventually the ever increasing size of pots for re-potting got rather out of hand .

Where we live now I have a postage stamp size front garden and a slightly larger back garden . There is a lavender in the front and the back garden , both of a similar type . The one in the front however has much deeper purple flowers and a headier scent . As it's next to a buddleia it is always covered in butterflies in summer .

The front one is in a flower bed at the side of the path . It has grown so much that I think we will have to either move it or hard prune it this year . I may try some cuttings but , as the plants get older , they do become a bit woody , so this isn't quite so easy .

One thing I have learnt over the years is if you prune into the old wood at the bottom of your plant you will kill it . What I often do is while the flowers are still in full swing cut some long lengths . I put these in a vase as a dried flower arrangement and find they last absolutely ages . Eventually they will drop a bit but in the meantime you have the lavender scent flowing through your house . The bonus is they look great .

As the flowers outside go I either leave the plant or prune over the top .( You can use some of the clippings for little scented bags for your clothing .) The plants always come blooming back without much care . The problem is they do become a bit large and unruly .The average height a plant will get to is 3 foot and mine are a good couple of feet across as well . I bought these as tiny plants a few years ago for only about £1.50 , so think carefully where you are going to plant and what type you are buying.

If you plant next to roses , or the like , they are supposed to keep the aphids down . I'm not sure how true I have found that . I know cats avoid them so if you have something cats like to water ( if you know what I mean ), such as a Lupin , you can plant them near each other . Greenfly usually keep away as well .

What we found this year, 2006 , was the lavender at the back of the house was overrun with bees , wasps and butterflies . Many more than we have ever seen .The butterflies were lovely but the bees and wasps could be a problem especially if you have small children , or like us pets .

The scent in the garden seems to intensify at certain times of the day and evening , and if you brush against the plants you get the lovely aroma . Well if you happen to like lavender , which I do .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So , some facts :- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flowering time mid summer -early autumn

Place of origin - Mediterranean region , cultivated since the sixteenth century .

Family Labiatae-from the Latin Lavare , wash , referring to the plant's uses in toilet preparations .

Use - Good for hedges and flowerbeds . Can be grown in containers . Used in perfumery , soap industry , scenting linen etc .

Has antiseptic properties . Also helps aid a cough apparently .

Can alleviate headaches .

Propagation - By heel cuttings in mid-summer . Pull off near the root and dip the cutting in planting hormone . Plant the cutting in a small pot with an alkaline based soil.

Likes - full sun . Plant is not supposed to be too hardy in cold climates but I have never had any problems . Maybe that's the warmer winters lol .

Lavender - can be bought in essential oils for massage or adding to pot-pourris and the like . You can also add your fresh clippings to pot-pourris of course .

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The foliage on these plants can be anything from a silvery green to green or to silver .There are quite a few hybrids so you can usually find one that appeals if you look around . They do prefer a slightly alkaline soil . You can buy dwarf varieties so ask the retailer . I have seen these planted in formal , miniature gardens and they look great . Occasionally mine have had 'cuckoo spit on them' . Although this isn't harmful to the plant I usually rinse this away as I don't like the look of it . Other than that not much seems to trouble them .

You can buy all sorts of products with a lavender fragrance , such as room fresheners , drawer liners or scented bean bags to rest over your eyes if having a headache . If you have the plant you can make most of these and have these properties on tap , so to speak .

So if you've not planted a Lavender before how about having this welcome addition to your garden or patio . You'll have the butterflies , and the scent , all summer plus you can use it in the house as well . Oh , and of course it looks beautiful .


Thanks for reading

Copyright Eiley 07

Summary: A traditional plant that is still as useful and good looking as always .