Lavender - The Bees Knees! (Lavender)

Member Name: jusophine

Product:	Lavender
Date:	31/03/01 (2503 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Hardy, easy to grow, amazing aroma, keeps the bees happy..

Disadvantages: None

What could be more typical of an English country garden than the traditional English Lavender plant.

The name Lavender comes from the Latin word 'Lavare', meaning 'to wash'. Indeed, this is exactly what the ancient Romans used it for. The plant has been used extensively in perfumes and soaps since the 18th century. Today, we know a great deal about the many benefits of the plants oil. It is calming and destressing. It aids the healing process of burnt and damaged skin, and is highly antisceptic. It's essential oil has many other properties, but this opinion is more about the plant itself.

Lavender is a hardy, versatile plant. In my opinion it adds instant quality to any garden. It can be planted in groups to form and instant burst of colour, whether it be in flower, boasting beautiful purple heads, or showing it's stunning silvery foliage. Even during the winter, the plant provides architectural interest when many other plants have died down. Planting along a boarder, the lavender will carry your eye through the garden.

I have two plants planted within a wall either side of steps that lead up to my lawn. They are close to the house, and on a summers evening their aroma drifts into the kitchen and through the house. The smell is sweet and wonderful, and fills me with a state of instant calm and well being. Their form provides symetry, there is nothing quite like the 'rectitude' of the Lavender in full flower.

I particularly love to watch the hives of activity around each plant during the summer months, when their fragrant heads provide the local Bumble Bees with hours of merry work, as they go about collecting the pollen that will somewhere make delicious honey.

The English variety of Lavender is probably the best type to grow. It's Latin name is Lavendula Augustifolia, and is also known as L.Officinalis, L.Vera(?), and L.Spica, and they are all hardy. Other cultivars are available provi
ding a choice of colours; Hidcote-dark purple, Jean Davis-pink, and Nana Alba-white, amongst others, although if you have a good garden centre near you I'm sure you'll find a good variety and choice that will suite you. French and Spanish Lavender varieties are available, but these are not hardy, so it depends on your gardens layout and geography as to whether or not you would choose one of these.

Being a mediterranean plant, the Lavender likes a sunny aspect, and will flourish in full sun. Consider planting it in the middle of the garden, against a sunny facing wall, or in patio pots. Think about where you are going to plant it very carefully, a hardy Lavender may grow for 20 or 30 years or more. The best time to plant is from October to mid April.

Drainage is very important to the Lavender, they hate to have 'wet feet'. Think of mediterranean soil. If your soil is heavy and water retentive, mix some sand or gravel into it to aid drainage.

You don't have to spend hours on planting preparation. You don't even have to use fertilizer. However, if you feel you want to, add some well rotted compost or muck to the soil first. Some high potash fertilizer will encourage flowers, although in my experience, if you have planted in a good position with plenty of sun, this will not be necessary. I planted a Lavender at the front of my house a couple of years ago, it doesn't get much sun although it does have excellant drainage. It has a good expanse of foliage, although it's flowers are a bit thin on the ground. Still, it's fairly happy, so you can't go to far wrong. However, plant yours where it's sunny and you'll get the best from them.

The Lavender is such a dependible plant, that having bought a reasonably good sized specimen, you can expect to harvest it's flowers during it's first summer in your garden.

Traditionally, the flowers are harvested during July and August, and t
he perfume is at it's strongest just as the flowers are opening. Most of the essential oil that we have in the U.K comes from France. For this opinion I read up a little about the process of producing the oil.

After harvesting the flowers, they are dried for a few days before being taken to a distillery. The distillation takes place in a steam 'alembic' with the dry lavender steamed in a double boiler. The essence is extracted from the plant by water vapour and is then passed through cooling coils. The condensation provides the final essence and Lavender water. Interestingly, 1 ton of dried Lavender produces just 5-10kg of high quality essence, and yet Lavender essential oil is one of the cheaper essential oils you can buy. Boots version costs around £4.50.

Of course, I don't think many of you will have your own distillation equipment, unless any of you are Hill Billies that make your own 'Moon-shine', but you can still use your own plants in many ways.

Lavender has become a very trendy cookery ingredient in recent times. You can make Lavender sorbet, Lavender lemonade, marinate salmon in Lavender, and make icecream with it. It also tastes great with strawberries. Add it's stems to your griddle when frying fish, or throw them on your barbeque to fill the air with their smell and lightly infuse your meats.

My favourite thing to do with the flowers is to dry them and use them to scent the house. Place your freshly picked flowers upside down in a well ventilated room to dry for a day or so. You can add them to Lavender bags to scent your draws, or make the following Potpourri with them.

Lavender and Geranium Potpourri:

4 cups of Lavender blossums(dry).
2 cups of Rose Geranium leaves(dry).
2 cups of Rosemary(dry).
1 oz Orris Root.
3-6 drops of Lavender Essential iol.

Mix them all together and place in an air tight box for 4-6 weeks. You will need to shake the box d
aily, then open and enjoy.

Well, I think you may have guessed by now that I am a huge fan of Lavender. Perhaps you are too. Maybe you have never considered it before, either way, I hope you will have found this opinion of some use.

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