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Lavender
Lavender is a shrub that has many uses. Most people only think of lavender as having a blue flower but you can buy yellow lavender as well as purple. The variation in fragrance, size colour, texture and flowers are in amongst the Lavender family. With names like, Spanish, Yellow, Sweet, French, Goodwin Creek Gray and Woolly it is a truly exciting group of Shrubs.
Spanish lavender is referred to as French lavender, as it now grows wild in France. It is this that is collected and used to make the oil used in perfume. The French lavender is easy to look after. It stands out in a rockery or as a border plant with its silver/gray foliage and light purple flower heads. A light brush against the shrub gives off a relaxing, enchanting fragrance. Even after drying the heads of the lavender the fragrance still lingers. If you pick the seeds you can make lavender bags which can be used to fragrant draws, put in-between stored clothes it make a natural moth ball or placed under your pillow at night can help aid sleep.
Most Lavenders are started from cuttings taken from the mother plant. You may like to try to grow from seed as it might seem like the cheapest way to propagate, but lavender is a low and slow germinated shrub and the seeds have a short shelf life. If for example you planted 100 seeds only a few would come up and then because of the length of time it takes for them to germinate ( over 2 weeks ) this can cause fungus in the tray and cause the seed to rot. All in all if you buy small plants or take cuttings yourself it is a lot less hassle and you should find these easier to take care of.
Make sure when planting any variety of lavender that you allow plenty of drainage and always keep the area around the plant free of weeds. If you are planting in containers make sure that you repot every year in a potting compost and mix in organic fertiliser.
To encourage your shrub to produce extra blooms water regularly when the weather turns warm. Your plant will take about 3yrs to mature and will welcome a pruning immediately after blooming. Cut the shrub about 1/3 back but don’t leave the plant with just the hard wood you must leave some fresh growth on it or it will die.
Waiting can be hard but wait you must, for the harvest of your lavender. When the flowers appear and the colour and fragrance are outstanding this is the time to start cutting. The best time to cut Lavender is in the morning but to help keep the stems fresh take a bucket of vase of water with you and put the stems straight into the water when cut. If you wish to dry the stems and heads together dry them in a small group, tie them with a bit of twine and hang them upside down in a dark place. These can be used in flower arranging or to accent a special photograph. Dry the cuttings individually by spreading them on a flat board on a sunny day and dry them out in the sun. When they are dry strip the flowers off and they can be used as potpourri.
This shrub has been known to have healing properties and said to be good for headaches and insomnia.
There are some food dishes that lavender is used in. You can find recipes in most good herb books.
Landscape & Gardening
Popular Plants , Aspect of a Garden , Types Of Garden , Garden Tips
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