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Lavender is a very ornamental
plant that is often grown in the herb garden and is also grown
commercially for its essential oil. There are several named varieties.
Not a very long-lived plant,
it can be trimmed to keep it tidy but is probably best replaced
every 10 years. Any trimming is best done in spring and should
not be done in the autumn since this can encourage new growth
that will not be very cold-hardy. A good bee plant, also attracting
butterflies and moths.
Lavender makes a good companion
for most plants, growing especially well with cabbages.
Propagation:
Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse
and only just cover the seed. It usually germinates in 1 - 3
months at 15°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings
out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse or
cold frame for their first winter, planting them out in late
spring after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood 7
- 10cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Usually very east,
a high percentage will root within a few weeks.
Grow them on in the greenhouse
for their first winter and plant them out in late spring after
the last expected frosts. Cuttings 7cm with a heel succeed at
almost any time of the year. Layering.
Scent Plant:
Fresh Crushed Dried . All parts of the plant are strongly aromatic.
Edible Uses:
Tea; Condiment.
Leaves, petals and flowering tips - raw. Used as a condiment
in salads, soups, stews etc. They provide a very aromatic flavour
and are too strong to be used in any quantity.
The fresh or dried flowers are
used as a tea. The fresh flowers are also crystallized or added
to jams, ice-creams, vinegars etc as a flavouring.
An essential oil from the flowers is used as a food flavouring.
Medicinal Uses:
Antihalitosis; Aromatherapy;
Tonic; Stomachic; Stimulant; Sedative; Nervine; Diuretic; Cholagogue;
Carminative; Aromatic; Antispasmodic; Antiseptic.
Lavender is a commonly used
household herbal remedy. An essential oil obtained from the flowers
is antihalitosis, powerfully antiseptic, antispasmodic, aromatic,
carminative, cholagogue, diuretic, nervine, sedative, stimulant,
stomachic and tonic. It is not often used internally, though
it is a useful carminative and nervine. It is mainly used externally
where it is an excellent restorative and tonic - when rubbed
into the temples, for example, it can cure a nervous headache,
and it is a delightful addition to the bathwater. Its powerful
antiseptic properties are able to kill many of the common bacteria
such as typhoid, diphtheria, streptococcus and pneumococcus,
as well as being a powerful antidote to some snake venoms. It
is very useful in the treatment of burns, sunburn, scalds, bites,
vaginal discharge, anal fissure etc, where it also soothes the
affected part of the body and can prevent the formation of permanent
scar tissue.
The essential oil is used in aromatherapy.
Other Uses:
Incense; Pot-pourri; Hedge;
Essential; Repellent.
The essential oil that is obtained
from the flowers is exquisitely scented and has a very wide range
of applications, both in the home and commercially. It is commonly
used in soap making, in making high quality perfumes (it is also
used in 'Eau de Cologne'), it is also used as a detergent and
cleaning agent, a food flavouring etc and as an insect repellent.
When growing the plant for its essential oil content, it is best
to harvest the flowering stems as soon as the flowers have faded.
Yields of 0.8 - 1% of the oil are obtained.
The aromatic leaves and flowers
are used in pot-pourri and as an insect repellent in the linen
cupboard etc. They have been used in the past as a strewing herb
in order to impart a sweet smell to rooms and to deter insects.
The leaves are also added to bath water for their fragrance and
therapeutic properties. They are also said to repel mice.
The flowering stems, once the
flowers have been removed for use in pot-pourri etc, can be tied
in small bundles and burnt as incense sticks.
Lavender can be grown as a low
hedge, responding well to trimming. There are several varieties,
such as 'Hidcote Variety', 'Loddon Pink' and 'Folgate Blue' that
are suitable for using as dwarf hedges 30 - 50cm tall.
Resources...
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary
of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat
outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see
[200] ).
Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover
Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and
references.
Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate
plants.
Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN
0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting
information on the plants. Good photographs.
Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit
of interesting information.
Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and
Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor
on pictures.
Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press
1979 ISBN 0-87857-262-7
A good herbal.
Bryan. J. and Castle. C. Edible Ornamental Garden. Pitman Publishing
1976 ISBN 0-273-00098-5
A small book with interesting ideas for edible plants in the
ornamental garden.
Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London.
1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few
other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no
illustrations. |
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