It seems like as before long as summer hits , everybody starts talking about growing lavender , and for good reason ! This herb is beautiful , edible , smells amazing , and has dandy health property . What ’s not to love ! ? Here ’s what you need to get it on about grow lavender .
Lavender is a gorgeous ornamental with a glaring fragrance . Its wonderful , delicateflavouradds deepness to many different types of formula , and it is one of the most popular ingredients innatural beauty recipesand aromatherapy .
All of that , plus it is stalwart , drouth tolerant , beneficial to bee , and deer and rabbits leave it alone .
Bumblebee visiting some Spanish lavender.
And it ’s by far one of my all - time best-loved flowers . The bee love it , I love it !
Lavender can be a bit tricky to get and keep properly so that it is tidy and healthy , but this essential pathfinder to produce lavender will provide you with a few bakshish that will help keep your lavender in top form for eld to do and the know - how you need to prune , propagate , and use this various garden staple fibre .
Here ’s what I ’ll be covering today …
Types of Lavender
While there are many varietals in unlike sizes , scent , and colours , lavender plant life come down into two main categories : English and Spanish .
English Lavender
Lavandula angustifolia
Easily identifiable by itsgray - green leaves , long slender over-embellished prime spikes , and breathtaking fragrance , English lavender comes in different shades of purple as well as white and pink varieties .
It is actually native to the Mediterranean but grows well in England ’s climate , which is why we be intimate it as “ English lavender . ” This type of lavender isregularly used as a culinary ingredient(it is one of the herbs in the famousherbs de Provence mix ) , aromatherapy , and natural beauty formula .
A few pop varieties ofLavandula angustifoliaare :
‘ Hidcote ’
With its silvery leaves and powerfully scented flowers , it ’s no wonder that Hidcote is the most popular diverseness for growing lavender in home garden .
‘ Munstead ’
Munstead is also no Erysimum cheiri in the aroma department , but the plant stays a bit more neat and tidy with a compact habit . This lavender has the best flavor for cooking with .
‘ Thumbelina ’
Small - place gardener will have sex Thumbelina , a dainty beauty that grows only 12 ” marvellous and yet will bloom up to three time a season !
Spanish Lavender
Lavandula stoechas
Spanish lavender can be name by itsslender folio and plump , Ananas comosus - shaped bloom topswhich are morepinkish - purplethan most English lavender .
Legend has it that Spanish lavender was used by ancient Romans to aromatize their baths , but it is not ordinarily used for aromatherapy today .
Spanish lavender is more often planted as an decorative and toattract bee . bee prefer Spanish Lavenderto English lavender because its flowers are bigger and more open , which means they are easier to cross-pollinate .
How to Care for Your Lavender
Growing lavender is easy once it ’s established and in the right-hand positioning . Here ’s what you call for to know to keep your lilac-colored plant happy .
Location and Sunlight
Lavender is native to the Mediterranean , so itlikes nerveless winters and spicy , ironic summersreminiscent of its aboriginal clime . It require sandy , well - enfeeble grime andfull sun . Lavender is drouth - tolerant and unfearing tozone 7 or 8 .
Water
Lavender requires very niggling water once established . When you first plant your lavender , water on a regular basis .
In its second year , you wo n’t need to provide any auxiliary water . It ’s fearless to drought and used to the hot hot heat .
Pruning Lavender
Pruning is the number one thing you’re able to do to keep your lavender happy . you could always tell an quondam lilac-colored plant that was never pruned as the base becomes bare and the out office leggy .
right pruning keeps your plant healthy and bully and promotes growth , branching , and blooming . Lavender bloom of youth on new stem , so pruning early or belated in the season will be most good . come out lop in the second year after plant , and repeat each yr after that .
First , follow the4 Ds of pruning . Then , you may cut back up to one - third of the works at a time , take care not to cut into the woody stem . Pruning novel growth promote more new development , whereas cutting into the woody staunch will just induce those stem to die .
If you like the plant to be neat and tidy , then lavender should be pruned three time throughout the season :
You do n’t have to prune all three times ; you may prune only once or twice a season if you need the plant to grow wilder and forget all of theflowers for the bees . It ’s all about personal preference !
Harvesting Lavender
you’re able to also reap lavender buds for craft and recipes . If you clock it right , pruning and harvest home can be the same matter , but they can also be very different . The aim of pruning is to maintain the form of the plant , and harvesting is the act of removing the flower buds for another use .
Spanish Lavender does n’t require harvesting .
The key is to harvest lavender BEFORE they open fully . See the picture below for reference , as the one on the leftfield is still in bud form while the others have started to blossom already .
For more entropy on harvesting , head over to this clause to seeHow to right glean English Lavender .
Propagating Lavender
Growing lavender in bulk is well-situated when you know how to propagate . you’re able to grow a garden full of lavender from just one plant by claim a press clipping and root it follow this technique .
Take a Cutting
Using a astute tongue , cut a neat piece of root with no flower buds on it . Cuttings should be about three to four column inch long . Remove all of the parting from the bottom two inch of the cutting , and scrape the skin off of the stem on one side of the bottom two column inch with your tongue .
Plant the Cutting
you could either dip the cut inrooting hormonefirst to help encourage base growth , or else just implant it straight into a pot of dear , well - drain grease . Lavender roots easily so solution hormone is not necessary , but may help .
Poke the cutting two inches deep and pack the soil lightly around it so that it suffer up straight on its own . For a mini “ nursery , ” just cover the cuttings with an upside - down charge plate Ziploc bag . station cut in a cheery spot and water when the soil feels dry .
Check out this station for more detailed instructions onhow to propagate lavender .
How to Use Lavender
Afterharvestingand , if you bid , preserving your lavender , there are a myriad of USA for it . Lavender can be used unfermented or dry in flowered placement , baking , cooking , andcocktail recipes , aromatherapy , and natural smasher recipes , and is a useful provision to have on hand for many crafts .
Here are a few melodic theme for you to assay :
Share this post:
