Lovingly Lavender Pt. 2

Gardening with Lavender I have quite a time growing Lavender, it doesn't like my heavy clay soil. But every year I have to try some, and prepare little bits of special areas just to try to encourage these lovely plants. I know plenty of others, however, who have no problem growing Lavenders; if you're one of this people, I both envy and encourage you to try as many varieties as you have room for!

Lavender will do well in almost any loose, light soil, including sandy and gravel based, almost anything with good drainage. It prefers sunny, dry spots; in fact, Lavender must be allowed to dry out between waterings or you risk rot. If you have a choice of areas in which to plant, find a southern or southwestern facing area, a slope ideally, which would provide some protection against north winds in winter.

While we think of Lavender as a Mediterranean shrub, many varieties are actually quite hardy. You can start Lavender from seed sown after the last frost, but it is most easily grown from cuttings or layerings, sometimes by root division. Young plants should be kept from flowering the first year by clipping, so the energy of the plant is directed toward bushing; otherwise it tends to become scraggly.

The scent we appreciate as Lavender can be found in all parts of the plant, although the essential oil is derived primarily from the flowers and flower stems. If you want to benefit from the scent only, however, bunches of dried lavender stalks can be hung, or the leaves and stem crumbled or powdered for potpourris or sachets.

All the forms of Lavender are much visited by bees and prove a good source of honey.

Lavender Wands

Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs gives us these directions for creating 'Lavender Wands' to freshen closets and drawers. To make these, you'll need a variety that has 18-24 inch long stems, ribbon, string or florists wire, toothpick or crochet hook and a pin.

Start with 13 long, freshly picked stems. Tie the blooms together with string or florist's wire. Hold the blossoms with the stems point up in the air, then bend them down one by one to form an umbrella. Take a ¼-inch wide satin ribbon at least 3-yards long. Weave the ribbon, satin-side up, in and out of the stems like a basket. The first two rows are the most difficult to do since the stems tend to flop, cross, and slip around.

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