An old favourite

Who does not love lavender?

Even if you are not into gardening, I am sure that you like the flowers and the wonderful products that lavender is made into.
The scent of lavender transports me back to my childhood with my grandmother who used lavender water on her person.
Lavender is used extensively in the perfume industry - it is the essential oil that is extracted from the plants.

There are so many uses for this wonderful herb - cooking, cosmetics, soaps, medicinal, - and many more.

Plant lavender in a sunny spot in a good fertile, well drained soil - it makes a good border plant if clipped correctly and the best time to trim your plants is in autumn and after flowering.
If trimmed regularly, the plants will always look good - do not cut into the hard wood stems, rather cut small amounts off the soft stems.
If this is done on an on going basis, the plants will never look straggly.

Pick flowers in the morning if you wish to dry them and hang in bunches upside down in a warm dry area.
It is said that the flowers deter flies but I plant lavender as a companion plant as it attracts the bees and is lovely to have along pathways - the flowers brush up against one as we pass and the wonderful scents are released into the garden.

There are many varieties to choose from - english lavender, french lavender, italian lavender, -dwarf varieties and numerous colours to choose from such as white, pinks, green and many shades of blue.

When choosing plants for a border make sure that the plants are compact and bushy and not tall and straggly and then you will have good healthy growth.
The only food that you need to give plants is a good organic compost and a nice layer of mulch on top of the soil.