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Description and Cultivation of Lavender



The information that follows is excerpted from a longer post:  The Ultimate Guide to Lavender.  For additional information about Lavender such as its medicinal and culinary uses, or its uses through history, please click HERE to access the complete original post. Other individual sections are listed below:
Lavender Field

Lavender is a bushy, very fragrant, evergreen perennial with short woody stems.  It is quite dense with long, narrow, linear gray-green leaves that are covered with a downy layer of soft white hairs.  It has a branching habit that is encouraged by pruning, and can cause the shrub to become around 3 feet in diameter.  It produces whorls of intensely fragrant blue-mauve or pale lilac flowers in spikes at the ends of long stalks in midsummer.  
Lavender Against Sky

Lavender is a member of the mint family, Labiatae.  The name Lavender comes from the Latin verb "lavare", which means "to wash", most likely after the practice of scenting bath and washing water with lavender.  It is still often used in scented soaps and bathwater.  It is originally native to Mediterranean hillsides.


Growing lavender is possible for just about everyone.  Lavender flourishes in hardiness zones 5 - 8 and likes a well-drained soil with a pH of about 7.1.  Grow lavender in full sun--the hotter the better!
Lavender Sprouts

Of course, the easiest way to start lavender on your own is to buy young plants and plant them yourself.  However, there are many different varieties of lavender that have similar, but differing characteristics.  When buying lavender plants, be aware that the cultivar names "angustifolia", "officinalis", "delphinensis", "Spica", and "vera" all refer to basic lavender and are interchangeable.  Lavandula angustifolia is generally considered "true" or English Lavender.  It yields an exquisite oil that is used in aromatherapy and high-quality perfumes.
Bee in Lavender Field

Lavandula latifolia is known as spike lavender or Spanish lavender.  It is a coarser plant than English lavender.  It is not generally grown as a garden plant, but is grown commercially in Spain for its oil.  Its oil yields a pungent, camphoraceous scent that is mainly used in cleaning products, as an insect repellent, and as a dressing for wounds.  The oil is also used in lacquers and varnishes, especially those used on porcelain.  It dilutes the more delicate colors used in china painting.
Lavender Seeds

Lavender is rarely started from seed, due to a very long germination time.  Additionally, lavender plants don't always produce seeds because some hybrids are "mules", or sterile.  Your best bet for propagating lavender is instead, through cuttings.  These cuttings, measuring 2 to 3 inches long, are taken in the summertime from side shoots.  These shoots should be from the growth of one season and may include some older wood at the base.  To take a cutting, grasp a healthy shoot and pull it downward so that a piece of the older wood comes with it.  Then place these cuttings 3 to 4 inches apart in moist sandy soil.  When these cuttings have been growing for a year, they can be planted out 4 to 6 feet apart in dry, light, stony or gravelly soil that is not subject to frost.
My Baby Lavender

I like to start lavender by just starting it in water.  This is a long process, but has always worked best for me.  I took a lavender cutting back in August of last year and placed it in a small vase.  Finally, around the end of December, roots sprouted.  By mid-January, new top growth started as well.  Just be patient!  It takes time, but starting lavender this way is very gratifying since you can actually see the progress it is making.  Around April or May, I will plant it into a small pot, and then in June, I will plant it out in my garden.  I hope it survives!

Lavender is also a good candidate for propagation by layering.  Layering is a method of propagation used on woody-stemmed herbs like upright thyme, lavender, sage, rosemary, winter savory, tarragon, and southernwoods.  For a complete description of the Layering process, please click HERE.

Bunch of Freshly Cut Lavender Flowers

During the first year after planting in the garden, plants should be clipped to encourage branching into lateral shoots.  Protect the plants from both summer and winter winds, as flower spikes are easily broken in storms.  Full pickings of lavender are possible in the second to fifth years.  After the fifth year, some growers replace the plants, but others insist that the plants will do well in the same place for thirty years.  Just make sure the soil has enough lime and that if you are not going to use the flowers, that you cut the spent blooms off to keep the plants flourishing.  Routine care of lavender is minimal, as once established, it essentially takes care of itself.
Hot and Dry Summer Lavender

Temperature for lavender plants is crucial from May through August.  The weather should be hot and dry.  The best oil is harvested after a hot, dry season with much sun.  To harvest lavender, cut the flower spikes off at least 6 inches below the spike, but avoid cutting back into old wood as this will damage the plant.  For dry storage, harvest the flowers either when they are first open or when they are fully open.  Once harvested, you can lay the flower spikes out on mats to dry and cover them to prevent sun scorch.  Otherwise, tie them in bunches and hang them upside down from the rafters in an attic or shed.  I tie a paper lunch bag over the flower ends of the stalks to capture all the flowers that fall off as the spikes dry.  
My Drying Lavender

Prune and shape the bushes either after the flowering and harvest are over, or in early spring.
Potted "Stoechas" Lavender

Lavender can be trained into pots to be grown indoors or on patios, if you intend to bring them inside to over-winter.  In pots, the plants will take a symmetrical or somewhat tortured bonsai form.  Just use very coarse, rocky soil that is very porous and well-drained.  Do not let roots stand in water.  Water the plants infrequently.  Remember, they like it hot and dry.


Hanging Lavender for Drying
Well-dried lavender flowers will remain aromatic for a long time.  I made some lavender and rose petal potpourri in the mid '90's and my mother stuck a sachet of it in with our Christmas tree to keep away insects and to keep the tree fresh during storage.  We got rid of that tree in 2015, and the potpourri was still just as fresh as it had been when we first made the sachets 20 years earlier!
Sachets de Lavande (Lavender Sachets)

Lavender is an amazing and valuable plant.  If you live in an area that gets hot and dry in the summer, you should really give growing it a try!  Please leave any questions or comments below--especially related to your experiences growing lavender!

Peace and Love Always,








Bouquets of Lavender on an Old Wooden Bench

Sources:
Axe, Dr. Josh, MD. "7 Lavender Oil Benefits for Healing." Dr. Axe Food and Medicine. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.

Bremness, Leslie. RD Home Handbook: Herbs. Pleasantville: Reader's Digest Association, 1990. Print.

Brown, Deni. The Herb Society of America Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 1995. Print.

Clark, Marnie. "Lavender Essential Oil Uses and Its Benefits for Cancer Patients." The Truth about Cancer. thetruthaboutcancer.com, n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.

Clevely, Andi, and Katherine Richmond. The Complete Book of Herbs. New York: Smithmark, 1994. Print.

Cunnningham, Scott. Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1992. Print.

Ehrlich, Steven D., NMD. "Lavender." University of Maryland Medical Center. University of Maryland Medical Center, 2 Jan. 2015. Web. 18 Sept. 2016. Published date is actually most recent review date. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

Gips, Kathleen. Flora's Dictionary: The Victorian Language of Herbs and Flowers . Chagrin Falls: TM Publications, 1995. Print.

Kowalchik, Claire, and William H. Hylton, eds. Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs . Emmaus: Rodale, 1987. Print.

Kruger, Anna. An Illustrated Guide to Herbs. Stamford: Longmeadow, 1993. Print.

"Lavender." Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 21 Sept. 2015. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.

"Lavender." WebMD. Ed. Therapeutic Research Faculty. WebMD Therapeutic Research Faculty, 2009. Web. 18 Sept. 2016. Material for article provided by Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Consumer Version.

Nordqvist, Joseph. "What Are the Benefits of Lavender?" Medical Today. Medical News Today, 9 Sept. 2014. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.

Shaudys, Phyllis. The Pleasure of Herbs. Pownal: Storey Communications, 1986. Print.

Shaudys, Phyllis V. Herbal Treasures. Pownal: Storey Communications, 1990. Print.
Photo Credits:
Fresh Lavender on Wood Background:  Photo Credit:  by Jag_cz

Lavender Field:   Photo via VisualHunt.com

Lavender for Graphic:   Photo credit: kellies_love2001 via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-ND

Lavender Against Sky:   Photo credit: Jake Wild! via Visualhunt / CC BY-NC-ND

Lavender Sprouts:   Photo credit: HorsePunchKid via Visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Bee in Lavender Field:   Photo via Visual hunt


My Baby Lavender:  Photo Credit:  Angela Fox- Thompson

Bunch of Freshly Cut Lavender:  Photo Credit:  Bunch of freshly cut lavender by Grecaud Paul

Hot and Dry Summer Lavender:   Photo credit: @AdeRussell via Visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC-ND

My Lavender Drying:  Photo Credit:  Angela Fox-Thompson

Potted Stoechas Lavender:   Photo credit: marneejill via Visual Hunt / CC BY-SA

Hanging Lavender:   Photo credit: One Day Closer via Visual Hunt / CC BY

Sachets de Lavande:  Photo Credit:  Pictures news

Bouquets of Lavender on an old wooden bench:  Photo Credit:  Bouquets on lavender on a wooden old bench by Anna-Mari West

Fresh Lavender on Wood Background:  Photo Credit:  by Jag_cz

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