Lavender--The Ultimate Guide

Lavender Field

I love lavender!  It is one of my favorite herbs, so I can't wait to let you in on some of the wonders of this incredibly versatile and useful plant!  This is a new and improved post from my original one on lavender.  It is a long post and it is very exhaustive.  I have tried to cover all the possible aspects of lavender for you and I have drawn from a huge number of sources to compile this article. There is just so much information available on this beautiful herb!  It really is "The Ultimate Guide to Lavender"!

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 Seeds

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.

References to lavender abound in the Christian Bible.  According to legend, lavender gets its scent from the newly washed clothes of the infant Jesus that were hung over a lavender bush to dry.  Additionally, the Bible says that when Jesus met Mary, sister of Lazarus, she washed his feet and anointed them with lavender perfume.  It is referred to in that instance as "nard", one of the common names for lavender in use at the time.

Lavender came to the New World with the Pilgrims as it is one of the garden flowers they brought with them when they settled in America. 

The people of the Victorian Era developed an entire language of flowers and plants in which they assigned various meanings and characteristics to those plants.  These meanings were based on lore and tradition. Through this language, they were able to develop a type of system where bouquets made up of many different flowers conveyed a message from the sender to the receiver.  The floral meanings were common knowledge, and so were easily understood by all parties. 

"Tussie-Mussies":  Floral Language Bouquets

Lavender was very popular, and had several meanings.  It was a romantic time period and lavender had many romantic meanings, such as acknowledgement, devotion, constant personal attention, and loyalty.  It also conveyed a wish of luck (perhaps in love) to its receiver.  Oddly, lavender also conveyed the ideas of suspicion and distrust, too.  It refers to the romantic notions of suspicion and distrust, though, as in "I am suspicious of your intentions", or "I distrust you with my heart."  These ideas stem from the ancient belief that asps dwell under lavender bushes, so one should always approach a lavender plant with distrust and wariness.

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 Against the Sky

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 Sprouts

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.

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.  Do this in the spring so that by the end of summer you have new plants to plant in the garden that will establish themselves during the fall and winter.  To layer a plant, take a healthy outside stem and bend it away from the parent plant.  Make sure soil is enriched.  "Wound" the stem by making a notch or rubbing the bark and under-bark off with a dull knife.  Anchor the stem in the ground with a piece of heavy wire that has been bent in half or use a clothespin.  Make sure you leave at least 6 inches of the branch exposed to the air.  Cover with soil and then place a brick or heavy stone on top.  After two or three months, the branch will have rooted, creating a new plant that can be cut from the parent and planted.

Another method of layering is known as stooling, mounding, or stool layering.  This type of layering is great for reviving unpruned lavender bushes, aging lavenders, or any other bushy, woody herb that has become leggy and rough-looking.  Mound up the soil around the center of the plant, burying the center branches.  If rain washes the soil away, replace it right away.  Leave it this way for about two or three months.  At the end of the time period, dig up the parent plant.  Roots will have formed all over the buried branches.  Any pieces with a few leaves and healthy roots can be cut off to be replanted into pots or directly into beds.  This method is great to use on lavenders that are over five years old that may need to be replaced.  This gives you a bunch of new plants so you won't miss the original one!

Stool Layering

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 Lavender Drying

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 last year (2015), and the potpourri was still just as fresh as it had been when we first made the sachets 20 years earlier!

The substance in lavender that gives it this staying power is the volatile oil that is produced by the plant, especially by its flowers.  The plant's oil glands are embedded among the tiny star-shaped hairs that cover the flowers, leaves, and stems of the lavender.  The oil varies in quality, depending on when the plants are harvested.  The oil from early flowers is pale and contains more valuable esthers than the darker oil of later flowers.  Lavender oil is the most often used essential oil in the world.

Microscopic Image of a Lavender Leaf, showing oil glands and tiny hairs

This oil is also what gives lavender its many applications for medicinal use.  The oil was traditionally inhaled, or applied directly to the skin.  If the oil is diluted somewhat, it is much safer to use, as the undiluted oil can irritate the skin.  You can also take it internally.  It is safe, but should be used in moderation.  It should not, however, be used by pregnant women.

The oil was applied to the temples to prevent faintness and "giddiness or turning of the brain," according to Culpeper, an early herbalist.  It has strong antiseptic actions capable of killing the bacteria that carry diphtheria and typhoid.  An antiseptic lotion of the oil may be applied to cuts to speed healing.  It was used to disinfect wounds up until World War I.  It is particularly recommended for burns, sunburn, and scalds and can, if applied directly, prevent blistering of the skin.

Traditional uses for lavender oil include embalming corpses, curing animals (and people) of lice, taming lions and tigers, repelling mosquitoes, moths and other insects, and as a flavoring for snuff.  It is said to relax muscle spasms, benefit digestion, stimulate the peripheral circulatory system and uterus, and lower fevers.  It also has antidepressant effects and has long been used to freshen sickrooms after the illness has passed. 

Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender oil can be taken internally for exhaustion, irritability, tension and migraine headaches, and bronchial complaints. It has been used as a medicine for hysteria, nervous palpitations, hoarseness, palsy, toothaches, sore joints, apoplexy, and colic.  It quiets coughs and rumbling tummies.  It promotes healing and has mild sedative effects on the nervous system.  It has also been used to alleviate nausea.  In China, lavender is used in a cure-all medicinal oil called White Flower Oil.

White Flower Oil

The oil is applied externally for rheumatism, muscular pain, neuralgia, skin complaints, cold and canker sores, insect and snake bites, halitosis (bad breath), vaginal discharge, and anal fissures.  Lavender also stimulates and cleanses the skin.  Washing your face with lavender vinegar is reported to be good for oily skin.  

Lavender flowers are used in sachets and potpourris to freshen homes, both today and in the past.  In herb pillows, it is said to promote sleep and pleasant dreams.  The flowers can also be added to baths to encourage relaxation of the body and mind.  Lavender was thought to be an aphrodisiac, due to its associations with love and romance.  Interestingly, it is said, though, that a sprinkle of lavender water on the head of your spouse or lover will keep him or her chaste and loyal to you.

Lavender Bath

One teaspoon of lavender flowers to a pint of water will produce mild sedative effects, while a few drops of the oil in a hot bath will ease aching muscles and sore feet.  Warm lavender tea can be applied as a compress for the relief of chest congestion.  Yet today, bruises and bites are treated with lavender compresses in France and Spain. 

Lavender Compress on Injury

Chinese Compresses for Massage

Medicinal cordials have been made by combining lavender oil, rosemary oil, cinnamon bark, nutmeg and sandalwood with wine and letting it steep for seven days.  The dose is a teaspoon after an "indigestible" meal, followed by a second dose a half-hour later, "if needed."

The insect repellent properties of lavender are well-known.  Sachets and potpourris are still used for perfuming drawers and closets, but simply placing oil of lavender on a wad of cotton and hanging it up will freshen the room and keep moths away.  You can also soak a cotton ball with diluted lavender oil and rub it on your skin to repel mosquitoes.  People carried lavender during the Middle Ages to ward off the Plague.  Even though lavender has powerful antibacterial and antiviral abilities, the fact is that the lavender didn't kill the Plague.  Instead, it simply repelled the fleas that carried this deadly disease!  Interestingly, these claims are some that modern science has tested, but found inconclusive.  Yet generations will swear by the repellent properties this herb possesses.

Many of the claims of medicinal prowess that lavender stakes have been recently taken to task by the medical and scientific communities.  The vast majority of claims have been proven accurate by various studies.  Today we know that lavender really has lots of "anti-" properties.  As mentioned earlier, it has antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties.  It also has been proven to be an effective antidepressant and anti-anxiety substance.  In fact, there is a new anti-anxiety medication called Silexan that is presently in the testing phases.  It is simply 80mg of lavender oil in a gelatin capsule.  It has been shown effective in reducing anxiety as well as reducing the symptoms that accompany it, like disturbed sleep or insomnia, and muscular and joint complaints.

Lavender Remedies

  

Through modern scientific studies, we know that lavender is effective in healing burns, wounds, cuts, bruises, dry skin, cold and canker sores, age spots, sun spots, hives, and bites faster than treatment of these issues without it.  It has also been proven effective at reducing hair loss and promoting hair regrowth.  Science has shown that the inhaling of lavender essential oil will reduce fear of going to the dentist.  Lavender has been proven to reduce post-surgical pain in many instances and to reduce the various symptoms of pre-menstrual syndrome.  Use for digestive issues has also been shown effective.  Studies show that using lavender will improve anyone's quality of sleep by about 60%.  It is useful in treating headaches and migraines, as well as in preventing strokes by causing a reduction in blood pressure.  

Other scientific evidence shows that lavender slows the activity of the central nervous system which promotes relaxation and lifts the mood of those suffering from sleep, anxiety, and depressive disorders.  This results in a better overall quality of life for those with these afflictions.  In studies where lavender oil was used with massage therapy, people reported improved sleep, more stable mood, and better concentration than with massage alone.  Several small studies suggest that lavender aromatherapy may help reduce agitation in people with dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.  Lavender has also been proven to reduce the dry, scaly skin lesions of eczema.  

Lavender Preparations for Diabetes

Studies have shown lavender to effectively treat many of the symptoms of Diabetes, including causing an increase in blood glucose levels, reduction in weight gain, control of metabolic disorders, preventing liver and kidney antioxidant depletion, and reducing liver and kidney dysfunction.  Lavender reduces the symptoms and development of Alzheimer's Disease, as well as the mood-involved symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  Further studies have demonstrated that attaching a pad soaked in lavender oil onto the neckline of clothing reduces falls in nursing home patients. Additionally, lavender has proven to be as effective at treating ear infections as equally as using a skin-numbing agent with the antibiotic medication amoxicillin.

One of the most promising areas of lavender research is in the field of cancer prevention.  Studies have shown that lavender provides our bodies with excellent antioxidant protection--even better than Vitamin C.  Antioxidants protect us from free radical damage.  Free radicals are what cause cell death in our bodies, which in turn, causes aging.  But the damage free radicals cause can also lead to cancer. 

Antioxidant Action

Because lavender protects us from this damage, it can prevent the development of cancer cells, too.  Where cancer cells have been detected, lavender has shown significant cytotoxic (cancer cell killing) activity against epithelial ovarian and cervical cancer cells.  It has an inhibitory effect on human melanoma cells and has been shown to decrease the viability of Hodgkin's lymphoma cells.  Lavender has a weak hormonal activity, as well, which may be beneficial against hormonal cancers.  

The lavender ribbon is the symbol for general cancer awareness and support.

Lavender also provides some hope for present cancer patients, too, by significantly decreasing tumor weight in many situations.  It has also shown to be an effective treatment for some patients who previously hadn't responded to standard cancer therapies.  Further, it has been effective for palliative care in brain tumor patients.  The antibacterial properties of lavender promote immune system function in addition to preventing golden staph infections in immuno-compromised cancer patients.  These findings in cancer research are certainly encouraging, although further testing and study is warranted.

In addition to its significant medicinal actions, lavender is purported to have many magical uses, as well.  According to Scott Cunningham, in his book, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, clothing rubbed with lavender flowers, or placing lavender in a drawer with clothes, attracts love.  A piece of paper on which you've rubbed lavender is great for writing love notes.  The scent supposedly attracts men, so prostitutes used to wear lavender oil or lavender water to advertise their profession and to attract customers.  Lavender is said to protect against cruel treatment at the hands of a spouse, if worn.  Interestingly, if lavender is worn with rosemary, it is said that it will preserve a woman's chastity.

Lavender Sleep Pillows

Flowers can be burned or smoldered to induce sleep or rest and are scattered about the home to maintain its peacefulness.  When you are depressed, it is said that just gazing upon the plant will cause all sorrow to depart and a joyous feeling will settle upon you, the observer.  The odor of lavender is conducive to long life and so should be smelled often if this is a concern.  Lavender is used in healing mixtures, carried to see ghosts, worn to protect from the "evil eye", and used in purification baths.

Lavender and Towels

For wish divination, you should place lavender under your pillow while thinking of your wish.  Do this just before retiring for the night.  In the morning, if you have dreamt about anything pertaining to your wish, it will come true.  However, if you did not dream or if your dreams had nothing to do with your wish, it will not manifest.

Lavender Under Pillows

I find it rather fascinating how much these "magical" uses for lavender have in common with the medical issues it has traditionally been used to address.  Even more incredible is how much lore and tradition have been shown to be quite accurate in light of modern scientific and medical testing!

When purchasing lavender for cooking, it is important that you seek out "culinary lavender".  Do not use lavender from a flower shop or garden center.  Buy from a grocery store, natural foods market, or health food store.  This guarantees that the lavender you are cooking with is truly safe to eat and has been raised without pesticides or other harsh chemicals. 

Lavender in a Measuring Spoon

Of course, the best way to ensure the safety of your lavender is to grow it yourself.  If you are going to grow lavender specifically for cooking, there are certain varieties that are more suited to this than others.  Lavandula dentata (French lavender) and Lavandula stoechas (Spanish lavender) are not really suited for this as the flowers they yield have a strong, bitter flavor that is more camphor-pine flavored than sweet.  

Lavandula stoechas (Spanish Lavender)

Any of the Lavandula angustifolia varieties are much better for cooking than these.  The best angustifolia to use is that from the cultivar called "Munstead".  It is a smaller, dwarf variety that is fairly low-growing.  It only gets to be about one-and-a-half feet tall, but it has fatter, more open blooms than taller lavenders.  It has the sweetest fragrance of all the lavenders, which creates a much sweeter, fruity-er flavor for cooking.  Another cooking variety that is good to use is Lavandula angustifolia "Hidcote".  It, too, is a smaller variety, that grows to between 1 1/2 and 2 feet tall.  Its flower spikes are a very deep violet blue and its fragrance is more richly fruity than some of the other varieties which produce a spicy-sweet flavor.

Lavender "Munstead"

Lavender "Hidcote"

Culinary lavender should have a sweet, floral flavor with lemon and citrus notes.  These flavor characteristics are what makes lavender an excellent pairing with other citrus flavors like lemon, or other sweet flavors like honey or ordinary sugar.  Lavender is wonderful in baking because of its natural sweetness.  See my recipes for Heart-Shaped Lavender Cookies, Lavender Baking Powder Biscuits, and Frosted Lavender Cookies for some ideas.  Click HERE for those recipes and others. 

Lavender Sugar

You can also make lavender sugar by combining the flowers of 6 lavender stalks with 4 cups of granulated sugar in a coffee mill, food processor, or blender to create Lavender Sugar.  This should be stored in a Ziploc bag in the freezer until you are ready to use it.  Use the same way you would use regular sugar.  Use it in baking, to add flavor to teas and other drinks, or just to add some sweetness to your morning coffee.

Lavender and Honey Roasted Chicken

Lavender is also great with meats, especially lamb and chicken.  See my recipe HERE for Lavender and Honey Roasted Chicken.  Lavender is also one of the "Herbes de Provence" used in many recipes.  This herbal mixture is usually made up of several pungent herbs in various quantities, like marjoram, oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, sage and fennel.  This works great as a rub for most meats, pork, and poultry.  My favorite way to eat lavender is to use it in Lavender Rice.  Click HERE for this recipe.  You may have to scroll around a little to find these specific recipes, but they are really wonderful examples of how to incorporate lavender into daily meals.  

Lavender Tea

My first exposure to lavender in cooking was through a Victorian Tea Room in my home town.  They served afternoon teas that my mom and I would attend occasionally.  The first time we went, they served lavender cookies and lavender tea.  They even had lavender butter to put on biscuits!  (Click HERE for my Honey-Lavender Butter recipe.)  It was a totally incredible experience.  The lavender was so rich and sweet that I think I fell in love with herbal baking right then and there!

Lavender Cupcakes

No matter how you use lavender in your cooking, just be aware that the herb's potency increases as it dries.  So if you are using dried lavender, use only about 1/3 as much as you would of fresh lavender.  Additionally, with lavender, a little goes a long way.  If there is too much of it, it will taste like you are eating soap or perfume and it will make the dish very bitter. 

Dried Lavender

The leaves and stems are flavorful, too, and can be used in cooking, but the flowers give dishes that subtly sweet, citrus flavor you will appreciate most.  Whenever you use lavender, whether fresh or dried, be sure to grind it first using a coffee mill, food processor, or blender.  You can also pulverize it in a mortar and pestle, if you prefer.  This process breaks apart the flower buds and releases their essential oils which creates the proper flavor.  Besides, no one wants to bite into a cookie to get a mouthful of crunchy leaves or dried flowers!  It would be like eating potpourri!

Butterfly on Lavender

The versatility and usefulness of lavender has never been disputed, and I hope that you are now able to envision some of the wonders this lovely plant can produce.  I scent my pillows with lavender to help me sleep better and to give myself an overall feeling of well-being.  It is relaxing, fresh, and clean-smelling.  I use it in cooking because I love the fruity sweetness it imparts to my recipes.  I can't imagine where the world would be without the joys of lavender and I hope you can't either!

Lavender and Books

Send me a message below and let me know how you feel about lavender and the different ways you use it in your own home!  I look forward to hearing from you!

Peace and Love (and Lavender!) Always,

Lavender with Pale Purple Butterfly

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:

Butterfly in Lavender Field:   Photo via Visual hunt

Lavender and Towels:   Photo credit: ZenKitty /Babushka via VisualHunt / CC BY-NC

Huge Lavender Wreath 2:  http://www.lavenderfanatic.com/lavenderwreaths.html

Beautiful Lavender Bouquet:  https://nature.desktopnexus.com/wallpaper/2014808/

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

Lavender Field:   Photo via VisualHunt.com

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

Lavender Seeds with Ruler:  http://gardenofeaden.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/how-to-grow-lavender-from-seed.html

Tussie-Mussies:   Photo credit: Katsunojiri via Visualhunt.com / CC BY

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

Bee in Lavender Field:   Photo via Visual hunt

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

Layering Drawings:  Angela Fox-Thompson

Stool Layering:   Photo credit: Internet Archive Book Images via VisualHunt / No known copyright restrictions

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

Microscopic Lavender Leaf:   Photo credit: wellcome images via VisualHunt.com / CC BY-NC-ND

Lavender Essential Oil:  http://enabledkids.ca/3-uses-for-lavender-essential-oil/

White Flower Oil:  http://www.imedmart.com/White-Flower/Superior-Trading-Company-White-Flower-Oil-0-67-oz/64254.html

Lavender Bath:   Photo credit: wiccked via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-SA

Compress on Injury:  Photo Credit:  www.fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net  

Chinese Compresses for Massage:  http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Herbal-Compress-Balls-for-Spa-Treatment-and-Lavender-Beauty-Treatment-Posters_i12269463_.htm

Lavender Remedies:  http://www.anniesremedy.com/chart_remedy_compress.php

Lavender Preparations for Diabetes:  https://www.adwdiabetes.com/articles/aromatherapy-and-essential-oils-for-diabetes

Antioxidant Action:  http://www.calgarycmmc.com/antioxidant.htm

Cancer Ribbon:  http://photobucket.com/images/lavender%20cancer%20awareness%20ribbon

Lavender Cancer Support Logo:  http://www.visitashton.com/news/lavender-ribbon-cancer-support/

Lavender Sleep Pillow:  http://www.eatlivegrowpaleo.com/2012/04/herbs-lavender.html

Lavender and Towels:   Photo credit: ZenKitty /Babushka via VisualHunt / CC BY-NC

Lavender Under Pillows:  http://www.piazzaverde.co.nz/lavender-farm-piazza-verde-new/2015/7/25/lavender-sleep-pillows-1.html

Dried Lavender in a Measuring Spoon:   Photo credit: mindwhisperings via VisualHunt.com / CC BY-NC-ND

Lavandula Stoechas:   Photo via Visual hunt

Munstead Lavender:  http://www.garysperennials.com/plantsataglance_Lavandula_Munstead.htm

Hidcote Lavender:  http://centredejardinbrossard.com/en/shop/lavandula-angustifolia-hidcote-blue-3/

Lavender Sugar:   Photo credit: zenra via VisualHunt / CC BY-NC-SA

Lavender and Honey Roasted Chicken:   Photo credit: jypsygen via Visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC-ND

Lavender Tea:   Photo credit: aspros via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-ND

Lavender Cupcakes:   Photo credit: kathryn in stereo via Visual hunt / CC BY-SA

Dried Lavender:   Photo credit: vanessa lollipop via VisualHunt / CC BY-SA

Butterfly on Lavender:   Photo via Visual hunt

Lavender and Books:   Photo credit: sheshakes via VisualHunt.com / CC BY-NC

Lavender with Pale Purple Butterfly:   Photo via Visual Hunt