Here’s a pretty perennial that looks good in your garden and has multiple uses in your home and kitchen.
Lavender plants are shrub-like in their appearance, with leggy leafy stems that grow up to a couple of feet tall.
The plants should be set about one and a half to two feet apart in your garden, and should be set into a very loose well-drained soil that is well mixed with sand and not overly rich in organic matter.
Lavender is not at all demanding of moisture and will, in fact, be subject to loss through root rot if the site is kept too wet.
Plentiful sunshine and good air circulation is necessary for the health and vigor of this popular perennial, which works well in hedge-like border plantings, rock gardens, or in containers on your patio.
Lavender is a wonderfully aromatic plant, with fragrance emanating not only from the blossoms but from the leaves as well.
Its fragrance is said to have the same effects in your garden as does that of sage or rosemary in helping to deter deer, rabbits, and other animals from eating your desirable landscaping plants.
On the other hand, the blossoms attract more desirable creatures to your garden, such as butterflies, hummingbirds, and honeybees.
Fresh cut lavender flowers can be used in the kitchen in sauces, desserts, and other dishes.
Dried cut flowers work well in flower arrangements, teas, in sachets, and in crafts.
Just remember to grow your lavender plants in loose well-drained soil, mulch with sand or small pebbles, provide adequate spacing to allow for air circulation, situate in an area of plentiful sunshine, and prune lightly once a year to encourage branching rather than leggy stems.
If these standards are maintained, your lavender garden should thrive and reward you with beautiful and fragrant blossoms for many years.
