Lavender

Table of Contents

1. Description
2. Origin
3. Uses
4. Culture
5. Sources
6. Thanks to...

Lavandula angustifolia
Family: Labiatae (Lamiaceae)

Common names: English lavender, common lavender, lavender

Description

L. angustifolia is a bushy, branching, perennial, pubescent shrub that will grow 0.3-2.0m high. Leaves are small, narrow, smooth edged, and blue-green in colour. Flowers are small, lavender-purple in colour, and grow in whorls of 6-10 blooms on spiky inflorescences.

| Top of Page |

Origin

Mediterranean: Lavender is grown mostly for its aromatic essential oil and plant tissue. The major areas of lavender oil production are in Bulgaria, England, France, the former USSR, the former Yugoslavia, Australia, South Africa, Tanzania, Italy and Spain. Lavender was cultivated by the ancient Greeks and Romans, and in Elizabethan England.

| Top of Page |

Uses of Lavender and claims

• Culinary: flowers are very attractive to bees and lavender honey is considered a gourmet item; leaves, petals and flowering tips are added to dressings, honey, jellies, salads, soups, stews, wine, vinegar etc.; essential oil is added to flavour beverages, ice cream, candy, baked goods, gelatins, pudding, chewing gum etc.
• Medicinal: lavender oil is one of the most important oils in aromatherapy; used as a folk remedy for acne, cancer, colic, faintness, flatulence, migraines, nausea, rheumatism, and many others (Small 1997); in modern medicine, lavender is sometimes used as a mild sedative, nervous exhaustion, disturbances of sleep,
• Industrial: essential oil is used in perfumes, lotions, cosmetics, soaps, colognes, shaving creams, toilet water, etc.; grown as an ornamental; flowers and leaves are used in crafts, potpourris, sachets, aromatic tobacco, to scent clothing and linens.

| Top of Page |

Culture

• Propagation: Lavender can be propagated by cuttings, root divisions, and seeds (although not as easily).
• Soil Type: English lavender prefers a sunny site with light, well-drained soil and a pH of 6.5-7.5.
• Cultivation: It is hardy in climate zones 5-8, but it has been suggested that plants be covered with a mulch to protect them from the cold. There are many commercial varieties of lavender; some will be more winter-hardy than others. Environmental factors such as hours of daylight, soil moisture and fertility will all affect lavender quality. Test strains with your soil type before planting large amounts o this crop. According to Halva and Craker (1996), lavender does not require heavy fertilization. They recommend a moderate preplant application of a balanced fertilizer plus additional applications every year.
• Harvest: The flower stalks are harvested while in full bloom, starting in the second year.

| Top of Page |

Sources

• Halva, S, L.E. Craker. 1996. Manual for Northern Herb Growers. HSMP Press.
• Kowalchik, C. and W. H. Hylton Eds. 1998. Rodale's illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs. Rodale Press
• Small, E. 1997. Culinary Herbs. National Research Council of Canada.
• Keville, K. Herbs an Illustrated Encyclopedia.1994. Friedman/Fairfax publishers.
• Sturdivant, L, T. Blakley. 1999. Medicinal Herbs in the Garden, Field and Marketplace. San Juan Naturals.

Thanks to

This demonstration garden was a result of the efforts of Dr. Alan McKeown, Vegetable Scientist, University of Guelph and was made possible with grants from the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and the Tobacco Diversification Program.

| Top of Page |