It is unfortunate that few of us have the space to grow lavender enough to make our own essential oil for use in the home for household cleaning, among myriad others. However, most of us have enough space - even if all we have room for a pot on the balcony - to grow our own lavender as a source of fresh fragrant flowers and dried flowers to use as moth repellents. You can put lavender in the cleaning fluid to clean the kitchen or regular cleaning of soil.
Do not just grab the first thing you see lavender in the garden shop. French lavender is decorative and is very popular (ie, popular because it is enough), but not much odor to it. English lavender (Lavandula latifolia L. augustifolia or a hybrid of the two called L. x intermedia is also available) is the type you want. You can take your pick for the exact color of the flowers when they leave. You can get flowers in shades ranging from white to pale blue-purple (lavender classical) through purple and pink.
Lavender grows well from cuttings, so if you have a friend who has a lovely patch of lavender, you can ask a court or two. Lavender also grows from seed, but this may be a bit of a gamble, like lavender hybridize with each other easily and reach the children who are nothing like the parent plant that took seed. Always ask first before taking cuttings or seeds, not all have the gall of a middle-aged lady who shall remain nameless who was an expert in the pinch of the seed-heads of the foreign gardens within walking distance of the sidewalk.
Lavender loves the sun - the more the better. While lavender is mostly free of pests, prone to fungus if planted in damp, shady areas. He likes the soil and drainage and does not mind stones (something like a fine wine from grapes). Taller varieties of lavender can be planted as a hedge (L. augustifolia test "Vera", which has good silver leaves and reaches about 90 cm high). Lavender repel insects - with the exception of bees and butterflies, which love the flowers - so it makes a good companion to plant perennials around the garden. A delicious hint of lavender planting this writer found was to plant lavender near your washing line in the flap leaves can against it, picking up some of the aromas that are dried out. So that lavender is not only useful for cleaning the house.
Lavender prefers an alkaline soil. An acid soil can be corrected with ash or lime.
Lavender plant in the fall for best results. If you are planting a hedge, put the plants about 30 inches apart - no need to crowd them. One advantage of a lavender hedge is that it loses its leaves during winter. You can not really call an evergreen, but you could call a "more and more money" or "more and more gray."
Lavender hedges should be pruned after flowering (never before, for obvious reasons - to lose the flowers). Dry prunings and use on or in a barbecue - it will release the smell burned.
Do not just grab the first thing you see lavender in the garden shop. French lavender is decorative and is very popular (ie, popular because it is enough), but not much odor to it. English lavender (Lavandula latifolia L. augustifolia or a hybrid of the two called L. x intermedia is also available) is the type you want. You can take your pick for the exact color of the flowers when they leave. You can get flowers in shades ranging from white to pale blue-purple (lavender classical) through purple and pink.
Lavender grows well from cuttings, so if you have a friend who has a lovely patch of lavender, you can ask a court or two. Lavender also grows from seed, but this may be a bit of a gamble, like lavender hybridize with each other easily and reach the children who are nothing like the parent plant that took seed. Always ask first before taking cuttings or seeds, not all have the gall of a middle-aged lady who shall remain nameless who was an expert in the pinch of the seed-heads of the foreign gardens within walking distance of the sidewalk.
Lavender loves the sun - the more the better. While lavender is mostly free of pests, prone to fungus if planted in damp, shady areas. He likes the soil and drainage and does not mind stones (something like a fine wine from grapes). Taller varieties of lavender can be planted as a hedge (L. augustifolia test "Vera", which has good silver leaves and reaches about 90 cm high). Lavender repel insects - with the exception of bees and butterflies, which love the flowers - so it makes a good companion to plant perennials around the garden. A delicious hint of lavender planting this writer found was to plant lavender near your washing line in the flap leaves can against it, picking up some of the aromas that are dried out. So that lavender is not only useful for cleaning the house.
Lavender prefers an alkaline soil. An acid soil can be corrected with ash or lime.
Lavender plant in the fall for best results. If you are planting a hedge, put the plants about 30 inches apart - no need to crowd them. One advantage of a lavender hedge is that it loses its leaves during winter. You can not really call an evergreen, but you could call a "more and more money" or "more and more gray."
Lavender hedges should be pruned after flowering (never before, for obvious reasons - to lose the flowers). Dry prunings and use on or in a barbecue - it will release the smell burned.
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